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  • Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Is the Canadian Celiac Association Spreading Fear and Misinformation About Gluten Free Cheerios?

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Journal of Gluten Sensitivity Winter 2018 Issue

    Is the Canadian Celiac Association Spreading Fear and Misinformation About Gluten Free Cheerios? - Photo: CC--Jordan Ferencz
    Caption: Photo: CC--Jordan Ferencz

    Celiac.com 12/19/2017 - The Canadian Celiac Association (CCA) finds itself facing questions of rumor-mongering and inaccuracy in the face of its ongoing comments about General Mills and Gluten Free Cheerios.

    The CCA recently retracted a controversial October 20 press release in the face of questions about the accuracy and validity of its statements. The retraction reads as follows: "The CCA retracts its statement of October 20, 2017 and replaces it with this statement due to errors in the original statement." They retracted every claim made in the first press release. 

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    In addition to its erroneous, and now retracted press release, the CCA has made numerous public statements casting doubt on the process General Mills uses to create their Gluten-Free Cheerios, and other oat-based cereal products. The CCA has spread fear and confusion about the gluten-free status of Cheerios, and implied widespread gluten contamination in Cheerios. For example, the following statement attributed to the CCA was published on October 26, 2017 by Globalnews.ca: "[CCA] expressed doubt in the company's mechanical sorting system and claim of 100 per cent removal of cross-contaminants."

    Additionaly, Canadiangrocer.com reported in August 2016 that the CCA was, to paraphrase, "awaiting evidence showing the new line [of Gluten Free Cheerios] is 100% free of gluten." The article quotes Sue Newell, the CCA Manager, Education and Special Projects, as saying: "Our fear is that there are hot spots in their oats. Any given box may be fine, but every third or fifth box may not."

    Canadiangrocer.com has quoted the CCA's Manager making a very specific claim about the gluten-free status of Cheerios. If her claim is correct it would mean that 20% to 30% of all Cheerios boxes are contaminated with gluten above 20 ppm, and General Mills is producing millions of boxes of tainted cereal per month which are fraudulently labeled "gluten-free." When Celiac.com invited Sue Newell to further clarify her position she would neither confirm nor deny making the quotes, but instead said that her quotes were simply "media impressions." Although Celiac.com requested more clarification, Ms. Newell would not respond to further written questions (re-printed below) about her "media impressions." 

    Celiac.com also requested that the CCA produce any evidence to back up their claims, but so far the CCA hasn't produced anything. In response to our questions (re-printed below), which mostly remain unanswered, the CCA demurred with vague claims about general levels of gluten contamination in raw oats, and even more vague claims about the unreliability of optical sorting systems in removing gluten. They referred to studies that, after further review, appear to be unrelated to General Mills' proprietary sorting and production processes.

    CBC reported on August 31 2016, that the "Canadian Celiac Association is warning against gluten-free Cheerios products over concerns the cereal is not 100 per cent safe for people with celiac disease." What does the CCA mean by "100 percent safe for people with celiac disease?" To our knowledge General Mills has never made the claim that their sorting process results in "100 percent removal" of gluten from the oats used in their Cheerios. It is our understanding that General Mills has only ever claimed that their process results in gluten levels under 20 ppm, which allows them to be labeled "gluten-free" in both the USA and Canada, and as such they are considered safe to consume for those with celiac disease. When Celiac.com asked the CCA to provide a source for the "100% free of gluten" General Mills claim, or for clarification of her "100 per cent safe for people with celiac disease" statement, no response was provided. 

    Is the CCA hinting that the labeling standard for gluten-free products should be 0 ppm allowable gluten? Again, they would not answer this question.  It seems that the CCA made this recommendation and their associated statements based not on independent product testing, or on any confirmed accounts of gluten-exposure in people with celiac disease who had consumed Cheerios, but instead on anecdotal evidence and innuendo. 

    For their part, General Mills has at least publicly described their optical sorting process, and have gone on the record as saying that their raw unsorted oats contain anywhere from 200 ppm to 1,000 ppm gluten. They describe exactly how their sorting process reduces the gluten content in their oats to below 20 ppm, and how they then pulverize, process, and mix their sorted oats to make Cheerios (from Celiac.com's perspective it is this milling/pulverizing and mixing process that should eliminate any chance of "hot spots"). They have even applied for a patent on their optical sorting technology, and in order to receive this patent their process needs to function as described. Ultimately General Mills stands by their product every day by putting a "Gluten Free" label on every box right next to their trade mark. 

    Remember Paul Seelig? Back in 2011, before we even had gluten-free labeling laws in the USA, he sold regular bread that was labeled as "gluten-free." He was tried and convicted of fraud and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The idea that people can just slap a gluten-free label on a product that contains gluten above 20 ppm and somehow escape our judicial system, whether it be private attorneys who sue them or criminal prosecutors, is highly unlikely.

    Ultimately the CCA is calling General Mills, Health Canada and the FDA into question when they make unfounded claims based solely on fear and innuendo. The CCA is also casting doubt on U.S. and Canadian gluten-free standards. If 20% to 30% of Cheerios contain "hot spots" of gluten contamination, then why can't the CCA, or anyone else, produce a single box that is tainted? Where are the trial lawyers who ought to be lining up to sue them?

    Cheerios are are subject to regular, random testing by both Health Canada and the FDA. The FDA recently tested major American gluten-free brands for gluten-free labeling compliance and found that 99.5% of products tested are compliant with current gluten-free standards. The FDA found just one non-compliant product out of the hundreds they tested. They worked with the manufacturer to recall the tainted product and correct the manufacturing process. There is no indication that the non-compliant product was Cheerios or any other General Mills product.

    In this case the burden of proof for such extraordinary claims lies with the CCA, and not with General Mills. Someone can claim that the Earth is flat, or that humans never walked on the moon, however, the burden of disproving such claims doesn't lie with scientists who spent their entire lives creating a massive body of evidence which support what are now generally accepted facts, but with those making the extraordinary claims. Accordingly, it is only fair that the CCA must back up their claims with more than the equivalent of a vague conspiracy theory, which to disprove, would require General Mills to literally test every piece of cereal in every box of Cheerios (i.e., billions of boxes).

    General Mills returned our telephone calls and freely answered our questions. They provided a reasonable description of their sorting process and answered our questions about it. The CCA has been coy and evasive when questioned about their past statements, their claims about Cheerios, and their stance on the 20 ppm gluten-free standard, or any other standard for gluten-free labeling. Until such time as the CCA stands by their statements, and until they provide actual evidence to back up their claims, their claims should be regarded with skepticism.

    In their reply to our questions, the CCA included three links to articles they feel support their position on oats:

    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21623493  Koerner et al 2011
    2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814616312614  Fritz et. al 2016
    3. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.13288/full Fritz et al 2016

    Celiac.com addresses those studies in a separate article, entitled: Why Do Quaker and General Mills Approach Gluten-Free Oats Differently?

    Questions Emailed to the CCA by Celiac.com, followed by their response:

    QUESTIONS FOR THE CCA REGARDING CHEERIOS GLUTEN-FREE LABELING AND RELATED ISSUES:
    The standard for under 20 ppm allowable gluten in gluten-free foods remains unchanged. in Canada, the US, and the EU. The standard is supported by Health Canada, which says that gluten levels under 20 ppm are safe for the vast majority of people with celiac disease. The 20 ppm standard is also supported by the CFIA, the FDA, the EU, by scientific and medical data, and by all major celiac disease researchers.
    QUESTIONS:
    1) Health Canada says that 20 ppm gluten is safe for celiacs. Does the CCA believe and support that standard?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    If not, what standard is safe, according the CCA?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    2) Health Canada allows up to 5 ppm gluten in "Marketing Authorization" oats. Obviously, gluten content above 0 but under 5 ppm is not "100% gluten-free. Does the CCA have any problem with such "gluten-free" oats?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    3) With respect to the gluten-free Cheerios products in Canada, Candiangrocer.com reported in August 2016 that the CCA was, to paraphrase, "awaiting evidence showing the new line is 100% free of gluten." Is that still the position of the CCA?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    4) The Candiangrocer.com article also states: "Our fear is that there are hot spots in their oats," said Newell. "Any given box may be fine, but every third or fifth box may not." Is the CCA asserting that 20% to 30% of Cheerios boxes are contaminated with gluten? What is the basis for this claim? Is the CCA forming policy based actual official test results?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    5) Similarly, the CBC reported on August 31 2016, that the "Canadian Celiac Association is warning against gluten-free Cheerios products over concerns the cereal is not 100 per cent safe for people with celiac disease." Can you clarify what you mean by "100% gluten-free" and "100 percent safe for people with celiac disease?"

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    6) In a recent article published in October 26, 2017, Globalnews.ca writes "[CCA] expressed doubt in the company's" mechanical sorting system and claim of 100 per cent removal of cross-contaminants.
     

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    7) Again, can CCA clarify what it means by "100 percent removal" of gluten?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    😎 Also, we are unaware of General Mills ever making a claim that their sorting process results in a "100 percent removal" of gluten from the oats used to makes Cheerios, only that their process results in gluten levels under 20 ppm, and within the range for labeling product as gluten-free. Can CCA provide any source for General Mills ever making a claim that their sorting process for oats results in a 100 percent removal of all gluten?
    [
    ]

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    9) Is it the position of the CCA that the standard for gluten-free labeling should be 0 ppm allowable gluten? If so, how would that be measured? What products would be able to makes such a claim?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    10) Does the CCA have any scientific data that shows that gluten levels under 20 ppm are dangerous or harmful for people with celiac disease?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    11) Does the CCA have any scientific data or medical testing to show that Cheerios do not meet the 20 ppm standard for gluten?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    12) If Cheerios meet US FDA standards for gluten-free products, and routinely test at below 20 ppm gluten, does the CCA feel removing the gluten-free label in Canada makes people with celiac disease any safer? If yes, how?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.
    13) Regarding CCA claims of member complaints about Cheerios: Is it not possible that people who claim an adverse reaction to Cheerios are actually having a reaction to the avenin protein in oats, or to higher fiber in oats?

     

    ANSWER: No Response.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Guest dappy

    Yep! I eat Cheerios and the other Chex gluten-free brands all the time. I make my own crumbs for cooking out of the rice Chex - and I LOVE the Cheerios options. Delicious. I thank General Mills for being a pioneer in helping to make celiac sufferers have some normalcy. I have celiac - I have never once been sick from the General Mills gluten-free cereals.

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    Guest David Stuber

    Posted

    It is a well written article. The CCA may have concerns, but it appears its representatives have acted irresponsibly. The lack or clarifications or responses on its part makes me lose confidence in anything it represents.

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    Guest Molly

    "Gluten free" Cheerios have always made me sick. Didn't take me long to figure out they were contaminated.

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    Guest AWOL cast iron stomach

    Posted

    It's possible with so many no's as an answer to celiac.com from the CCA, one may deduce that a cease and desist letter was sent to protect GM from defamation, slander, or libel. CCA may never answer questions or further address any statement made about GM, their product, or process ever. Just my 2 cents on the amount of No's you received.

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    Guest Ella Jeans

    Posted

    I can tell you that I have been glutened by General Mills and other manufacturers products that claim to be "gluten-free". I've stopped buying anything that doesn't have the CCA stamp on it because I don't want to take a chances and get sick. This has happened many times because I trusted the manufacture to be what they said. No more. I trust the CCA and will continue to trust them until proven untrustworthy.

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    Guest Carley

    My mom, sister, daughter and myself are all celiac and I have a few friends who are celiac as well. Everyone I know who has celiac disease (and I have heard a lot in the celiac community) who all AVOID "gluten free" Cheerios due to getting cross contaminated with gluten.

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    Guest Scott Adams

    Posted

    It's possible with so many no's as an answer to celiac.com from the CCA, one may deduce that a cease and desist letter was sent to protect GM from defamation, slander, or libel. CCA may never answer questions or further address any statement made about GM, their product, or process ever. Just my 2 cents on the amount of No's you received.

    The only issue with this idea is the fact that many of our questions asked about their position on the 20 ppm labeling standard, and whether or not they believe it is safe for celiacs. A national celiac support group should have a position on this, apparently they do not (we also can't find it on their Web site).

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    Guest Scott Adams

    Posted

    "Gluten free" Cheerios have always made me sick. Didn't take me long to figure out they were contaminated.

    You could have oat intolerance, as it is doubtful that every box you had was contaminated.

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    Guest Laura
    My mom, sister, daughter and myself are all celiac and I have a few friends who are celiac as well. Everyone I know who has celiac disease (and I have heard a lot in the celiac community) who all AVOID "gluten free" Cheerios due to getting cross contaminated with gluten.

    I agree, cross-contamination is the biggest problem. If the product box is "not" stamped with the gluten-free certification, I do not buy the product. I am glad GM has taken a step toward celiac and gluten-sensitivity disease prevention in young children. Additionally, for those whose bodies cannot differentiate "yeast" from gluten, this is an entirely different yet, destructive problem. I cannot eat out of 99% of restaurants as most meats are pre-marinaded with yeast containing broth prior to purchase. Few restaurants have separate grills, utensils and prep bowls. What a mess the US created with the hybridization of wheat whereby its gluten content was increased by 17% over the 1960´s version. Modern dwarf wheat hit the store shelves in 2009. Since that time there is a world-wide epidemic of celiac & gliadin related diseases. The FDA is currently not requiring the food oil manufactures to test for chemical residuals. This has become the "new health crisis". Oils that are extracted from plants by means of extreme heat, gasoline by-products, hexane, de-foaming agents, bleach, deodorizers (to mask) the putrification that occurs in processing, Some people are injured by these toxins. If it does not say "extra virgin" on the bottle, I do not buy it. The only reason we have gluten-free foods at all is due to all of us who do not financially support (purchase) gluten-free and toxin containing food products.

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    Guest Marie

    This article, being a Canadian and fairly familiar with the issue, is not that accurate about HC and the CFIA and their rules around gluten content. There is NO tolerance for gluten - it is not that a product needs to be under 20ppm. Testing starts at the lowest a machine can test for gluten (about 3ppm currently) and the CFIA becomes concerned at 10ppm when a product is showing gluten content and when it reaches 20ppm it can no longer be called gluten-free. The standard in Canada which has been in place longer than the USA and Europe who until a decade or two ago following the WHO standard of less than 200ppm, is LESS THAN 20ppm, starting at the lowest amount possible. As for the CCA, they have done their testing and due diligence with HC and the CFIA. From reading the questions you posed of them this does not seem to be a well researched, fair, unbiased article.

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    Guest Lori

    I would't touch a commercially prepared food of any kind with the proverbial ten -foot-spoon. I don't trust "20 ppm" as being "safe", I don't eat ANY grains at all. I trust the government and the major manufacturers about as far as I could throw them - which isn't very.

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    Guest Curtis

    Something that I have always struggled with is the 20ppm... I read that a response to gluten can be trigger with as little as 7ppm... even more sensitive than a peanut allergy (which if I recall correctly was around 10ppm). If this sensitivity level for celiac is valid, then why is 20ppm considered safe?

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


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