Celiac.com 10/27/2017 - Cereal maker General Mills has announced that it will no longer label their flagship cereal Cheerios as gluten-free in Canada.

Has Canada Changed its Gluten-free Standards?

• No, the standard for labeling gluten-free foods in Canada remains same, at up to 20 ppm allowable gluten. Such foods are safe for the vast majority of people with celiac disease, according to both U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies, the EU, celiac researchers and numerous celiac disease support groups.

Health Canada, the agency responsible for setting food safety standards in Canada says that gluten levels below 20 ppm are safe for people with celiac disease. That is also the standard for gluten-free products in the United States and the EU.

Have Cheerios Changed?

• No, the Gluten-Free Cheerios sold in the U.S. are the same Cheerios that are sold in Canada now, and the same Cheerios that will be sold in Canada after the labeling change. Cheerios routinely test below 20 ppm, and are currently labeled as gluten-free in both the U.S., and Canada. Cheerios has not been the subject of a mandated recall in with the U.S. or in Canada, which indicates that the product remains safe for the vast majority of people with celiac disease.

So, Why is Cheerios Changing its Label in Canada?

• It comes down to a technicality over oat testing standards. Canadian labeling laws require manufacturers follow a specific testing requirement for products made with oats, such as Cheerios.

Under that Canadian testing requirement, oat products with gluten levels above 5 ppm, but under 20 ppm are considered "Investigative," a status under which the agency "notifies the regulated party of the result." They then "follow up with the regulated party to determine the source of the gluten." Moreover, the agency advises "the regulated party, such as General Mills in the case of Cheerios, to review their Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and process controls." The agency may require "corrective action."

As a result, cereal maker General Mills has announced that it will no longer label their flagship cereal Cheerios as gluten-free in Canada.

General Mills stands by its testing process and said Cheerios sold in the U.S. will continue to carry the gluten-free label. A statement by General Mills reads: GM: 

• "Each serving of Cheerios products in Canada are gluten free, as defined by the current regulatory standard of containing less than 20 ppm of gluten. General Mills Canada has made the decision to voluntarily remove the gluten-free label from our Cheerios products in Canada until Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) publish a consistent testing protocol for products containing oats. At this time the product is not changing, just the label on the box. We look forward to labeling the Cheerios products in Canada as gluten free once consensus is reached on a consistent testing protocol for products containing oats."

Comments made by both General Mills and the CFIA suggest the decision to remove the gluten-free labels from Cheerios stem from an issue around how products containing oats are tested for gluten in Canada.

According to CBC News, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed that the move by General Mills to remove the gluten-free label was voluntary, and said the company had "informed" the agency of its plans in August.

"This was a business decision made by the company and not a directive from the CFIA," the statement said.

The statement from GM continues: "While Gluten-Free Cheerios products comply with the gluten-free standards in Canada and the United States, we have made the decision to remove the gluten-free label from our Cheerios products in Canada until the government agencies publish a consistent testing protocol for products containing oats. At this time the product is not changing, just the label on the box.

For nearly a decade, General Mills has served consumers with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. Since Gluten Free Rice Chex was launched in 2008, General Mills has grown its portfolio of gluten-free products to more than 1,000 items. It is now the second largest provider of gluten-free foods, including seven varieties of Cheerios, in the U.S. The company has also introduced gluten-free products in more away-from-home food outlets like restaurants and schools, and in new regions such as Canada and Europe."

GM spokesperson Mike Siemienas said the company was waiting for "Health Canada and The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) [to] publish a consistent testing protocol for products containing oats," and that General Mills looks forward to labeling the Cheerios products as gluten-free once consensus is reached on a consistent testing protocol."

So, while Cheerios will no longer carry a gluten-free label in Canada, Canadian standards for gluten-free products have not changed, and remain the same as American standards, at up to 20 ppm allowable gluten. The Cheerios sold in Canada are no different than Cheerios sold in the United States, where they will still carry a gluten-free label.

So, only the Canadian label will change. Cheerios will remain the same. On either side of the border, people with celiac disease can continue to enjoy Cheerios with confidence.

Those with oat sensitivity, or who react to high fiber levels, should use their own judgement about Cheerios, as with any other product.

Celiac.com 10/24/2017 - Global wheat prices are plummeting in the wake of massive overstocks and anemic consumption. The problem is serious enough that Canada, the world's top producer of durum wheat, has cut its production nearly in half, to a six-year low.

Even those drastic measures have had failed to raise prices, which are down about 30 percent from 2016.

Worse still, experts are projecting a continuing decline in demand over the next year. Italy, Canada's second largest buyer of durum wheat in 2016, is planning to introduce rules in early 2018 that could further reduce imports.

This comes at a time when consumers are buying less wheat products, as more and more people are adopting gluten-free, and low-carbohydrate diets.

Italy is not the only problem for wheat growers, and durum is not the only variety to be hit by the reduction in demand.

Weak demand overall will drive total global wheat stockpiles up to a record 263.4 million metric tons in 2017, according analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Those predictions exceed estimates made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the agency has already taken steps to revise its earlier estimate.

According to Neil Townsend, a senior analyst at FarmLink in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Italy's plan is “just another nail in the coffin” to industry efforts to incrementally grow demand.

After slowly bouncing back from the Atkins diet craze, the wheat industry is now “kind of getting gnawed away by the gluten thing. There's just no growth,” said Townsend.

Source:

• bloomberg.com

Celiac.com 10/11/2017 - A Merrill Lynch broker in Denver has sued the firm in federal court, claiming that its systemic "sabotage" of his relationship with clients during and following two medical leaves have cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a case filed this summer in federal court in Colorado, Kirk Kringel, a broker with Merrill since 2010, alleges that the company violated his rights under the Family Medical Leave Act by retaliating against him for taking the two medical leaves, including one that was related to celiac disease.

A seasoned broker, Mr. Kringel worked previously with Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter for nearly 15 years before joining Merrill Lynch. According to the complaint, colleagues and managers at Merrill "systematically interfered with and sabotaged Kringel's relationships with his clients by failing to service some of his clients, permanently re-assigning some of his clients to other financial advisors, and providing misinformation to his clients that undermined his relationships."

Kringel claims that the sabotage cost him annual income in excess of $250,000, and that the actions were taken deliberately as retaliation for Kringel's three-month leave in 2015 and an unpaid medical leave that he began in February 2017. Kringel alleges in the suit that the losses to his accounts were engineered by a former business partner and colleague who moved with him to Merrill, and is claiming that the alleged violation of federal FMLA law justifies a courtroom trial.

If successful, he will avoid arbitration, which would be the standard course for such complaints.

Merrill Lynch spokesman Bill Halldin disputed the allegations on behalf of the company, but offered no comment on whether it will seek to have the complaint moved to arbitration.

Neither Kringel, nor his lawyers at the firm of Moye, White offered further comment.

Stay tuned for more on Mr. Kringel's efforts, and on legal issues regarding celiac disease and employment, disability, and the like.

Read more at Advisorhub.com

Celiac.com 10/03/2017 - As people eat less processed foods, and more people adopt a gluten-free diet, manufacturers are selling less and less refined wheat flour, less bread, rolls, and cereals.

Consumption of wheat is plummeting, and that has the people who grow wheat wondering what to do.

Well, one thing wheat growers can do is hire researchers to study the problem in such a way that the logical conclusion is that foods made from refined grains, such as breads, rolls, and cereals, aren’t really that bad after all.

And that seems to be what happened with a recent study funded by the Grain Foods Foundation, an industry group.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the study, published last month in the journal Nutrients, calls things like breads, rolls, tortillas, and ready-to-eat cereals "meaningful contributors" of nutrients like thiamin, folate, iron, zinc, and niacin.

The study notes that such foods are also low in added sugars and fats, which is not the case with many grain foods like baked goods.

Rather than being independent, both authors of the study work for PR companies that help other companies, including major food and beverage companies, communicate the benefits of their products.

While it’s true that many refined grain foods provide these nutrients, there are many other sources.

For example, foods like white beans, lentils, spinach, dark chocolate, and tofu provide iron, while oysters, beef, baked beans, yogurt, and chickpeas provide zinc.

Is bread bad for people? Mostly not. People with celiac disease need to eat gluten-free, and should probably make an extra effort to eat foods that are nutrient dense. For most folks bread is fine, but as with many foods, not all breads are equal. Look for whole-grain breads that are nutrient dense. Watch out for the added sugar, salt, and fat that come with many processed foods.

And don’t be swayed by industry-funded studies that tell you to eat more of the product they are peddling.

Read more at: Healthline.com

Celiac.com 09/29/2017 - What is it about the Internet that seems to bring out the worst in some people? In this case, internet trolls making nasty comments about reality star and popular UK country singer Megan McKenna.

The body-shaming began almost immediately after McKenna posted two photos of herself on Instagram this summer. According to BuzzFeed, comments calling her things like "boney" and a "skinny rat," flooded in.

McKenna recently explained that, at the time the photos were taken, she was in the hospital dealing with the the effects of a medical condition.

McKenna has been open about having celiac disease, even speaking about her digestive struggles on Celebrity Big Brother. "Everyone knows I'm a celiac, and I've just been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome," she told The Sun.

Before filming her new show, There's Something About Megan McKenna, she was "in and out of the hospital and no one knew what was wrong with me, so yes I was thin as I was unwell," she said.

As is often the case, the nastiness of the commenters was simply out of touch with the reality that McKenna was struggling with an illness, and thus likely did not need to be told how horrible and thin she looked.

McKenna is likely having the last laugh in all of this. Now that she has a diagnosis, and can get treatment, her symptoms should improve, and her health should improve with it. In the meantime, she is currently outselling Taylor Swift on iTunes.

Read more at: refinery29.com.

Celiac.com 09/14/2017 - Is your water hip? Is your water cool? Is your water gluten-free? Does it say so on the label? Does it matter?

Gluten-free has become such a marketing buzzword that the words "gluten-free" are now appearing on all kinds of things that most certainly gluten-free, such as, yes, bottled water.

Would you be more likely to buy water labeled "gluten-free?" Would you feel safer? More nourished?

If the bottled water craze wasn't enough in itself, there is now the added marketing factor that turns plain, clean, pure bottled water into "premium" water that is not only gluten- and GMO-free, but also certified kosher and organic.

Never mind that not a single drop in these bottle contains anything but plain water. Plain water, of course, is gluten-free, GMO-free, very much organic, and likely perfectly fine for kosher Jews.

Basically, labels should help people make informed decisions, not confuse them with useless marketing information.

Putting "gluten-free" labels on water likely doesn't help consumers make better decisions about the water they buy, it may just confuse people into believing (wrongly) that some water has, or might have, gluten in it; which is seriously unlikely.

So, in our world, where the catchphrase seems to be caveat emptor, or, buyer beware, it falls on us as consumers to be informed and to resist the empty marketing promises made by products like "gluten-free" water. What's next, a label that says: Guaranteed Wet!?

Got any good stories about confusing or useless "gluten-free" labels on products that clearly don't need them? Share them below.

Celiac.com 09/13/2017 - Facing charges that it forced a young boy with gluten-intolerance to eat outside in the rain, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has issued an official statement in which it denies violating any laws or mistreating an 11-year old Maryland boy with a food allergy, while he was eating in Shields Tavern with a school group in May, according to a filing Monday in U.S. District Court.

The lawsuit, filed by a Maryland family, alleges that Colonial Williamsburg violated federal and state law by discriminating against the boy, referred to as J.D. in court documents, by not allowing him to eat his food inside Shields Tavern May 11. The suit further contends that the boy was forced to eat alone in the rain.

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation claims that staff informed the boy's school no outside food is permitted in its taverns. They also claim that Shields Tavern offered to accommodate J.D. by preparing a gluten-free meal for him, and that the school had in fact ordered gluten-free meals ahead of J.D.'s visit to Colonial Williamsburg.

The foundation contends that the incident occurred only after J.D.'s father refused the tavern's gluten-free offering, and chose to eat his own food, in violation of Williamsburg's rules.

The foundation also stated that they never asked the family to leave the tavern, but that they chose to leave and eat outside.

The Foundation claims that the tavern's head chef is trained to prepare gluten-free meals, that Shields Tavern routinely prepares gluten-free meals for guests, and that they did so for the J.D.

In a statement, the family's attorney, Mary Vargas, said Colonial Williamsburg's response to the lawsuit falls short.

"Colonial Williamsburg's Answer does not accurately portray the facts or the manner in which this child and his family were treated before, during, or after his exclusion from Shields Tavern and is internally inconsistent in multiple respects," Vargas said in an emailed statement. "Ultimately, a jury will have to decide whether sending a child out in the rain because of his disability is what the Americans with Disabilities Act requires."

So, did Colonial Williamsburg wrongly force a gluten-free kid to eat outside in the rain? Or did they accommodate the child with gluten-free food only to be rebuffed by the boys father? Sounds like we'll need to wait for more news from the lawsuit before we have a good answer to that question. Stay tuned.

Read more at: vagazette.com

Celiac.com 08/29/2017 - The popularity of gluten-free products has soared, despite little evidence that gluten-free products are beneficial for people who do not have celiac disease.

The number and range of gluten-free products continue to grow at a rapid pace, and manufacturers are adding more all the time. The proliferation of gluten-free products is inviting the scrutiny of nutritionists, some of whom are arraigning the alarm about questionable nutrition of many gluten-free foods and snacks.

Recent products tests show that the vast majority of gluten-free snacks tested are far saltier than their non-gluten-free alternatives, say researchers. Just how much saltier? Researchers surveyed a total of 106 products, and found that many gluten-free snacks have up to five times more salt than non-gluten-free counterparts. And only a third of these products have proper warnings on their labels, according to a separate study by health campaigners.

The team also compared salt content for each product in a particular category to the salt content (per 100g) of a randomly chosen gluten-containing equivalent product of that category. Notable differences in salt content include:

• Schar Gluten Free Pretzels (3.0/100g), twice the salt of Sainsbury's Salted Pretzels (1.5g/100g)
• Mrs Crimble's Original Cheese Crackers (3.5/100g), 2.5 times the salt of Ritz Original Crackers (1.38/100g)
• The Snack Organisation Sweet Chilli Rice Crackers (2.6/100g), 3 times as salty as Aldi's The Foodie Market Crunchy Chilli Rice Snacks (0.84/100g)

These revelations invite questions about whether health-conscious shoppers are being misled.

Nutritionists are urging shoppers to look past clever packaging, and to not automatically assume that "gluten-free" foods are healthy.

Full Survey Data: Actiononsalt.org

Celiac.com 08/25/2017 - Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo will pay $300 million to settle thousands of federal and state court lawsuits over its top-selling blood pressure drugs, Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor and Tribenzor, according to the lead Plaintiffs' lawyers.

The settlement was reached in the federal multi-district litigation (MDL) case titled In re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2606, pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Division.

Overseeing the federal MDL litigation are the Honorable Judge Robert Kugler and the Honorable Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider, who handled the settlement negotiations.

The agreement covers about 2,500 claims by individuals who claim severe and sometimes life-threatening gastrointestinal injuries after using medications containing the active ingredient olmesartan medoxomil (Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor and Tribenzor).

Numerous reports have tied Olmesartan to sprue-like enteropathy and changes in the intestinal tract that mimic those seen in celiac disease, and inhibit a person's ability to absorb nutrients.

The parties reached the resolution as they maneuvered ahead of pre-trial hearings, and an expected trial in federal court. Christopher L. Coffin and Adam M. Slater, Co-Lead Counsel for the Plaintiffs, praised the settlement as an excellent outcome for the Plaintiffs.

In a statement, Coffin said that they were "very pleased with the outcome of this hard-fought litigation. This is a gratifying resolution for thousands of patients who suffered severe gastrointestinal injuries while using these blood pressure medications."

Under the settlement, former olmesartan users who have claims, and who meet certain criteria will be eligible for compensation.

For more information go to OlmesartanProductLitigationSettlement.com.

Celiac.com 08/24/2017 - Despite the proliferation of gluten-free and other alternative dining options at many colleges across America, students on some campuses are feeling left behind.

While many schools have worked to create dedicated gluten- and allergen-free dining space, a number of colleges and university seem to be lagging. For students on many campuses, the gluten-free revolution can't come fast enough.

Recent stories about gluten-free dining halls have become common. Kent State and Cornell establishing the countries first certified gluten-free college eatery in the U.Michaela Abel, a senior with celiac disease was forced to cancel her meal plan during her sophomore year due to a lack of gluten-free options at Seattle U's main cafeteria, Cherry Street Market.

For Abel, eating gluten-free is a necessity, not a choice. The school does attempt to offer gluten-free options, but at the end of the day, couldn't maintain consistent gluten-free conditions, which meant Abel got sick a lot, and eventually had to cancel her meal plan. Abel says she is fortunate to have a friend who offered her the use of a kitchen.

Meal purveyor Bon Appetit caters six different campus eateries, and says all locations are set up to offer meals and snacks that meet a range of dietary needs, including at least one vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free option at all locations.

Seattle University really doesn't try to hide their problem. Jay Payne, the General Manager of Bon Appetit at Seattle U, admits that conditions in on-campus kitchens sometimes make it difficult to ensure that food is not cross-contaminated. They are basically saying that it is difficult, so they haven't done it. Beyond that, those in charge largely offered up platitudes about how managers must take training modules that include gluten-free protocols.

But, if the University fails to provide a suitable environment in which to employ those protocols, how are the students supposed to benefit? What some schools seem to get better than others is that providing gluten-free dining solutions to students is an issue of addressing disabilities, not catering to a dietary fad.

The schools making the most progress seem to be the schools that understand the importance of the issue, and dedicating resources to solving it.

Is access to gluten-free food a factor in choosing a college for you, a family member or a friend?

Celiac.com 08/21/2017 - Can a tiny Virginia start-up change the world with a cheap, reliable devise to test food for gluten on the fly?

With their startup called Altede, Ed and Anna Champion, together with business partner Briana Petruzzi, hope to build quick, cheap tests for all sorts of food allergens. Their first target is gluten. Altede is looking to develop a test that is reliable, sensitive to FDA levels of 20ppm gluten, costs less than $5 and could be performed within a couple of minutes while sitting at a restaurant table.

The Altede team doesn't expect anyone to test everything they eat. But those with severe gluten intolerance might find peace of mind in a pinch.

"We really want to keep the cost low. We think that's going to be critical," says Ed Champion. "You know, $15 and you're not going to do it. It's going to be too painful. But $3 or $5…what's your afternoon worth?"

Altede has developed an antibody that they grow inside of and later extract from mice, a technique also used by pregnancy test manufacturers. The antibody is specially engineered to latch onto protein molecules inside gluten. A user like Anna Champion would carry the kit, which is about the size of a pack of M&M's. When she comes across a food she wants to eat but suspects may make her sick, she puts a pea-sized sample into a liquid container that comes inside the pouch.

She would shake it up and then dip the test strip.
The liquid would creep along the paper, passing a stripe of the antibodies Altede designed. If gluten is present, the antibodies will latch on to the proteins, accumulate on the paper and produce a visible pink line.

So far, their prototype device can detect small amounts of gluten. The prototype looks and operates just like a pregnancy test. But the test currently takes hours, instead of minutes.

Ed Champion says that tweaks to the chemistry will provide quicker results, though there are still a number of technical challenges to overcome. But after two years of development, Champion says the team is getting close.

To help the, prepare their portable gluten tester for a product launch, Altede recently enrolled in the first cohort of RAMP, Roanoke's business accelerator, and received a $50,000 grant from the state's Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund.

Once the company can quickly and reliably test for gluten, it will use the same technology to build tests for a number of different food allergens.

Champion has invested more than $30,000 in the venture to date. He supplies the business knowledge for the company, while Anna Champion, a Virginia Tech researcher, and Petruzzi, a Ph.D. student, are the scientific brains behind the operation.

Stay tuned for updates on Altede and their efforts to build a better gluten test.

Celiac.com 08/16/2017 - Colonial Williamsburg prides itself on educating both children and adults in the rich history of life in colonial America. That's why claims that Colonial Williamsburg kicked an 11-year-old boy on a school field trip out of one of its restaurants earlier this year are drawing attention and sharp comment.

The incident happened May 11, during a field trip for about 30 students and 30 adults. The trip, which included a meal at Shields Tavern, was the culmination of a yearlong research project.

The boy, identified in court documents only as "J.D.," suffers from a medical condition that prevents him from eating the same food as his classmates, and the restaurant's policy specifically forbids outside food. The lawsuit claims that, even after a teacher tried to persuade the manager to let him stay, the manager forced J.D. out of the restaurant, where he ate his lunch in the rain.

"J.D. was crying openly as he was removed from Shields Tavern in front of his peers," the lawsuit said. In speaking with management, the teacher learned that the restaurant "permits toddlers to eat outside food, including goldfish and Lunchables inside the restaurant."

When J.D. eats gluten, he experiences "precipitous drops in blood pressure that result in him losing consciousness," the lawsuit said. "Doctors haven't determined whether it is celiac disease or a "Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity," but multiple specialists at Johns Hopkins have concluded that it is critical J.D. not ingest gluten, even in trace amounts," the suit said.

"Before his exclusion, J.D. was able to participate fully with his peers with confidence," the suit said. "After his exclusion and because of Defendant's callous and discriminatory conduct, J.D. felt less worthy than other children and embarrassed by his disability."

The family's attorney, Mary Vargas, said in a statement that "Children with disabilities that require strict adherence to special diets often find themselves on the outside of school parties and social events, but here this child was quite literally removed to the outside in a way that left him feeling humiliated and unworthy."

She goes on to call the actions by Williamsburg's management "…despicable behavior by any adult but especially by an organization that professes to offer educational programming for children."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees, as well as changes to how Colonial Williamsburg handles people with disabilities.

The Colonial Williamsburg foundation has declined to comment on the suit.

Source:

• pilotonline.com