ConAgra Foods

I recently contacted ConAgra Foods to inquire about their labelling policy and they sent me quite a detailed response...

Thank you for your email concerning gluten in our ConAgra Foods products.

The following gluten labeling information applies to all ConAgra products. To see which brands and products ConAgra has in Canada, we invite you to visit our Canadian web site at www.conagrafoods.ca. There you will see not only the brands and products we have available, but also nutritional information (including ingredients) and delicious recipes and meal ideas.

We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to obtain accurate information about our food to help plan their meals and diets. And we continue to look for ways to meet the dietary needs of our consumers.

Since wheat is a major food allergen, if it is used in the product it would be listed in the contains statement following the ingredients list. The flour used in many of our products is wheat flour and you should avoid these products if you have gluten sensitivities. If any ingredient in the product includes rye or barley, it will be listed in parentheses immediately following the ingredient. Oats do not contain gluten, but they frequently have been exposed to wheat or barley and are not recommended for celiac patients. If Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, or Spices listed in the ingredients list contain wheat, rye, barley, or oats these ingredients would be listed in parenthesis immediately following the ingredient. Some fermented or distilled products such as vinegar may be derived from wheat. Most of the vinegar in our products is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed.

For your convenience the below is a list of products that we carry that do not contain gluten:

Products That Do Not Contain Gluten*

Category/Brand/Items

· Cocoa: Swiss Miss all varieties

· Hebrew National: all items except Franks in a Blanket

· Wesson oils: all varieties

· Peter Pan Peanut Butter: all varieties

· Popcorn: **Act II microwave, **Orville Redenbacher jar and microwave (excluding Crunch ‘n Munch or Poppycock)

· Pudding: Swiss Miss & **Snack Pack, excludes those containing Tapioca

· Spreads: Parkay, Blue Bonnet, Fleischmann's and Move Over Butter

· David Seeds: all varieties

· **Tomato Sauces: Hunt's tomato paste and sauces excluding pasta sauces

· **Tomatoes: Hunt's all varieties

· Ketchup: Hunt's all varieties

· Egg Beaters-all varieties

· Reddi-Wip: all varieties

**VH Sauces-none of the VH Sauces currently has any gluten, but we advise you to always check the ingredients label in case of reformulation or possible cross-contamination.

*These items have been identified as not containing gluten. They are not currently routinely testing to affirm they contain less than 20ppm gluten for a ‘gluten free' claim.

**These products are available in Canada.

We always advise consumers who may have sensitivities to recheck the ingredient list on each package. Products are oftentimes reformulated and the ingredients may change. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietician.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We hope this information is helpful in selecting our products

Once again, a great labelling policy!

Although some of these statements are specific to Canada, knowing that the company is very aware of the needs of people with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance is reassuring. It is a good starting point, and if you are in the US (or another country), you can find the contact information for ConAgra in your country to verify that the same policy is in place.

Someone on celiac.com recently posted a response from ConAgra which looks like it might be a US-specific response.

Thank you ConAgra, for making it easier for us to shop!

Shop at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca and support Gluten Free Bumble Bee.