While at the Gluten Free in Fresno Support Group meeting at Whole Foods on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, I heard from a couple of members that they assumed Rice Dream milk is gluten-free because it said so on the label. Right before the meeting a reader left a comment asking for me to explain why I list is as an unsafe product for celiacs in my “Celiac” Unsafe Food List”. Therefore, read on and find out the full scoop…
A few years back Rice Dream was not labeled gluten-free, but is now.
In 2008, Looksgoodinpolkadots.com stated that Rice Dream’s FAQ stated that there non-dairy beverages were not gluten-free, as they were processed with barley, though the barley was removed later in the processing. Though nothing has changed with the ingredients or process that we know of, the label remains the same, except for the fact that it is now labeled gluten-free.
Now when you visit their Non-Dairy Beverages under Products FAQ to find out if Rice Dream rice milk is gluten-free, it states that it is gluten-free. See their statement below:
“Is RICE DREAM Beverage a gluten free product?
Yes. Although RICE DREAM Beverage is processed using a barley enzyme, the barley enzyme is discarded after use. The final beverage might contain a minute residual amount (less than .002%) of barley protein.”
The gluten-free labeling laws that will go into effect in 2012, that many manufacturers are already following, allow for 20ppm. That is 20 parts gluten in 1 million parts of a product, a 20 to 1,000,000 ratio. Since there are less than 20ppm of barley in Rice Dream they may label it gluten-free.
If you did a search online you would find stories where celiac patients became ill after drinking Rice Dream. Celiac.com is just one example. There someone states that they contacted the company to find that their processing has not changed at all.
Rice Dream’s non-dairy desserts that are marked gluten-free include: (pints/quarts): Vanilla, Strawberry, Cocoa Marble Fudge, Orange Vanilla Swirl,Carob Almond, Neapolitan. However, I would assume they use the same rice milk to make these desserts.
If you are one who is highly sensitive to gluten, who watches out for cross contamination, etc., than this is a product you should avoid.
See Rice Dream’s gluten-free list at http://www.tastethedream.com/health/glutenfree.php
To learn more about the labeling laws, visit Gluten-free Labeling Laws – Are you safe?
