More about blue cheese

[Guest guest]

Dear Bay Area Group,

Things got a bit complicated with Blue Cheese. There are three

portions to this posting. Here is the summary:

1. Maytag Blue contains no gluten

2. Treasure Cave if made in the US is also gluten-free

3. An article in Living Gluten Free indicates there is little to worry

about

1. Maytag:

-----Original Message-----

From: Myrna [mailto:mverploeg@... ]

Sent: May 17, 2006 3:27

vdolcourt@...

Subject: Guten in Starter

Victor:

I'm writing in response to your question regarding the starter

cultures used in our process of making Maytag Blue Cheese. Our plant

manager advised me that the starter cultures use would not be found to

contain glutens.

Hope that will be helpful.

2. Clarification on Treasure Cave - It is OK

-----Original Message-----

From: DeCleene, Sallie [mailto: SDeCleene@...]

Sent: May 17, 2006 11:31

Vic & Hallie Dolcourt

Subject: RE: Contact us - Treasure Cave Victor Dolcourt

Hallie and Vic,

None of the ingredients used in the Blue and Gorgonzola Cheese that

Saputo Cheese USA produces contain gluten.

Please be assured that your observations will be forwarded to the

appropriate personnel for review.

Sallie DeCleene

Quality Assurance Analyst

Corporate Quality Assurance

Saputo

3. Living Gluten Free: From one of the readers of the ICORS list

Living Gluten Free - magazine - spring 2006 issue

" Of Mice and Men " - article about cheese.

Sidebar:

Blue Cheese: Gluten Free or not?

You make the decision.

Article mentions a test of Gorgonzola cheese that showed - for 100g

cheese, a worst case of .00274 mg gluten (.00274ppm).

They quote Dr Fasano:

" My only comment to your inquiry is that it will take a lot of guts and

money to eat 100g (about 1/4 lb) of Gorgonzola per day. Bottom line, I

don't see a problem with it " .

For what it's worth, the next thing in the magazine is a recipe for Savory

Stilton Cheesecake!

So there you have it. You can eat totally gluten free or you can take

Dr Fasano's guidance.

For me, Treasure Cave is at Safeway, and that is easy. I've heard that

Maytag is an absolutely wonderful, craft cheese which is well worth

the price.

Vic-Sunnyvale, CA

[Guest guest]

Point Reyes Creamery said that the supplier of their blue cheese starter says it is GF, but warns that they have no way of knowing, first-hand, whether this is true. They must depend on the word of the supplier, whom they have found to be dependable in general. Point Reyes blue cheese is delicious -- bright-tasting, fresh, creamy yet having a light texture.

H.

[Guest guest]

thanks for this info.

Yes, roquefort is made with bread.

Rye loafs of about 4lbs each are left till the inside is a fluffy green stuff.

Then, they break

open the loaf, and gather the mold. There is no step to clean the rye loaf crust

(no reason

and no regulation), so it's reasonable to assume there is indeed some powedered

rye

bread in the cheese. " AOC Roquefort " cannot have another type of mold in it if

has the

" copyright " whatever stamp on it (as a few years ago. Dont know for today)

As for below. I dont know any source of mold for other blue cheeses aside

Roquefort.

A little note. The labeling " GF " means that the level of Gluten in that specific

food is BELOW

whatever level. (0.02% or something).

So eating GF labeled food NEVER EVER means that the food is actually GF, unless

it's a no

cereal food like a plain banana or a home made applesauce. (which btw is NEVER

labeled

" GF " )

From my experience, we as individuals are the only ones to decide which diet we

(as

individuals) will stick too. I react to cross contamination of wheat/gluten in

chocolate. I

tried, I reacted, they are out of my pantry.

But the label " may contain gluten " or " gluten free " is not always correlated to

my own

reactions.

Anyway, just wanted to give my .02 .. because I simply dont believe ANY cross

contamination is avoidable.. what about the floor janitorials eating a sandwich

during their

break at 2am? What about dust under their shoes when they enter the GF room???

Unless food manufacturers are enforcing the " clean room " policies you would find

in an

Intel microship lab, cross contamination of anything WILL CERTAINLY exist. (and

to my

knowledge, NO company is enforcing that level of cleaness today)

Sophie.

> Article mentions a test of Gorgonzola cheese that showed - for 100g

> cheese, a worst case of .00274 mg gluten (.00274ppm).

>

> So there you have it. You can eat totally gluten free or you can take

> Dr Fasano's guidance.