Monday, October 17, 2011

Hemp Milk Ingredients - Part Two

In Hemp Milk Ingredients - Part One, I listed the ingredients for the various brands and varieties.  Below is some additional information from each brand's FAQ.

LIVING HARVEST - TEMPT (Click here for their website.)
  • What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
    Hemp is a completely different plant than its psychoactive cousin and has no drug value. Hemp is so nutritious that it is rapidly gaining popularity as one of the most valuable sources of quality plant-based protein. It’s also a rich source of Omegas, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, making it an ideal alternative for vegetarians and anyone with allergies to soy and dairy.
  • Will I get high eating your products?
    Hemp has no “drug” value and contains 0.00%THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the psycho-active component found in marijuana. The hemp seeds and hemp foods used by Living Harvest are certified by TestPledge.com. Hemp is legal and safe to consume and consumption of hemp foods will never cause failure on any type of drug test.
  • Are your products organic?
    Living Harvest Hemp Protein Powder and Hemp Oil are certified organic. Tempt™ Hempmilk and non-dairy frozen dessert are not certified organic; however, the large majority of the sugars, flavorings, oils, and gums included in Tempt™ products are certified organic.
  • What is carrageenan and why is it added to Tempt™ products?
    Carrageenan is derived from a wide variety of red seaweeds and is a commonly used food additive. The carrageenan used in Tempt™ products is extracted using a multi-step process to avoid any degradation. After careful washing, the seaweed is dissolved in warm alkaline water and filtered.
    There has been some negative publicity about carrageenan that is based on a different compound derived from seaweed called poligeenan. The latter is used strictly for industrial, non-food uses. While poligeenan did demonstrate unfavorable health effects in studies, food-grade carrageenan has no known toxicity and is considered Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the US Food & Drug Administration.
  • I have allergies. How can I be sure your products are safe?
    Tempt and Living Harvest products are free of soy, gluten, tree-nuts, and dairy. They are also vegan, non-GMO and contain no trans fats or cholesterol.  Our products are processed in facilities where there may be traces of peanuts and tree nuts. All of our suppliers have extensive and strict guidelines for cleaning and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in order to help ensure that cross contamination does not occur. 
  • What are natural flavors?
    The natural flavors in Tempt Hempmilk are natural, liquid vanilla. They are gluten, soy, tree-nut, and dairy free. They contain no eggs, MSG, rye, oats, barley, malt, wheat, rice, or citrus.
  • Does Tempt™ Hempmilk separate?
    Yes. Like most non-dairy beverages, Tempt™ Hempmilk needs a vigorous shake to ensure all the nutrients, including calcium, are well-blended. If not, some separation with the product may occur. In unshaken hemp milk, separation may appear as white specs – most often these specs tend to be calcium. Note that this does not mean the product has been compromised, it only means it needs another shake! Tempt™ Hempmilk will quickly go back into solution and have no affect on taste, flavor, or the safety of the product.
MANITOBA HARVEST - HEMP BLISS (Click here for their website.)
  • Manitoba Harvest no longer makes hemp milk, but the above link shows a recipe for making your own.
PACIFIC NATURAL FOODS (Click here for their website.)
  • What process do you use to avoid cross contamination between non-allergenic products and products containing an allergens?
    To further reduce potential for cross contamination, a thorough cleaning and flushing of all equipment also takes place after running any product containing allergenic ingredients. The same cleaning is also performed between runs of non-organic and organic products to maintain the integrity of the organic ingredients.
  • Your labels read “Natural Flavors”’ what are these natural flavors?
    The Natural Flavors used in the Vanilla flavored Hemp Milk consist of natural Vanilla Flavor and Plant Aromatics. Our “Natural Flavors” are all natural, vegetarian, contain no artificial ingredients, and are free of gluten, dairy and animal products.
  • Regarding the “Other Natural Flavors” statement, what are plant aromatics?
    An aromatic is an essence from a plant which is recovered through an extraction process. Plant aromatics refer to a blend of natural ingredients used to strengthen the dominant flavor by enhancing it with certain notes of additional preferred flavors. All these additional notes originate from plant sources and are less than one percent of the flavor. The percent of aromatic actually in the finished product is miniscule. The names of these plant sources are proprietary information.
  • What if I am allergic to something in the natural flavors?
    When any of the regulated allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, or soy) are included in the natural flavors or spices, we list those allergens on the label according to The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. None of these are listed on the Hemp Milk labels.
  • Both flavors have “Xanthan Gum” in the ingredient statement. What is it? Is it a natural ingredient?
    Xanthan gum is an all-natural ingredient obtained through a natural fermentation process. It acts as a thickening agent and will bind water, the latter being the reason why it is added to our Hemp Milks – to keep water from separating out and forming a layer on top of the beverage.
  • What process do you use to avoid cross contamination between non-allergenic products and products containing an allergen?
    Pacific Natural Foods does not produce products with eggs, sesame, shellfish, or peanuts in our facility. We do produce products containing dairy, soy, tree nuts, and corn. Every 24 hours, production shuts down for a total cleaning and sterilization of all equipment. Complete cleaning and sterilization is also performed between runs of dairy and non-dairy items.

    To further reduce potential for cross contamination, a thorough cleaning and flushing of all equipment also takes place after running any product containing allergenic ingredients. The same cleaning is also performed between runs of non-organic and organic products to maintain the integrity of the organic ingredients.

    Nonetheless, we cannot guarantee that every minute particle of an ingredient from the previous product is removed. If you or a family member has a serious allergy to ingredients in any of our products and are concerned about the possibility of cross contamination, we recommend that you do not use our products.

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