I attended the GF talk last week at Vera Fare and one of the comments that was brought up was whether store bought turkey breasts are gluten free or not. Some companies would inject a basting solution in turkey to get them extra juicy, the downfall was that this solution sometimes contained gluten. From the searches I've done on turkey breasts and reading ingredient lists in stores I think most companies have moved away from this procedure probably due to being better informed about gluten intolerance and Celiac disease.
I personally like to purchase a local Hutterite turkey every year since I know it's free of anything bad, MSG and gluten included. If you want to take this route you can find Hutterite turkey's locally at Heeb's East Main Grocery, Rosauers, Town & Country Foods, Van's County Market, The Meat Shoppe, Lee & Dad's IGA, and Pioneer Meats in Big Timber. There may be more but this is what I could find online.
Below is the information I found from each company regarding their turkey breasts gluten free status. Always be sure to read the ingredient list to verify the turkey breast you are purchasing is safe, we know we have enough to worry about to ensure we have a gluten free Thanksgiving.
Butterball - They will label on the ingredient list if their products contain any of the top 8 allergens. The only turkey breast they have that DOES contain gluten is the frozen stuffed turkey. Their gravy has been reformulated to eliminate gluten, but certain gravy packets may still contain gluten and it will be listed on the ingredient statement.
Foster Farms - Their fresh natural turkey is gluten free.
Honeysuckle White - All of their products are free of MSG. Their turkey breast products that DO contain gluten are Asian Grill Marinated Turkey Strips and Teriyaki Flavor Turkey Breast Tenderloin.
Jennie-O - Only two of their products were listed gluten free on their webpage, the All Natural Fresh Whole Turkey and the Premium Basted Whole Turkey-Fresh.
Norbest - All of their turkey products are completely free of gluten from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or their derivatives.
Perdue - They have a lot of GF items on their list but these were the top that ARE safe. Hickory smoked turkey breast, Oven roasted turkey breast, Honey smoked turkey breast, Mesquite smoked turkey breast, and Whole turkeys seasoned with broth.
Shadybrook Farms - All of their products are free of MSG. Majority of their products do not contain gluten but their Teriyaki Flavor Turkey Breast Ternderloins DO contain gluten.
Once you have a GF turkey be sure, if someone else is baking your turkey, that gluten containing flour is not used in the turkey bag if a bag is used and that it is not stuffed with a gluten filled stuffing.
I wrote a similar piece this year - I couldn't believe turkey's could have gluten, must less other allergies as well, like soy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as our foods are too processed these days.
ReplyDeleteMy 3-year-old son had severe eczema until he was diagnosed with food allergies a few months back. I have a blog that shares our family’s battles with eczema, allergies, and asthma (yes, lucky guy has that too).
I think the key is to learn from one another, so the more information out there to the masses, the better. With this in mind I’ve started a blog hop for anyone dealing with allergies, eczema, or asthma, either for themselves or as a caregiver. If you’re interested in joining, please add a comment. I’d love to welcome you to the group. http://itchylittleworld.wordpress.com/blog-hop/
Thanks.
Jennifer