Celiac Social - FALL 08 - Oct. 18th

Socials are a great way to meet new people and not feel like "odd man out" at the dining table. Come and join in the fun! You do not need to be a member of GIG or have attended any of the support group meetings to join us at a social. The only requirement is that you enjoy eating GF free!

This seasons celiac social will be held at PF Chang's (Chinese Food) in the Bridgeport Mall* on Saturday, Oct 18th, 11:30 am. If you'd like to attend, please get in touch with Mary Wikle (mwikle_carousel@yahoo.com) so she can advise the restaurant of the head count. Thanks!

*See interactive restaurant map at the bottom of this page for directions and link to website.

Membership & the GIG Portland Metro Branch Newsletter

I'm posting this here because I occasionally get asked about how you can help us better serve you the gluten free community.

MEMBERSHIP:
You can become a paying member of the Portland Metro GIG Branch. The cost is $10 a year. For this you will receive a quarterly newsletter in the mail (USPS) or by e-mail. It's your choice! The newsletter will inform you on a variety of information such as the next meeting topics, recipes, how to manage your diet, issues of concern to the newly diagnosed, websites to look into, and topics regarding the Celiac condition.... many things that aren't covered here.

There is no obligation to join, however your donation is tax deductible and will also help us to fund our doctor and restaurant awareness programs, as well as provide financing to fund the annual food fair and walk.

To become a supporting member:
Please send your check for $10.00, made payable to GIG Portland Metro to the below address and include the following information. Please do not send cash. We apologize that we currently cannot accept credit or debit cards at this time.


NAME: ____________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________

CITY: _____________________________________

STATE: _______________ ZIP: ________________

PHONE: __________________________________

E-MAIL: ___________________________________

Please note one of the following:
O - New Member
O - Renewing
O - Address Change
O - Please send me the newsletter in a PDF format by E-mail

MAIL TO:
Membership
GIG Portland Metro
3590 NE Hancock St
Portland , OR 97212-5149


Renewal:
$10.00 is due annually. As a reminder we print your expiration date below your address on the mailing label. We will also send you a reminder with your last newsletter. There is no obligation to renew [other than our great appreciation!]

Shabtai Gourmet

Shabtai Gourmet just launched their new website and decided to celebrate by allowing their customers to purchase products without having to pay shipping costs. They produce a full line of Gluten Free, Casein Free, Lactose Free, Soy Free, Corn Free, & Dairy Free Cakes & Cookies. Even their Florentine Lace Cookies are Egg Free*! Their sweets are baked in a dedicated facility, and are certified Kosher Parve & Kosher for Passover by the OK Labs. You can visit them online at www.shabtai-gourmet.com.

While I personally have yet to taste their products I've heard from other (gluten eaters) that their products are better then many "regular" cakes and cookies. I might have to place an order very soon!

*Sadly it's the only product they currently offer that's egg free.

Breakfast in the afternoon: GLUTEN-FREE TASTE FAIR

Whole Foods Market is putting on a Gluten Free taste fair next weekend on

Saturday, October 18th from 2-6 pm and it's FREE!

"Curious about what kinds of gluten-free goodies we have in store for the holidays? Our bakery is preparing some extra treats for this season. We'll also share some classic favorites: pancakes and sausage!

Come on in and visit us in the demo space (across from the Asian Express) and also in the bakery area and grab a bite!"

Whole Foods Market
Tanasbourne
19440 NW Cornell Rd
Hillsboro, OR - 97124

For more information please contact:
Erin Rosvold
Marketing Specialist
Phone: 503.645.9200 x260

SUPPORT GROUP MEETING - Oct 11th

Just a reminder that the Portland support group meeting is tomorrow. See bottom of page for times and location.
Thanks!

Speaker: Paul Colligan
Topic: Gluten Free Living on a Budget

Follow up on Crispy Crowns

According to my friend who discovered this discrepancy to begin with...

I had an interesting chat with the OreIda rep, the same one I talked to on Monday. She was kind enough to follow up with me. I am truly thankful that she did! Here's the scoop...

The Crispy Crowns that are in the bag had been reformulated to remove the wheat. However, they are still not considered GF due to possible cross contamination issues at this point in time. The ingredient list and the Allergen Contains statement was wrong. The product does not contain gluten ingredients, but is not considered GF - so the GF labeling was wrong too.

OreIda is revamping their GF labeling policies/procedures/practices. Want to know what the #1 type of phone calls they receive? GLUTEN! I don't doubt that one bit!, this is not the 1st mfg that has said this. They are listening and want to better serve us.

I asked about their allergen labeling practices - do they disclose barley, rye and oats? The rep stated they follow the FDA guidelines to the letter. However, barley, rye and oats do not legally have to be disclosed according to the FDA FALCPA law. She did inquire about the oats. I gave her a quick primer on oats and why commercial oats are not considered GF. I also told her that other companies do disclose barley, rye and oats voluntarily and that it helps us make wise food choices. Who's product are we going to buy first? The one makes it easier for us of course!

Another helpful tid-bit of info. If you look at the manufacturing code by the UPC label - this will tell you where the product was packaged/processed. You want to look for the letters "ON" - signifies Ontario Idaho. This is the main office/plant for OreIda. Why is this significant? That plant has dedicated lines solely for their gluten products. Any non-gluten products are run on different lines. Not all of their plants or co-packers have this set up. She did state that they do have stringent cleaning procedures in place for the locations that do run both GF and NGF products on shared equipment. I asked if they test their final product - she did not know the exact answer.

OreIda Crispy Crowns Labeling Alert

Thanks to good vigilant folks out there who noticed that OreIda's Crispy Crowns* have Gluten Free listed on the bag while the ingredient list and allergen statement lists wheat. The words gluten free are way down at the bottom of the ingredient list.

The company was contacted this morning and I've been informed that this is the first call they've received on it but recognize it as being a major problem. It will be bubbled up to the powers that be. In the meantime please don't eat Orelda's Crispy Crown's as they ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE.

*The one he saw was a Crispy Crowns 30oz bag. UPC Code = 13120-00133 - N08F025 13:19 B - Best used by 3/28/10

Sweetpea Baking Company - 100% Vegan w/ a dash of GF

The challenge of eating gluten free is difficult. The challenge of eating gluten free, dairy free and egg free makes going out to eat anywhere nearly impossible, never mind baked goods. Until today. I would like to thank the internet for introducing me to some really lovely people. One of whom tipped me off to Sweetpea Baking Company, a 100% VEGAN bakery, that also (happily) makes some gluten free/vegan delights as well. While initially the promise of a GF carrot-cake muffin lured me in, when I arrived this afternoon they were out. They did have GF blueberry muffins and GF brownies available. As we all know there was a choice to be made. Mine was a resounding BOTH! The brownie was to die for! The blueberry muffin a light not too sweet affair that was just right with a cup of black tea*.

While making my first visit on a Sunday afternoon** may not have been the best idea, they were pretty busy, both the woman working the counter and the manager were more then happy to answer as many questions as they could and even fit in some time to go print out an ingredient list for me. (I have multiple food allergies on top of the Celiac). I was delighted with their friendly hospitality and willingness to accommodate my food "issues".

While they do have a range of wheat filled vegan baked goods their list of gluten free vegan offerings is very nice: Brownies, blueberry muffins, German chocolate cake, black forest chocolate cake, toasted coconut cream cake (comes in a cupcake version too), chocolate decadence cake, chocolate cupcake (w/ optional peanut butter frosting). Off the official list is the carrotcake muffin, sandy's and meltaways that make the occasional guest appearance.

If you give them at least 48 hours notice they can make the following variety of gluten free cakes for you: Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon, Almond and Coconut. Please contact them using the information below for current pricing and cake sizes.

Thank you Sweetpea Baking Co. for the nice afternoon where I could go out to eat and feel normal - it made my day!

*They offer a good variety of Stash teas which last I checked were all GF. They also serve Stumptown Coffee and use Pacific Brand soy milk, which again last I checked was GF.
**Sunday mornings they offer a savory all you can eat breakfast for $10 (we'd just missed it).

Sweetpea Baking Company
1205 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 477-5916