Who Would Have Guessed My Celery Allergy Is Known in the U.K.?

In addition to not being able to eat gluten and dairy, I am deathly allergic to CELERY and all it's by products. Most people in the United States, including doctors, chefs, and educators have never heard of a celery allergy. Truthfully, this uncommon food allergy has made it very uncomfortable and awkward when I am eating anywhere but home. I often get the same reaction from people, "I've never heard of that before" as if they don't believe me.  It usually leads to a conversation at the table, which is the last thing someone who is trying not to obsess about their food allergies needs. This fear is escalated when I am traveling and have to eat out often. 

I am planning a trip this summer to Ireland and Scotland and decided to research how difficult it would be to eat there. The U.K. is known for its Celiac (Coeliac) Awareness and from everything I read eating gluten-free, in both countries, will not be a problem. 

According to the Food Standard Agency in the U.K.
The European Commission compositional and labelling standards (Commission Regulation (EC) No. 41/2009) establish levels of gluten for foods that makes a claim to be either 'gluten-free' or 'very low gluten'. These levels are:
'gluten-free' – 20 parts or less of gluten per million.
'very low gluten' – 100 parts or less of gluten per million. However, only foods with cereal ingredients that have been specially processed to remove the gluten may make a 'very low gluten' claim.

 Food Standard Agency  has an interactive page, called In The Restaurant,  where you can go in and take a test on what is in certain restaurant foods. (Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean and Deli) It was fun! 

What surprised me was the information I found about celery allergies. 

Celery Allergies

The first website I found was  www.anaphylaxis.org.uk. The UK considers celery one of the top 14 allergens and they even have a fact sheet for Celery Allergies.

Here's some of what they had to say: 

Celery is one of the 14 major allergens that under European Directives 2003/89/EC and 2006/142/EC must be declared whenever they are used, at any level, in pre-packed foods."
The inclusion of celery on this list, approved under EU law, is based on the view that celery allergy is a serious problem in certain European countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland. Based on our experience, celery allergy would appear to be rare in the UK. However, reactions to celery, when they do occur, can be severe for some people.

So everything I eat, whether packaged or at a restaurant, is required to have any celery ingredient on the label or after the item on the menu. 

The U.K. has Strict Allergen Labeling Rules

I will let you know how it goes after we visit Scotland and Ireland. If you been there recently, please share your experiences and favorite food places. Thank you.

Thank you U.K. for looking out for me!

References:
https://www.allergyuk.org/common-food-intolerances/common-food-intolerances
http://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/english/in-the-restaurant/
http://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/english/default.aspx
http://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/knowledgebase/celery-allergy-the-facts/
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy/pages/causes.aspx

"Cookies con Amore & GLUTENETTO" My Favorite Expo Item

                                             Glutenetto

I am Italian! So when I had to give up gluten and dairy, I also had to give up so many food traditions and memories. Holiday tables filled with homemade pastries and cookies. When relatives visit in New York they never come empty handed. Usually they would stopped by the local Italian bakery, breathing in the aroma of freshly baked Italian cookies, bread and pastries. 

I have tried to reproduce Italian treats by reworking the recipes so they are gluten-free and dairy-free but they just come out okay. Okay is not good enough considering all the labor that goes into making them. 
So until Sunday, at the Natural Products  Expo West, I just thought that I would never have a chance to taste these delectable treats again.

It was my second and last day at the Expo and we had been there for hours. We were exhausted and ready to leave but decided to go to the 3rd floor where the "newbies" were. Our arms were hurting from carrying the bags filled with flyers, booklets and product and our feet were screaming for relief. We decided to leave. The floor was crowded with people, so we walked around the back of the room. There out of the corner of my eye was 2 beautiful Italian woman surrounded by boxes of outrageous looking Italian cookies.

I look up and was taken back by their sign. It said, "GLUTENETTO CERTIFIED GLUTEN-FREE ITALIAN COOKIES." Being diary-free also, I did not put much hope into the signage. So I asked, "Is there any diary-free cookies also." "YES" they answered. Next question, "Are your cookies baked in a dedicated facility." "YES" they answered.  

I introduced myself to owner Fernanda Capraro of Cookies con Amore and GLUTENETTO. We talked awhile and she gave me 2 types of GF cookies, Pignoli and Ricciarelli . I carefully put them in my bag and took them home. I knew if they were as good as they looked, I wanted to enjoy every bite in the peace and quiet of my home.They were even better then I could have possibly imagined. They melted in my mouth, bursting with memories and flavors I have not had in years.

GLUTENETTO has a variety of CERTIFIED gluten-free cookies, including several that are dairy-free:

For a beautiful description and ingredients, please go to the website.


 Gluten-free and Dairy-free:



Amaretti - almond and macaroon flavor









 
 



Pignoli- Also flavor of almond and macaroon with pine nuts

Ricciarelli- Tuscan wedding cake style

Noninne - Lemon zest flavor









 

Rigenette - Sesame and lemon flavor with orange zest









 
Polentine - Made with corn flour and raspberry jam

Cuccidate Fig -Fig

Raspberry Linzer- shortbread cookies with raspberry jam

Wheat Research Continued

I  was doing additional research on wheat and came across this article about the "dark side of wheat".

It intrigued me and I believe it is worth sharing:

Dark Side Of Wheat can be found at                

Living Without is inviting you to a FEST.

We’re throwing a party and you’re invited! Celebrate gluten-free, allergy friendly living at one of Living Without’s Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fests:

San Diego, CA, May 3-4 Indianapolis, IN, August 23-24 Portland, OR, September 6-7 More locations scheduled for next year

   

Ticket Prices:

• Adult (One Day) – $15.00
• Adult (Both Days) – $25.00
• Child (One Day) – $5.00
• Child (Both Days) – $7.50
• Ages 5 and under – Free

   

You won’t want to miss the fun. Here are 7 reasons for attending:

Tea Anyone?

Teas come in various forms: tea bags, loose and single serving container such as K-cups.  Tea is inherently gluten-free. But it is not that simple.

Flavored tea can contain gluten in the form of malt, malt barley or barley.

Tea bags can be made with barley (this would not be on the ingredient list)

Some tea manufactures use glue to hold the tea bag wrapper together. This glue may contain gluten.There is little information about single serving packaging and the ingredients are proprietary. 

I have contacted the following companies and here are the responses.

There is a quick view list and then a detailed list by company. 

Key Codes:

       GF = GLUTEN-FREE

       GF? = the TEA BAG is unknown

       Dedicated Facility – no cross contamination

       Non GMO- no genetically modified ingredients      

       Possible Cross Contamination: due to the facility

       Unknown means I consider this an unsafe brand due to lack of information. 

     

Quick List of Teas:

Bigelow Tea (via website & phone) GF & Dedicated Facility

Celestial Seasoning: (via website) Unknown

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf:(via  email)GF& Possible CrossContamination   

David Tea: (via website) GF

Good Earth (via website & email) GF & Dedicated Facility         

Green Mountain Tea (via phone)  GF

Lipton Tea: (via website) Unknown

     
     MightyTea (via website) GF, possible Cross Contamination

     Numi Tea: (via email) GF, NON-GMO, DEDICATED FACILITY

Peets Coffee & Tea (via email) GF

     
     Pukka Tea: (via email)   GF

    
     Republic of Tea (via website) Certified GF by GFCO

      
     Red Rose Tea (via website & phone)  GF?

     

     Stash Tea (via website & phone)  Possible Cross Contamination. 

 

     Tazo Tea (via email)  Unknown

     
     Teavana: (via website)  GF & Dedicated facility

    
     Tetley Tea: (via phone)  GF & Dedicated Facility

     
     Twining Tea (via email) GF?

    
     Yogi Tea (via email) GLUTEN in many teas & Possible Cross Contamination

Detailed list by manufacture and comments made about the product:

Bigelow Tea (via website & phone) GF & Dedicated Facility

“Is GF but contains soy.”            

 The Bigelow phone representative stated:

Bigelow discontinued the teas that did contained gluten.

 They converted their manufacturing plant so it is completely GF.           

  

Celestial seasoning: (via website) Unknown

‘… a few Celestial Seasonings tea contain roasted barley, which contributes a small amount of gluten. We recommend reviewing the box of tea you’re interested in to make sure it says “gluten free”’.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf: (via email)

                                                     GF & Possible Cross Contamination

“All of our coffees, teas and powders are made without gluten ingredients. Though, please note that our powders are produced in a facility that does produce products for other companies that may contain gluten. So,there is always a risk of cross contamination.  For nutritional information on a specific item please feel free to email us at info@coffeebean.com.”

David Tea: (via website) GF

    “Yes indeed, but please be aware that our teas do not come from certified 

      gluten-free facility."   

Good Earth (via website & email) GF & Dedicated Facility         

      “All of our teas are gluten-free as well as free from containing MSG, sugar, 

     preservatives or sweeteners, either natural or artificial and are made in

     allergen free production facilities  Any perceived sweetness in the tea is due

     to the combination of herbs, spices and citrus components in the blends.”

Green Mountain Tea (via phone)  GF

All tea is gluten-free.

The tea comes in K cups and I am waiting for an answer. 


Lipton Tea ( via website) Unknown
"We recommend that you read the label each time before buying our products. If gluten is present, it is clearly listed in plain language on the ingredient label. (i.e. wheat flour, rye , barley, oats, and malt)"
Tea Bag/ Tea Attachment:
"We do not use any glue in the assembly of our Tea bags or tags. Where a staple is not used, we use pressure and heat to adhere the string to the tag and the bag." 

Mighty Tea (via website)  GF & Possible Cross Contamination
"None of our blends contain wheat, rye, barley, or oats, so the tea itself is gluten-free. However, our teas may be processed in a facility that also processes gluten products, opening up the risk for cross contamination." 

Numi Tea ( via website) GF, NON-GMO, Dedicated Facility 
"...All Numi products are gluten-free. Our tea are packaged in facilities and on machines that do  not process or work with gluten. Our teas do not come into contact with soy, dairy, or nut products.  "

"Our tea bags are compostible and made from Manila hemp cellulose. They are non-GMO verified, oxygen whitened and the tag is made from 100% recycled material and soy-based inks. They do not contain any gluten."  

Peets Coffee & Tea (via email) GF
"Our teas, and herbal (black, green, Oolong, white, and herbals) are made without
gluten ingredients."

Our Tea Bags we use have been confirmed gluten-free"   

Pukka Tea (via email)  GF ( see exception)
"Yes, our products are gluten-free"
"Our tea bags are not healed sealed so therefore they do not require a polymer of any kind to keep then closed. The machine folds the bags and sews it shut with a single piece of cotton thread... 
ALL Pukka Teas are gluten-free BUT our Night Time and Relax Blends contain oat straw. Although the analytical tests undertaken on these teas show that gluten is absent, consumers who are extremely sensitive many want to check the suitable contents of oat straw for related gluten allergies like avein."

Republic of Tea (via website) Certified GF by GFCO

Is certified GF as is their bags. Look for GF label to be sure.

*I found one tea flavor that is not GF and is not labeled GF.                                   
Coconut Cocoa Cuppa Chocolate - contains barley. "

Red Rose Tea (via website & phone)  GF?

“Please be advised products of Red Rose are all gluten free.”

There was no response about how the tea bag is made. 

Stash Tea ( via website & phone) Possible Cross Contamination
"All of the flavors used in our blends are gluten-free/ we do not use barley malt in any of our blends." 
"We do not test our products or have a GF facility."
"Our tea bags are heated sealed and do not contain gluten."

Tazo Tea (Starbucks) (via email)  Unknown
Thank you for getting in touch with us, Tazo is unable to guarantee a "gluten-free" environment in our retail locations due to the potential for cross contamination with gluten-containing products. The open environment and operating procedures of our store locations may present additional risk for gluten-sensitive customers aside from the gluten-containing ingredients themselves. "Gluten-free" is a claim with specific requirements defined by government agencies and industry standards. We are unable to make this claim on a product unless the item is specifically formulated and manufactured to meet the definition of the claim.

Teavana (via website)  GF & Dedicated Facility
"All Teavana teas are gluten-free"
Teavana Teas are loose tea and therefore tea bags are not used.


Tetley Tea: (via phone)  GF & Dedicated Facility

All tea and tea bags are gluten-free and made in a dedicated facility.

Twining Tea (via email) GF?

“All teas are inherently gluten free regardless of where the tea is sourced,   

 our ingredient listing states black tea or green tea in additional

 to other ingredients a particular tea may contain.  None of these added

 ingredients these contain gluten, so therefore our teas are gluten free.   

 Please note, however, that Twining's at this time does not utilize an

 outside agency to certify our teas as gluten free.”

 

 Yogi Tea (via email)  GLUTEN in many teas & Possible Cross Contamination

 "The following teas contain Barley malt / Gluten:

 YT Schoko, YT Licorice, Schoko Chili, Digestive Tea, Women’s Tea,  

 Calming  Men’s Tea, Good Morning Chai” 

      Happy Sipping!