Rice Krispies & Corn Allergy

http://www.ricekrispies.com/

As much as we'd all love to sit and eat Rice Krispy Treats, Kellogg's Rice Krispies are not safe for corn allergies.

First, Rice Krispies are fortified. The fortification process adds corn. ALWAYS. So if you see a product that is fortified with vitamins, just put it back on the shelf.

Fortification contains corn for two reasons.
1. The vitamins are sometimes sourced from corn as it the case with almost all Vitamin C products on the market. They are produced via fermentation of corn.
2. Corn and corn derivatives are used to stabilize the vitamins so that they are viable when added to the product, and so they are shelf-stable.. so that when you eat the product the vitamins are still viable.

I have circled/boxed in the main corny ingredients in these products. BHT is almost always derived from corn. And then there's the aforementioned vitamins.

Also in the original Rice Krispies there is malt flavor. There are two things this could be and both are so often from corn that I'd be surprised if it wasn't.
1. Malt Flavor can be from actual malted products, which is usually a mix of corn and barley. That it's not included in the gluten-free one, means there's likely some barley in it.
2. "Flavor" in most products - even natural flavor - is made in a lab somewhere from chemicals, which are usually corny.

All this to say, yes... Rice Krispies are not safe for corn allergies. 

Rice Chex & Corn Allergy

http://www.chex.com

It turns out there are quite a few foods that aren't posted about on here because none of our group eats them nor have they tried to eat them in many many years because of the obvious corn. But some of the newer to corn allergies crowd are attempting to eat them. So we'll be making a few posts here in the next few days so that these products show up in our page search.

As much as we'd all love to grab a box off the shelf and start eating, General Mills Rice Chex is not safe for corn allergies.

First, Rice Chex is fortified. The fortification process adds corn. ALWAYS. So if you see a product that is fortified with vitamins, just put it back on the shelf.

Fortification contains corn for two reasons.
1. The vitamins are sometimes sourced from corn as it the case with almost all Vitamin C products on the market. They are produced via fermentation of corn.
2. Corn and corn derivatives are used to stabilize the vitamins so that they are viable when added to the product, and so they are shelf-stable.. so that when you eat the product the vitamins are still viable.

I have circled/boxed in the main corny ingredients in this product. Vitamin E is almost always corntaminated, but can be from corn or soy. BHT is almost always derived from corn. And then there's the aforementioned vitamins.

Now let me talk for a minute about the things not boxed in red. Lets ignore that rice can be corntaminated and that the cereal itself could easily be made on the same lines as their Corn Chex (which is also gluten-free).  The sugar is likely safe, and the salt is likely safe-ish.

Molasses on the other hand is easy to have corn added to it. There are very few molasses products on the market that are safe for corn allergies, so if you see molasses on a product you should use caution.

Anyway, I hope this helps some of our newer group members and those new to corn allergies to better avoid some of the pitfalls.

Tinkyada Pasta & Products: Removed

This is not really news or shouldn't be for most of you. Tinkyada was removed from our list sometime in late 2011 or early 2012 due to multiple reactions across several levels of sensitivity. As such, we deemed them not safe for pretty much anyone.

However, I was just informed that I forgot to make a post about it. Thus this non-news belated posting so that others can search and find this information before they try to eat it.

La Yapa Quinoa

You know you have a corn allergy when you see llama manure in a company's response and you get excited.

The following conversation was posted on our Facebook group as a Q&A with the owner of La Yapa quinoa:


"1.) Is your quinoa processed in a quinoa dedicated facility? Yes. It is a quinoa only facility located in Bolivia.

2.) How is the processing equipment cleaned? Just hot steam and pressurized water. No soap or bleach.

3.) Is you quinoa packaged in a quinoa dedicated facility? Quinoa and rice only in the packaging facility. Located in Sacramento, CA.

4.) What is used for pest control? Nothing is needed, because of the high altitude there are no bugs. Sometimes crops are lost due to rain but bugs are not an issue so they do not need pesticides.

5.) What is used for fertilizer? Llama manure."


This product is still being human tested. So it's unknown if it's safe in the packaging and shipping process. But it looks promising.

Bob's Red Mill Flours

I could have sworn that I'd posted about this on here already since everyone "in the know" has already been avoiding these like plague, but I couldn't find a post about it using the search.

Anyway, for years now, these have been on the No-No List. Technically they were still on the list, but with a major disclaimer of "Avoid!!!".  Which is kinda silly to keep them on a recommended list, and then tell people not to eat it.

I know that I kept them on the list because they are a very popular "alternative" brand and due to that people would continually ask me to add them to the list, or recommend that people use them.

Well I'm officially going to take them off the list completely.

Their products are extremely hit and miss when it comes to corntamination. When Bob's Red Mill was contacted about this, albeit this was a few years ago though to my knowledge nothing has changed since reaction reports keep pouring in, they stated that most of their products are ground on the same machinery. This includes corn.

While they do everything they can to prevent cross-contamination, it's been our experience within all of our groups that their products still contain enough cornamination to cause reactions among the corn allergic.

Since this is cross-contamination, some batches may have more or less than others. So some people may never attribute reactions to the product, because they assume it is something else, or they may find that they do well for a while and then suddenly end up in the ER. We have had dozens if not hundreds of reported reactions about their products over the years.

Because of this, we really DO NOT recommend Bob's Red Mill products for anyone with a corn allergy.

So please use caution.

Amy's Mac & Cheese

Reactions had been reported to Amy's GF Mac & Cheese. The culprit has been found.

"They followed the corn trail and discovered that the company that makes the macaroni was making products that contained corn on the same line as the rice macaroni."

According to the poster, Amy's has had the company put the GF pasta on a separate dedicated line so this should no longer be an issue in the future.

Do use caution though until the corntaminated packages are off the shelves.

JC Naturals Soaps

A member of Delphi Avoiding Corn pointed us in the direction of JC Naturals soaps.

JC Naturals soaps are gluten, casien, and corn-free. They also make other bath & household products as well.

Another member of the Avoiding Corn forum tested their soap out with good results.

Chebe

We've had Chebe mixes on the list for a while now, but no posts about their products or safety concerns.

Chebe mixes have been enjoyed by many and are corn-free. Their products are tapioca based, and gluten-free (grain-free). Some are dairy-free as well, but you will need to watch your labels.

However their frozen and pre-mixed products do contain citric acid and are not considered safe.

Allergygrocer.com carries their products, however Chebe mixes did not show up on my Corn-free search there as AllergyGrocer has them listed as potential cross-contamination.

I'm not currently aware of any corn-related reactions to Chebe mixes, so the cross-contamination factor has to be pretty low.

If you do have any problems with this product, do let us know.

Dakota Free Products

A company response posted on Delphi - Avoiding Corn confirms most of Dakota Free Products as corn-free.

Dakota Free is an offshoot of the Savonnerie GF Soap company.

At the time of the letter (March 2007), only the following Dakota Free products contained corn-derivatives:
Fragrance-Free Bath Crystals
Prairie Mint Foot Scrub
Sweet Body Scrub

Testimonial on Delphi-Avoiding Corn,
Initial Trial & Four months later using Dakota Free, Pure Prairie Soap (with Shea Butter)

For more info on Savonnerie, check out our post on Savonnerie Gluten-Free Soaps

Savonnerie Gluten-Free Soaps

Savonnerie soaps have been on our list for a while now. A new company reponse posted on Delphi - Avoiding Corn, gives reassurance that they will continue to strive to be corn-free.

Savonnerie also states that their new lip balm and Massage & Body oil are also corn-free. These two products have not been tested to my knowledge.

If you do have problems with their products, do let us (& them) know.

Colorations - Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Playdough

Colorations Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Dough (playdoh) has been on our list for a while, and is carried by Discount School Supply online.

A recent inquiry into the dough has given us a bit more information as to potential allergens that may be in the dough. While the dough is still corn-free, it has been found to contain potato, and the vegetable oil used in the dough may also contain soy.

Koda Farms - Rice Flour

According to an inquiry posted on Delphi - Avoiding Corn, Koda Farms makes a sweet White Rice flour that is corn-free & gluten-free.

Koda Farms' Mochiko flour was once carried by Trader Joe's under the now discontinued product label "Trader Joe's Sweet White Rice Flour".

If you cannot find this product in your area, please visit Koda Farms website as they will be willing to help you locate a place to purchase it.

As with all products here, if you have any reactions to a product here, please let us know.

Lewis Lab's Brewer's Yeast - Nutritional Yeast

A post on Delphi recommended Lewis Lab's Brewer's Yeast.

This yeast is a nutritional yeast and for more explaination of its benefits you can read the company statement for yourself at Lewis Labs website.

According to the Delphi poster as well as the Lewis Labs website, the yeast is grown on sugar beets. Nothing is added, and its also gluten-free.

Please let us know if you have any issues with this product.

NorQuin - Quinoa.com Pasta

An inquiry into NorQuin Organic Special Blend Pastas found at Quinoa.com, has confirmed that the pastas are corn-free.

The Northern Quinoa Corporation (Norquin) has confirmed that their Quinoa Pasta is simply a blend of quinoa and brown rice. This product is also gluten-free.

To my knowledge this product has not been human tested. Please let us know if you have any problems with this product.

Yummy Earth Products

This is one of the products researched before the start of this blog. So I'm reposting a bit from the News for Corn Avoiders blog so it'll show up on searches here if someone is curious about Yummy Earth and wants more info.
__

A while ago on the News for Corn Avoiders blog, we did a post about Yummy Earth lollipops and how helpful and honest the company was about the sources of their ingredients.

Recently, Yummy Earth came to Delphi Forums and posted some updated information.

Yummy Earth, due to demand, has expanded their product lines to include "drops" or individual hard candies without the stick.

They've also started selling their products in individual flavors so you're not stuck with that one flavor you can't eat (due to allergy) or that you just don't like.

If you're like me, you're a big Yummy Earth fan, and you just can't wait to order a bulk of your favorite flavor... I've included a link that goes directly to their ordering site.

Yummy Earth Online Shop

(Yummy Earth products are also available on Amazon.com)

** Updated info on ingredients: 12/19/2006

Yummy Earth came onto Delphi and posted the following:

"we got an inquiry asking about citrus oils and safflower oils in each of our flavors, so naturally I thought of telling all of you, too!!!

As posted at www.yummyearth.com/ingredients

Razzmatazz Berry - No Safflower, No Orange, No Lemon

Wet-Face Watermelon - Safflower Yes, No Orange, No Lemon

Cheeky Lemon - No Safflower, No Orange, Lemon Yes

Orange Squeeze - No Safflower, Orange Yes, No Lemon

Pomegranate Pucker - No Safflower, Orange Yes, Lemon Yes"

So far there has been no reported corn-related reactions to these products.