Is Ka'Chava Gluten-Free?

This is retarded. People think that doctors know everything. A doctor has no expertise in food ingredients. I am no expert, and my knowledge on this is very limited, yet I know more than the vast majority of doctors on whether an ingredient is gluten free.

As for the company statement, it is suspicious to say the least.

1. "All the ingredients in Ka’Chava are Gluten-Free in accordance with FDA specifications".

Does that mean that the ingredients are not gluten, and every single one was tested for cross-contamination? That's what it sounds like, but that is not believable. It would be a huge waste of money. Also, the mention of the FDA specifications implies that there is definitely gluten in something, but just not 200 ppm. That is not necessarily a problem, but it is relevant to the few who are most sensitive.

2. "We test every single batch of finished product as part of our Certificate of Analysis. In addition, we have independent, third-party labs test and verify periodically for additional assurance".

Presumably, the testing is that the product is gluten free. If that is the case, then end of story. What follows is a red flag that they are hiding something.

3. "As always, please review all the ingredients with your doctor first, if you have any health conditions such as Celiacs Disease."

Their verbiage makes it sound like they spend all their time and money doing test after test, yet they are still worried that someone will have a reaction to the gluten in this product. If the product is not marked as gluten free, then I do not believe them. I suspect that it is near 200 ppm, and they cannot mark it gluten free because they get occasional test results above 200 ppm.

12 hours ago, Rakdan said:

This is retarded. People think that doctors know everything. A doctor has no expertise in food ingredients. I am no expert, and my knowledge on this is very limited, yet I know more than the vast majority of doctors on whether an ingredient is gluten free.

As for the company statement, it is suspicious to say the least.

1. "All the ingredients in Ka’Chava are Gluten-Free in accordance with FDA specifications".

Does that mean that the ingredients are not gluten, and every single one was tested for cross-contamination? That's what it sounds like, but that is not believable. It would be a huge waste of money. Also, the mention of the FDA specifications implies that there is definitely gluten in something, but just not 200 ppm. That is not necessarily a problem, but it is relevant to the few who are most sensitive.

2. "We test every single batch of finished product as part of our Certificate of Analysis. In addition, we have independent, third-party labs test and verify periodically for additional assurance".

Presumably, the testing is that the product is gluten free. If that is the case, then end of story. What follows is a red flag that they are hiding something.

3. "As always, please review all the ingredients with your doctor first, if you have any health conditions such as Celiacs Disease."

Their verbiage makes it sound like they spend all their time and money doing test after test, yet they are still worried that someone will have a reaction to the gluten in this product. If the product is not marked as gluten free, then I do not believe them. I suspect that it is near 200 ppm, and they cannot mark it gluten free because they get occasional test results above 200 ppm.

12 hours ago, Rakdan said:

This is retarded. People think that doctors know everything. A doctor has no expertise in food ingredients. I am no expert, and my knowledge on this is very limited, yet I know more than the vast majority of doctors on whether an ingredient is gluten free.

As for the company statement, it is suspicious to say the least.

1. "All the ingredients in Ka’Chava are Gluten-Free in accordance with FDA specifications".

Does that mean that the ingredients are not gluten, and every single one was tested for cross-contamination? That's what it sounds like, but that is not believable. It would be a huge waste of money. Also, the mention of the FDA specifications implies that there is definitely gluten in something, but just not 200 ppm. That is not necessarily a problem, but it is relevant to the few who are most sensitive.

2. "We test every single batch of finished product as part of our Certificate of Analysis. In addition, we have independent, third-party labs test and verify periodically for additional assurance".

Presumably, the testing is that the product is gluten free. If that is the case, then end of story. What follows is a red flag that they are hiding something.

3. "As always, please review all the ingredients with your doctor first, if you have any health conditions such as Celiacs Disease."

Their verbiage makes it sound like they spend all their time and money doing test after test, yet they are still worried that someone will have a reaction to the gluten in this product. If the product is not marked as gluten free, then I do not believe them. I suspect that it is near 200 ppm, and they cannot mark it gluten free because they get occasional test results above 200 ppm.

I Think you mean 20ppm not 200!

The article states the company checks for meeting gluten free standards by the batch, meaning each production run, not each individual container of the product. That would be an unrealistic expectation.

Each ingredient doesn't have to be checked as long as the total formulation meets the 20 ppm standard. Seems like the company has been pretty transparent about all this to me. Our super sensitive celiac and gluten sensitive community members need to remember that to use the label "gluten free" does not and never has meant totally free of any trace of gluten. And that is the FDA standard. If you want better, go for "certified gluten free" labeled products as they are held to a lower PPM standard.

55 minutes ago, Guest ANTHONY COLATRELLA said:

 

I Think you mean 20ppm not 200!

Yes. Thanks for the correction.

16 minutes ago, trents said:

The article states the company checks for meeting gluten free standards by the batch, meaning each production run, not each individual container of the product. That would be an unrealistic expectation.

Each ingredient doesn't have to be checked as long as the total formulation meets the 20 ppm standard. Seems like the company has been pretty transparent about all this to me. Our super sensitive celiac and gluten sensitive community members need to remember that to use the label "gluten free" does not and never has meant totally free of any trace of gluten. And that is the FDA standard. If you want better, go for "certified gluten free" labeled products as they are held to a lower PPM standard.

The article states that each ingredient is gluten-free. If gluten-free means less than 2o ppm, then you cannot know that without testing each one individually. The mixture could be gluten-free, even if one ingredient is not.

If they are doing such extensive testing, and it all comes out gluten-free, the package would be marked gluten-free. The fact that it is not marked that way means that either they are not doing enough testing, or that they are not getting all gluten-free results.

Well if each ingredient is tested to be gluten free, even if each one is tested by the shipment batch, that's even better but not necessary as what counts is the final product meeting the 20 ppm standard. And there is no law that states they have to label it gluten free, even if it is. Have you tried the product yourself? Do you have hard evidence that it does not live up to the claims made on their website to be gluten free? Seems to me you are making a mountain out of a mole hill and to call the article or what it reports from the company "retarded" is absurd without hard evidence they are being misleading.

Ka Chava contains "85+ superfoods, nutrients & plant-based ingredients.". They did not test all 85+ ingredients. I Googled the cost of certifying a product gluten free, and it is reportedly anywhere from $500 – $5,000 annually. Some of the ingredients might have been certified by suppliers, but they are not going to be able to find 85 such ingredients that they want to use. If they want their product to be labelled gluten-free, they only have to pay once per year for the finished product. Labeling it gluten free will make them more money as people allergic to gluten will buy it. It is common sense. And the part that is retarded is that your doctor cannot tell you what is gluten free. That is just a fact. That statement is made for one reason, and one reason only. They are willing to give you information that is objectively wrong just to avoid liability. If anyone gets sick, all they have to do is ask if the person consulted their doctor before eating this. There are only two possible answers to that. Either, no they did not ask, or yes they asked, but the doctor did not know.

The company itself is testing for gluten in "every single batch of finished product," which is exactly what certified gluten-free companies must do. Your claim that this products isn't gluten-free must be supported by evidence, not conjecture or plain assumptions. 

5 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

The company itself is testing for gluten in "every single batch of finished product," which is exactly what certified gluten-free companies must do. Your claim that this products isn't gluten-free must be supported by evidence, not conjecture or plain assumptions. 

If their label doesn't say gluten-free, they are not a certified gluten-free product, no matter what they do.

12 minutes ago, Rakdan said:

If their label doesn't say gluten-free, they are not a certified gluten-free product, no matter what they do.

"Gluten Free" and "Certified Gluten Free" are not the same.

I have seen this product advertise a lot online. I see it contains lots of grain. That is a big NO for me. I just do not tolerate any grains. I certainly react to rice. Going past those self serve bins in supermarkets make mt eyes burn and I had gotten hives from rice before. But I do appreciate that this article explains what this product actually IS. As the ads do not say that. Why do they have to put grain into everything ? 

17 hours ago, trents said:

"Gluten Free" and "Certified Gluten Free" are not the same.

You are correct. I am not saying that this product is definitely not gluten-free. My point is that, when something is certified, if you have faith in the certification system, you are satisfied that the product is ok. If not, you have to contact the company, and you have to assess their credibility as well. The answer that this company gave about gluten does not make them sound credible.