Supermarket roast chickens from the deli-counter

[airmyncat]

I've recently had a very mild attack (severe bloating, wind) after eating a roast chicken from my local supermarkets hot deli counter. They do an extra tasty brand which I wouldn't eat just incase (though they have told me it doesn't contain gluten) but this was supposed to be ok. Has anyone else had any reactions to this?

[Hidden]

Was it stuffed by any chance?

[Lynxcat]

Hi Airmyncat, Was it pre-sliced as these are always a no-no as they sprinkle with starch to keep the slices separate. If the chicken was whole and then sliced it will (may be) have been sliced on a multi-slicer machine which will also be used for breaded hams, garlic sausage, etc so again it is a no-no situation. You would have to request the slices to be hand carved with a sterilised knife wiped on a paper towel ... with a plastic cover placed over the scales prior to the chicken being laid on a further separate piece of plastic/clingfilm or bag to make sure it was free from any chance of cross contamination. The assistant would also have to change her food rubber gloves for new ones before slicing your chicken .... and that is presuming that the chicken hadn't been handled by a previous assistant that had handled breaded ham, etc.

[Enixam]

When I was first diagnosed with Coeliac disease I contacted all the main local UK supermarkets - only Waitrose could confirm that their chickens were gluten-free (and only the non-flavoured ones). there are 2 issues to be aware of: 1) many of the chickens are basted and that substance is often not gluten-free or can't be guaranteed to be so. 2) deli counters are a minefield of cross contamination - in our local Waitrose, I always have to ask them to PLEASE wipe down the utensils before serving me (I suspect they think I'm a pain in the ass but I don't care, it's better than being sick).

[Hidden]

I agree with what they baste the chicken with to make the skin brown, which usually contains dextrose from wheat so those who are wheat intolerant or very sensitive to gluten have to be very wary of these ready roasted chicken. And the comments about cross contamination from the deli counter are spot on.

The problem with the serving tongs is these are the tools of their trade so the serving staff do not automatically think about the cross contamination issue from them and when busy we all do things automatically so I agree that we have to remind them of our needs.

[weee in reply to Hidden]

Coeliac UK say dextrose is gluten free.. :- Can I eat dextrose?

Dextrose is gluten free. It can be made from wheat but the production methods involve a high level of hydrolysation, which means that no gluten is left in the sugars. The final ingredient is gluten free and dextrose can be eaten by people with coeliac disease.

[Hidden in reply to weee]

Hi weee dextrose made from wheat will be below CODEX 20ppm so is codex gf.

Wheat derivatives tend to be 2 or 3 ppm so it depends how sensitive you are or if you’re wheat intolerant.

So I didn’t to alarm you.

[airmyncat]

Thankyou for all your advice

[marydoll60]

Thanks, this is really useful. It never occurred to me that roast chicken from supermarkets would not be gluten free. Makes sense Doh....

[Jacks]

I think there is another thread about supermarket roast chicken. When I was first diagnosed I asked to see the ingredient list which supermarkets have in a ring binder behind the counter which you can ask to see. Horror of horrors - not only was the basting ingredient not gluten free but they were "injected" with a dextrose solution to keep them moist.

[Blondie62]

When I was first diagnosed with coliac disease I went into my local tesco went to the deli counter to get some ham when I asked the lady to use a clean utensil and explained the reason why, she said she would this time but in future I would have to go and get pre-packed instead.

[asborne]

Was aware about injections of glucose or dextrose being used but never thought could be wheat connected. Some meats are injected with water to increase weight woder what flavours are added.

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