RECALL: WEGMANS BOUILLABAISSE SEAFOOD SAUCE!

You know that WHEAT that's mistakenly on Vita herring labels? Turns out it should have been on the labels for Wegmans Bouillabaisse Seafood Sauce, 8oz.

That's why Wegmans has announced a recall for all packages with "Use By" dates up to and including 12/24/07:

Wegmans has recalled this item because it contains wheat that is not listed on the ingredient label. The recall is of concern only to individuals who have an allergy to wheat or have a gluten sensitivity. Consumption may cause serious reactions to people with a wheat allergy.

All product can be returned to the customer service desk for a full refund.

For more information, please call 1-800-WEGMANS (934-6267), ext. 4760, Monday through Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.

So far, it seems there have been no reports of illness due to the mislabeling.

Wegmans was on the cutting edge when it came to supermarkets stocking gluten-free products in designated areas. Its website includes a list of gluten-free products and a page about gluten sensitivity. It even submitted a statement to the FDA about...labeling!

FISHY BUSINESS

Today I ate a food even though its label clearly stated that it contained WHEAT. Yet the food did not, in fact, contain wheat!

How could this have come to pass?

Jars of Vita herring have long sported such a label, but only recently did the company do the research that led it to recognize that its vinegar does not, in fact, contain wheat. So, for the time being, the labels continue to say WHEAT...but soon they will not.

I first got wind of Vita's policy switch from a post on the international celiac mailing list:

I just got off the phone with Vita Herring. What a wonderful conversation. The woman (Joan), actually knew what she was talking about.

The labels on the herring say wheat, because the vendor who provides them with the vinegar wanted to go through the steps to get his product tested by a reliable lab, to be sure it was really o.k. to say gluten-free or to leave off the wheat as an ingredient. In the meantime, when the labels were printed, in accordance with the Jan. 06 food labeling law, since the vendor wouldn't confirm gf, Vita put wheat on the label, to play it safe.

The vendor has verified that his vinegar is gluten-free, and provided Vita with documentation. They are in the process of using up the old labels, and printing new ones, at great cost.

But the bottom line is Vita Herring is gluten-free, and always was, despite the label.

Here's the note I subsequently received from a customer service manager at Vita:

I have good news! Vita now has certification from our suplier [sic] that our Vinegar does not contain any gluten. The vinegar we use was the only ingredient that we could not get certification from the supplier. We have now received certification from our supplier that our Vinegar does not contain any gluten. In addition, we had gluten testing performed by an outside lab on our vinegar containing products. The tests were negative for gliadin, a component of gluten.

Now that Vita's vinegar confusion has been cleared up, soon the only thing fishy about its labels will be the herring itself!