[Knoxceliacs] Followup: Frito Lay Gluten Free List

[Debra Grey Adams]

I was just called back by Linda, the nutritionist at FritoLay, twice. 

In the first call, she confirmed that barley flour is not on the Lay's 
KC Masterpiece BBQ potato chips ingredient list, and added something 
about it being so small an amount that maybe it was not required to be 
listed.  Then, she announced that they will eventually update the packaging.

I asked how much needed to be present for it to require listing, and she 
said she did not know, but added that did not matter since they will be 
adding it to the list.  I asked what she meant by "eventually", and she 
said something to the effect that it takes time to make this sort of 
change, and then implied that I should be satisfied that they "intend" to.

I must admit that, by this point, I was somewhat less rational than I 
like to be ... I was incredulous and growing angry ... so I can not 
quote the rest of that conversation.  It went something like the 
following:  I said something about never thinking FritoLay would have 
such a cavalier attitude.  And that I would, of course, be posting my 
findings.  And that something like this would not go unnoticed.  And 
that probably a lot of people with all sorts of food sensitivities would 
find it hard to ever trust FritoLay again.  I assured Linda that I was 
not upset with her and thanked her for calling back.

It was not 20 minutes later that Linda called me again.  She said that 
"They" are escalating the packaging change, and that she wanted to be 
sure that I did not misunderstand our earlier conversation ... that they 
are addressing the problem.  (Apparently, she is a very nice person who 
is in an unenviable position.)  I responded that I appreciate their 
escalation, then asked what that means in terms of time ... how long 
should we expect?  Of course, "They" had not prepared her for that question.

I know FritoLay has tried harder than many companies.  I believe they 
put up the website gluten information in good faith and maintain it 
conscientiously.  I appreciate that I can call with questions and get a 
referral to a nutritionist.  I believe, in this case, there is simply a 
disconnect between the departments that know and address our issues and 
the departments which oversee procurement, formulation, and packaging.  
Poor intra-office communication appears to be a common failing of "big 
business".  It should not be accepted as a good excuse.

I hate it that this situation reminds me that we, as a society, have a 
long way to go ... that the squeaky wheel gets the grease ... that we 
won't ever get their if we don't push, together ... and that I, as a 
celiac, must continue to maintain a tiresome level of personal vigilance. 

Good Luck,
Debra Grey Adams

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Frito Lay Gluten Free List
Date: 	Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:00:45 -0400
From: 	Debra Grey Adams <Sparkelr at Comcast.net>
To: 	knoxceliacs at celi-act.com
References: 
<mailman.5.1181763663.29399.knoxceliacs_celi-act.com at celi-act.com>



It's very interesting this subject came up, since I was glutened on 6/11 
and didn't know why.  I knew that the only thing out of my ordinary that 
I had eaten was some KC Masterpiece BBQ potato chips, but I had 
dutifully checked the ingredient list and confirmed it was clear.

Today, I checked out the website and found two contradictory points:
1. The "Products Not Containing Gluten" page lists several "KC 
Masterpiece" products, but NOT the regular chips.  This is very hard to 
catch at first, since the names vary by only a word or two here and there.
2. By clicking on the Products menu and choosing Lay's Potato Chips, 
then KC Masterpiece Potato Chips, a graphic of the package Ingredients 
List is displayed.  It does NOT list any suspicious ingredients.

So, I called them. I spoke first with a nice representative, named 
Sandy, who confirmed that they contain barley ... in her ingredient 
list.  I asked why the package does not list barley.  She explained that 
the packaging simply had not yet caught up with the ingredients change.  
I told her this was alarming news to me, since I am gluten-intolerant, 
and I had a mild reaction after eating them.  I then said that, for 
instance, I could not see them suddenly adding soy to a product without 
putting that on the label, since some people are allergic to soy 
products ... and that I did not see how this was any different.  She 
suddenly sounded very concerned, and asked if she could have a 
nutritionist call me back.

Within half an hour, I received a call from Linda, who identified 
herself as a nutritionist at FritoLay.  She mentioned that she had 
already had another call on this today, and asked if she could call me 
back when she hears back from their regulatory people.  She seemed 
genuinely concerned, but she also asked about this being posted on the 
web, etc.  I told her it is, mentioning "a list-serve" and webpage, but 
gave out no specific details.  I do believe they are aware this could 
blow up on them with bad publicity, so I suspect we will get some action 
soon.  We will see.

Meanwhile, at this time, please accept my sincere thanks for all who 
manage and/or contribute to this list-serve.  I have been receiving the 
digest versions for about six months or so, and I appreciate just 
knowing you are there facing the same challenges every day.  However, 
times like this when you help remind me that I am not crazy ... or 
hypochondriac ... I could just hug you all!

Regards,
Debra Grey Adams


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