Cautious About Cc Labels?

[momIM12]

So I am still learning the ropes of the whole gluten free living. So my question is for you more experienced celiacs is,

How cautious are you in buying product that does not contain any gluten, but is processed on equipment that processes wheat?

Is that a big CC No-NO?

 

Jessica

[shadowicewolf]

I try to stay away from it.

[bartfull]

Some don't seem to have any problems with it but personally, I won't take the chance.

[psawyer]

Disclosure of shared facilities or equipment is voluntary, so don't make any assumption from the lack of a notice unless you are familiar with that specific company's label policy.

I give some consideration to it, but here are a few things to keep in mind.

If you won't buy food from a manufacturer that shares equipment, I hope you never, ever, eat at a restaurant--any restaurant*. They may have a gluten-free menu, and may take special precautions while preparing the food, but they have one pool of plates and utensils washed in the same dishwasher (shared equipment).

Some people are concerned about shared facilities. Again, every restaurant* is a shared facility. If you have gluten anywhere in your home, you live in a shared facility. See my comment above about shared kitchen equipment.

*Completely gluten-free restaurants do exist, but are extremely rare. Open Original Shared Link Another one, Splitt Pourhouse, operated in Calgary, AB for about a year from May 2006, but did not last. It is mentioned in posts here from 2006 if you want to search.

[bartfull]

Ah, but it depends on what the food is. Sure, a shared dishwasher may be used in restaurants, but something like, oh let's say pasta, is made on machinery that is SO hard to clean all of the little nooks and crannies.  I would never eat a gluten-free pasta that was made on that same equipment. (Disclaimer: I don't even know if there IS such a thing as a gluten-free pasta made in the same facility as a gluten pastsa. Just using it as an example.) Also, things that are made where flour dust might get into the air scare me. We all know that it eventually settles on everything, possibly including the nooks and crannies of whatever equipment our gluten-free food is made on.  

[Adalaide]

I agree that what truly matters is what the product is and what else is being manufactured. When it comes to things like flours that linger in the air, get in every nook and cranny and generally are nigh impossible to clean from every surface I don't take chances. With other things, I am more willing to give companies a chance. I do go a step farther than most, but it is because I have the time to waste. Unless a product outright says that it is produced in a gluten free facility I contact them to find out if it is made in a shared facility, on shared equipment and what sort of processes they use to prevent CC. This is probably an unnecessary waste of my time, but it makes me feel better about the packaged products I do buy.

[cap6]

Some of this comes with time and experience.  For a start, I would stay away from shared facilities.  Give yourself time to heal and to learn which companies can be trusted.  Some of the major companies are very good, it's just a matter of learning which ones.  For instance, ConAgra is very good about listing known allergens, Mission does not state but does have separate facilities for their corn and for their wheat products.  Some of this is just reading and learning.