When I first went gluten-free one of my concerns was my coffee. Don’t take away my coffee. Of course the plain & decaf are gluten-free, but the flavored, that is another story. I went on a wild emailing spree and got a bunch of answers back in 2006 and I thought it was time to update some of those, seeing as how it is now 4 years later.
The first company that I contacted again was Folger’s. I had picked up some Folger’s Decaf Hazelnut last week and thought since it was in my pantry it should be the first one that I investigated Well, it is a good thing that I decided to check because according to the email I am going to share below, I was 2 days away from glutening myself.
August 24, 2010
Dear Ms. Bouldin,
Thank you for contacting The J.M. Smucker Company relating to our Folgers coffee products. For over 110 years, consumer safety and product quality have been of paramount importance to our Company.
Coffee is not a source of gluten and our Folgers roast and ground coffee items are produced in a dedicated facility where no other types of agricultural crops are handled or processed. However, due to the use of common equipment within the agricultural community to harvest, store and transport crops, it is possible that our roast and ground products may contain trace amounts of grain based ingredients.
Additionally, our flavored coffee products may contain added ingredients that are not gluten free.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. If you should have further questions or need additional information, please visit our website atwww.folgers.com or contact us at 800-937-9745, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST.
Sincerely,
Meghan
Consumer Relations Representative
Ref # 9156408
Phew – close call, huh? I am not worried about this statement “However, due to the use of common equipment within the agricultural community to harvest, store and transport crops, it is possible that our roast and ground products may contain trace amounts of grain based ingredients“, as I drink Folger’s Decaf all the time with no issue. The flavored statement has me concerned, so I will stay away. Better to be safe, right? I know at one time I was told the flavored versions of Folger’s were gluten-free, but they are now officially stricken from the list. Everybody sing with me – “The best part of waking up, is not having Folger’s flavored coffees in your gluten-free cup!”
I will make sure to update you all on any further information that I get regarding flavored coffees. It is just as easy to dump in a flavored creamer, such as the So Delicious Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer or Vanilla Silk Pure Almond, in my opinion.
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For more, see www.glutenfreeislife.com !