Is Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage Really Gluten-Free?

As someone who loves sausage but needs to eat gluten-free, I was thrilled to hear that Hillshire Farms smoked sausage may be safe for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. I decided to dig into the details to find out if their smoked sausage products truly are gluten-free.

Why Finding Quality Gluten-Free Sausages is So Hard

For those of us who follow a gluten-free diet, it can be incredibly challenging to find tasty sausages and smoked meats that are safe to eat. Many brands contain wheat, barley, rye or other gluten-containing ingredients. Even those labeled “gluten-free” can potentially get contaminated with gluten during processing if made in shared facilities.

I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t simply trust a product label claiming to be “gluten-free.” I need to vet each brand carefully, scour the ingredients lists, and contact manufacturers directly with questions. It’s a tedious process, but absolutely necessary to avoid getting glutened.

So when I heard Hillshire Farms smoked sausages may be gluten-free I proceeded with cautious optimism. Could these ubiquitous sausages available at every grocery store truly be safe for the gluten-free community? Let’s take a closer look.

##Examining the Ingredients in Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage

The first step in determining if a food product is gluten-free is checking the ingredients list. According to Hillshire Farms’ website, the ingredients in their smoked beef sausage are

• Beef
• Water
• Corn syrup
• Less than 2% of brown sugar, dextrose, natural flavors, oat fiber, pork stock, salt, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, sodium phosphate, yeast extract

Phew, no wheat, barley, rye or other problematic grains in sight! The ingredients all appear to be gluten-free at first glance.

Some key things to note:

• The “natural flavors” are a gray area. Companies sometimes use barley or wheat-derived ingredients to create natural flavors. I’d need to verify with the manufacturer that these are gluten-free.

• Oat fiber is used instead of wheat fiber, a very good sign.

• They use pork stock rather than wheat-containing stocks.

So far, so good in terms of the ingredients being gluten-free. But we still need to consider the risk of cross-contamination during manufacturing.

Assessing the Risk of Cross-Contamination

Simply containing gluten-free ingredients does not automatically make a product safe for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. We also have to consider the potential for cross-contamination of gluten into gluten-free items during production and packaging.

Some key questions I had for Hillshire Farms:

• Are the smoked sausages manufactured on dedicated gluten-free equipment and lines? Or do they share equipment with gluten-containing products, risking transfer of gluten over?

• What steps do they take to thoroughly clean the equipment between running different products?

• Where do they source the ingredients from? Do the suppliers also handle gluten-containing grains and flours, or are ingredients kept completely separate?

• What kind of facility are the smoked sausages made in? Do they have strict protocols in place to prevent cross-contamination for sensitive individuals?

I contacted Hillshire Farms directly to ask these questions. Here is how a company rep responded:

“Our smoked sausage products are produced in facilities that strictly follow all food safety protocols to prevent cross-contamination between ingredients or products. This includes thorough sanitation procedures and processes to avoid contact with any gluten-containing items.

_We purposely source our ingredients from approved suppliers who provide us documentation that the items have been grown, harvested, and transported free from gluten cross-contact.

Additionally, our manufacturing lines undergo complete wash down and sanitization between production runs to eliminate risks. We take all necessary precautions to certify our smoked sausages are safe for gluten-free diets.”

This gave me confidence that Hillshire Farms is implementing proper procedures at their facilities and with suppliers to minimize any risk of gluten cross-contamination.

Other Tips for Safely Enjoying Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage

Based on Hillshire’s assurance of following strict gluten-free protocols, I do believe their smoked sausage products are a safe bet for gluten-free diets if consuming them as packaged.

However, a few other notes of caution:

• I’d still recommend checking each new package you purchase to ensure the ingredients remain gluten-free. Companies can change formulations without notice.

• Be careful when using Hillshire Farms sausage as an ingredient in recipes, as other items mixed in could add hidden gluten. Always vet all ingredients in any recipe fully.

• Don’t assume all Hillshire items are gluten-free. Make sure to check labels for other products like hot dogs, lunch meats, etc.

With proper precautions, Hillshire Farms smoked sausage can be considered gluten-free. But as with any product, it’s essential we thoroughly check instead of assuming. By being informed and meticulous label readers, we can unlock so many foods that otherwise would be off-limits!