Are Gluten-Free Cheerios Really Unsafe for Celiacs?

My 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with celiac via blood work, endoscopy and biopsy nearly three years ago. At the time, her tTG was over 100 and the damage to her intestines was visible to the naked eye. She is well-recovered now, though susceptible to the occasional small cross-contamination. She also eats gluten-free Cheerios daily and her latest tTG numbers were perfect. Kudos to General Mills for their efforts in bringing gluten-free foods mainstream.

I agree. It is hard enough in a social situation to explain why I am constantly vigilant about my diet; a public perception that all celiacs are paranoid doesn't help. When I was first diagnosed, the hysteria I found on-line and in books was depressing, with warnings against white vinegar, spirits derived from grain, blue cheese, buckwheat, vanilla extract, and so on. Please -- a little more science, folks, and less rumor.

Personally, I don't eat any processed food any more. Too many times I have gotten glutened from "gluten-free". It doesn't take that long to cook from scratch.

Why would you say that it is irresponsible for someone to think General Mills is using a faulty system? What IS irresponsible is taking gluten-filled oats, trying to remove the gluten, then not providing sufficient testing on their products. Cheerios are a "gluten removed" food. What is also irresponsible is how General Mills handled the recall - ignoring comments from sick Celiacs and claiming that they were sick because of the high fiber content. They also refuse to answer questions outside of their general statement about the recall. Nothing that General Mills is doing is responsible. You said in a comment above that this article is in response to what Samantha said on CBS - have you ever been on the news? They largely control and edit what you say for time constraints. There is always more to the story than what is briefly said in a news program.

Biggest concern I have is the chemical additives in Cheerios including some that are banned from commercial use but the US government says are okay to eat! Organics don't seem to have them.

I wasn't sure if I should put a poor or excellent rating, because I'm glad the info is being put out there, but to cast doubt on the veracity of the claims is a bit troubling. I bought a box of regular flavor gluten free Cheerios (I have celiac), and had 1 bowl, and was sick for days! I gave the box to my co-worker, who is gluten sensitive and she also got sick! She fed the rest of the box to the birds in her garden, so I don't have a sample to send in. But I was pretty miffed because I'm SO careful.

I was diagnosed with celiac 13 years ago and been on a gluten-free diet ever since. I have been eating Cheerios from both US and now Canada. I've eaten several boxes with no noticeable symptoms. I can usually tell when I've accidentally eaten something with gluten in it but no issues after eating Cheerios for days in a row. It's not scientific evidence but what I've experienced. For now I've stopped eating them just in case until the answer is more clear but I feel like they are okay. Just my $0.02.

Mr. Adams, I take issue with your mocking tone and disregard for the possibility of gluten contamination. Let's remember when the incident happened of a train car load of gluten grain was introduced into their flour, that it wasn't until celiac patients started complaining of reactions that GM never bothered to TEST the bad batch. That tells me that they lack a good process to keep me safe. I have a neurological condition caused by celiac disease. If I get any gluten I am bed bound (Ataxia, neuropathy, brain deterioration, etc) for at least six weeks and I never recover fully to where I was previously to this episode. I don't get any gut symptoms. Mine are all neurological in nature. It's called Gluten Ataxia. It seems you've even written an article about this manifestation of celiac disease. Until GM and other new to the game corporations are willing to submit to outside testing on a regular basis and not just trust their sorting system, I would be a fool to trust GM.

Oat avenins are similar to gliaden in wheat and will trigger a gluten-type reaction in the gut. Believe me, I know.

While you are addressing a timely topic, this is minor and missing the most significant problem. While I have the genetics for celiac, I did not have the disease until my late 50's. For years, I ate many wheat products without a problem. However, when I had Cheerios (regular) or Ritz crackers I had a particular GI reaction. Now I get the same reaction with any wheat product. Through these products my immune system now reacts to any gluten. I find it interesting that Meg (prior post) eats Cheerios regularly and her daughter has celiac. Daughter probably ate Cheerios frequently too, along with Mom. And, that's probably how hers developed. I'll bet a lot of people that have celiac now, were prior Cheerios and Nabisco fans.

This article feels written with bias. When you write about her "stories" that she's "hearing" and use quotation marks like this, your bias clearly shows. It certainly doesn't feel like both sides of the argument were thoroughly researched. I personally feel like it's the gluten free testing that is flawed when it comes to Cheerios. We will stay away from them until they adopt a safer testing procedure.

Maybe some additive, might have something to do with why they are having problems with their gluten-free variety.