ok, so i just started eating gluten-free 5 days ago, and we haven't gone back to see the doctor or nutritionist yet, and this is driving me crazy:
my dad refuses to let me eat anything with "artificial flavoring" becuz he read somewhere that that's where some companies "hide gluten," so i can only eat it if i can find online that it really is gluten-free. has anyone actually asked a doctor if artificial flavoring is safe to eat?? please??

This website has a list of companies that won't hide gluten. Any gluten will be clearly disclosed, so you don't have to worry about artificial/natural flavors, etc. Hope that this list makes food shopping easier.

If you have a product that you are unsure about, you can always call the company to ask.

http://www.glutenfreeindy.com/foodlists/in...donothidegluten

I do eat food with artifical flavoring....if it's made in the US. If it's something I haven't had before then I call/email the company and ask.

By law they have to list wheat. They don't have to list teh others.

These days you need not worry about artificial flavors. In fact, you never really needed to.

richard

I've seen some lists that say you need to check on artificial flavors, such as:
http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicals...50Flevel70.html

The list on celiac.com just puts down "flavors." But I don't know why artificial colors could hide gluten (as they say) and not artificial flavors.

I avoid artificial flavors to begin with due to possible MSG, so I can't say I've run across gluten in an artificial flavor before. Perhaps someone else will weigh in on this.

Natural flavors can certainly contain undisclosed gluten. THAT I have run across.

Just to clarify -- wheat has to be listed on FDA-regulated foods. Those regulated by the USDA are not yet covered by allergen labelling rules. That agency has talked for a couple years about promulgating similar rules but they haven't. Last I saw they claimed they would be issuing a NOPR (notice of proposed rulemaking) this upcoming March. We'll see. They've sat on this so long and it isn't a complicated issue. Back in 2005 a senator asked for these rules. In 2006 a public interest group filed a formal request for rulemaking. Still nothing.

(The exact parameters of FDA versus USDA jurisdiction is complicated in practice. The theory is any meat, poultry or egg product [doesn't have to contain much meat I know] is for the USDA, unless they decide to let the FDA handle it.)

I agree completely.