Turkey

jessica329 · Post by **jessica329** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:42 am

Hi all,

I went to a Friendsgiving on Saturday and ate (what I thought) safe foods. I got really sick on Sunday. Does anyone have issues eating turkey that has not been injected with solution (I know some turkeys are injected with a solution that can cause problems)? Does turkey have something else in it that I'm not aware of? I'm trying to pinpoint the problem food and scared to eat turkey on Thursday. I've only eaten turkey during the holidays.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:51 am

Someone on my local celiac listserv receently complained about people scaring others into thinking meats are not GF when they are injected with fluids, etc. He says meat producers are required to label any of the top 8 allergens, including any wheat derivatives, so that means turkey should be GF. Not sure he's right or not. We always order a fresh, local bird, not frozen or pre-injected, and we brine it ourselves overnight.

Did you eat any gravy? That's commonly made with wheat flour.

jessica329 · Post by **jessica329** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:57 am

Nope, no gravy. I might just start bringing my own meal to gatherings to avoid any more issues.

Post by **tex** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:39 am

Zizzle wrote:He says meat producers are required to label any of the top 8 allergens, including any wheat derivatives, so that means turkey should be GF. Not sure he's right or not.

Unfortunately, he's wrong, if he believes that the labeling will comply with the same labeling laws that apply to other types of processed foods. Meat and dairy products are expressly exempt from the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. True, some processors do include such information in their labels on such products, but there is no law that provides for any enforcement if that information is incorrect in any way, because the labeling requirements are different under the prevailing laws.

Meat and dairy products are under the jurisdiction of the USDA, not FDA. This also applies to whole (unprocessed) grains. Whole grains,for example, do not even require a label of any type, under the law. That creates problems when people assume that they are protected by FALCPA.

All state departments of agriculture and departments of health (in association with the USDA) require labeling on meat and dairy products (and grains) whenever any subsequent processing or blending of ingredients is added. However, those labels do not require the explicitness of the FALCPA law. IOW, yes if gluten is added, it would need to be listed on the ingredient list. However, it would not have to be noted in "plain language" as per FALCPA. IOW, in these products, gluten (or soy, or whatever) can be legally hidden in generic terms such as "natural flavors", "spices", modified food starch, MSG, or anything else that sounds more appealing. Specifically, these products do not have to carry a separate notation that says "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS GLUTEN", or "THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS SOY", for example.

Note that under the current law, ANY products can contain barley or rye, in any form, and still be labeled "GLUTEN FREE", thanks to the failure of our legislature to understand the issues involved, and their failure to realize that the hordein in barley and the secalin in rye are sources of inflammation for anyone who is gluten-sensitive. Derivatives of barley and rye must be listed as ingredients (such as barley malt, etc.), but they do not have to be listed as allergens.

Tex

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:01 am

I agree, Tex, in that they are not required by law. The way you purchase your turkey, Zizzle, is the way to do it.

The other thing I would question if the turkey was not injected is... was there stuffing in the turkey during the cooking process? That would make most, if not all, of us sick.

Paula

Post by **tex** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:47 pm

Paula wrote:The other thing I would question if the turkey was not injected is... was there stuffing in the turkey during the cooking process? That would make most, if not all, of us sick.

Good point! If the turkey contained gluten-based dressing, the odds of various parts of the bird becoming contaminated during the stuffing process is rather high, and the odds of both internal and external surfaces becoming contaminated during the stuffing removal process, and the carving process, are even higher, IMO.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:48 pm

Thanks Tex,
I took a closer look at the document he was circulating...it was a USDA/FSIS guide to food labeling. Page 49, the section on allergens, was pretty clear that labeling allergens is voluntary and enouraged, but not mandated.

D. Labeling of Ingredients of Public Health Concern
Because there are foods and food ingredients to which some individuals may have a sensitivity (i.e., an allergic reaction or intolerance), FSIS emphasizes the importance of accurate, informative product labeling. FSIS supports including voluntary statements on labels to alert people who have sensitivities or intolerances to the presence of specific ingredients, particularly the “big 8” allergens (wheat, crustaceans (e.g., shrimp , crab, lobster), eggs, fish, peanuts, milk, tree nuts (e.g., almonds, pecans, walnuts), and soybeans) and other specific ingredients (monosodium glutamate (MSG), sulfites, lactose, and Yellow 5 (tartrazine). FSIS provides the following example: “Contains: milk, wheat gluten, soy.” FSIS further supports identifying the source of a specific ingredient in a parenthetical statement, (e.g., “whey (from milk)”.)

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/3994734/17 ... _Guide.pdf

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:41 pm

What else did you eat Jessica?

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:40 pm

Jessica,
I tested sensitive to chicken, so I tried turkey. This was during the time when food still caused D. After eating a bowl of turkey soup i had an acute reaction. I tried it 2x with the same reaction, so I stopped turkey and all poultry.

Can you eat poultry? Maybe it's turkey you react to?

jessica329 · Post by **jessica329** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:21 pm

I eat chicken frequently without issues. With the turkey I ate: approx 1/4 cup plain corn (I eat other corn products from time to time without problems), approx 1/4 cup cranberries and a small spinach salad (I took only leaves and did not use dressing). Drank water and had no desert. As far as meat goes, I only eat chicken (humanely raised), buffalo and the occasional locally raised cow.

Post by **tex** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:48 pm

Jessica wrote:and a small spinach salad (I took only leaves and did not use dressing)

Was that raw? If so, that might have been the cause of your reaction. Raw vegetables don't work well for most us until after we recover. For some of us, even cooked spinach can cause D because of the high oxalac acid content.

Tex

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:38 am

Oh wow, I forgot the obvious.... will have to remind my very thoughtful parents to make the stuffing outside of the turkey. They go out of their way to cook in a manner where I can eat what's on the table too. I insist that they not bother because it's just as easy to bring my own food and I'm not so emotional about it anymore, but they do anyway. I guess I would do the same for my kids.

I've come to be completely disgusted when reading labels and find "natural flavors" - still too scary for me so I end up putting it back on the shelf. I contacted Jenni-O not too long ago because I've come to like their brand of ground turkey and their natural flavors consisted of rosemary. I am naturally suspicious of the reply since it would seem easier to just print the herb on the list instead of being so obscure. I haven't eaten any in a couple weeks because I am trying to figure out if turkey is a problem but haven't noticed any differences. For whatever reason, I have an aversion to chicken so I'm hoping turkey can stay on my safe list.

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:47 pm

Jessica, I agree with Tex RAW spinach is pretty rough and so is CORN! I could always eat corn products, but still ( after 10 months- off entocort for 3), I still can't eat whole corn kernels.

My Thanksgiving dinner usually consists of turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, cooked vegetable, a little cranberry ( from a can)... and maybe a little GF apple pie ( I usually eat this the next day instead).

Leah

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:42 pm

I don't tolerate Jennie O or Butterball turkey, but have no problems with Honeysuckle and Norbest brands. I'm eating at someone else's home for Thanksgiving and am debating whether I should bring my own Norbest turkey. I trust other people's good intentions less and less.

Gloria

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:43 am

Gloria, is there soy in jenni o? I've been wondering if ground turkey poses a greater potential for extra ingedients to be slipped in. I've never seen the brands you mentioned in my area.