Wheat Starch

jger2410 · Guest

[b]Ihave just read a contridiction on Wheat Starch as to whether it is OK for us CD people. Dr. Kasrda's list has it as OK but another list I just saw
has it as forbidden. What gives?
Joe G[size=18][/size][/b]

Spreitzer · Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:01 pm Post subject:

Wheat starch is what is left after "all" the protein has been removed. If there is no protein, then it would theoretically be safe for a celiac to consume.
Specially treated wheat starch is accepted in Europe as part of the gluten free diet. This wheat starch must have a gluten content of less than 500 parts per million, though most manufacturers use Codex Alimentarius wheat starch that tests out at around 200 ppm.
Here in the U.S., wheat starch is generally not accepted as part of the gluten free diet. The exception to this would be the low gluten hosts that are made by the Benedictine sisters in Clyde Missouri which have no gluten detected in them ( the Catholic Church forbids the use of alternative grain hosts for communion).
Regards,
_________________
Chris Spreitzer
http://www.westchesterceliacs.org
http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org
http://www.catholicceliacs.org

Fawn in CA · Guest

My 20 yr old daughter just returned from a semester in Spain. She could not tolerate the items labelled gluten free (with the 200 ppm standard), only items separately approved and labelled by a Spanish celiac group, "FACE" (I think). So consider that even if some countries "allow" different things in a gf diet than are "allowed" in the US, your body may not tolerate things with 200 ppm gluten.
I hope the US standard is set very low, so we don't have to be too concerned that things labelled "gf" aren't "gf-enough!" Kasorda said that if the std is set too low, nothing will be labelled gf. I hope he understands that no one wants food labelled gf that isn't gf enough to eat!!!!
He says the US has to figure out how the Europeans manufacture such pure wheat starch!! I'm not sure they do!

PS to Chris - my 22 yr old daughter has been in your area for about a yr (since graduating from Penn and moving to Tarrytown in May 2004 to work in Valhalla; now living in Yonkers to save a little rent $!) - I'm hoping she'll join your group soon! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GROUP'S WORK ON THE GF RESTAURANT AWARENESS PROGRAM!!