I am pretty good about reading product labels before I buy something for the first time. But, I have to remind myself to check them periodically. Why? Companies are always looking for ways to refresh their offerings. New and improved means ingredients have changed. It’s not always for the better for those who suffer from food allergies or are on a special diet.
For several weeks I have been plagued with intestinal gas and cramps. I wasn’t sick, but my stomach didn’t seem very happy.
Sunday, my Mom picked up a loaf of Oroweat Country Potato Bread, which I’ve been using as my backup 
bread when the store is out of my Dark Rye. The label happened to be facing me when I set it on the toaster. Bold lettering in the ingredient list caught my eye: nonfat milk.
I spend several weeks researching breads until I found this one. It wasn’t my regular loaf, but we’d pick it up when the Dark Rye wasn’t available. I hadn’t had any problems with it until now. I am pretty sure that the digestive issues I’ve been having lately are due to the dairy they’ve added to this bread. Three days off of it and I haven’t had a repeat of the symptoms.
I went to Oroweat’s website just to be sure I wasn’t losing my mind. Sure enough, they’ve got the old ingredients listed. No Dairy!
This is the frustration part of not only being vegan but being lactose intolerant to boot. I know there are hidden ingredients in processed foods that I’m not aware of. I accept that. It can be a real pain when dairy shows up where I don’t expect it.
Yet another item to cross off my list of things that are acceptable to eat.
Good that you saw the bread label and could put a stop to your stomach issues. Thankfully, I have no known food allergies.
Very fortunate for you, Ruth! I have a relative who has Celiac’s. It seems to me it has gotten much easier to find gluten free items than it is to find dairy free.
My son has a dairy allergy and this has always been my go to bread. Until recently the package has not stated dairy. I call the company today and they said that they added dairy in 2012. Unfortunately I don’t have any old packages to prove that they did not change the ingredients list on there packaging until recenly.
Lea, thanks for that follow up information! I am surprised that they changed the ingredients in 2012, but didn’t modify their website or the labels on the bread until 2015. I research extensively, so I know that up until a month or two ago, the labels did not carry the dairy listing. And, as of last week, the website had not been changed.
I am surprised I didn’t have a reaction earlier if this is the case. All I know is I did start having a reaction about a month or so before I read the label (so no psychosomatic reactions here…LOL)
I find Orowheat’s info on Country Potato very confusing. I’m lactose intolerant (severe cramps when it get hit with it) so I know for a fact that nonfat milk has not been listed on the ingredients until I just spotted it today after having a sandwich. I normally pick it up without even looking because I’ve been eating it for the last 2 years as one of the breads I can safely have.
So if they added dairy in 2012 like the comment here I don’t seem to have the same reaction I’ve had to other bread products with dairy? Unless it’s such a small quantity that it didn’t make a difference, but I seem to be pretty sensitive. And why wouldn’t they list it for all that time? Something’s not making sense with what they are saying or labeling. And their website still doesn’t list nonfat milk in the ingredients?!
Jeff, Thanks for your comments. I don’t understand it either. I am also severely lactose intolerant. I sometimes have problems with products that have no dairy but are made on the same equipment that makes product with dairy. In my case, I can only conclude that since I wasn’t eating the bread every day at first, the small amount of lactose didn’t affect me. It was only when I started eating it every day that I noticed my symptoms.
I do not understand how they can change the recipe and go three years without updating the product label. If someone had a severe allergy, it could be deadly.