Dedicated Facilities Or Not

[BlessedMommy]

Do you only eat products made in dedicated gluten-free facilities? If so, why? If not, why not?

[mamaw]

If  a  person is a super  sensitive  celiac  then   they  eat  only from a dedicated  /gluten-free   business... But  with that  being  said  it  does  limit  gluten-free  choices  &  varieties.... but  again  some  have  no  choice  they  just  get  very ill  so  it is  a must  for them....and  they  usually  figure  that  out  as  they  go along   with  the gluten-free  lifestyle.....good  thing  is more  & more  companies  are  putting  out millions  to make  their  business  dedicated....

Most  can get  away with  eating  from  places  that  have  established  guidelines  that produce  both  wheat  & gluten  foods....ie:  General Mills....they produce  both  wheat  cereal & gluten-free  cereal but  they  maybe  wash  down  the  equipment  & such  before  making  the  gluten-free  or  it is  made in the  same  building using  different  equipment.. several scenarios...

 

either  way it  is a personal choice  for  each  person....

[kareng]

Yes.  My kitchen is a shared facility.  That is way different than shared equipment.  Most companies don't disclose this.  There is no rule that they have to.  

[1desperateladysaved]

I have had reactions that lead me to believe that I must be extremely careful.  I am working towards growing much of my own food, searching for companies that produce one crop, and also washing carefully everything that can be washed.

 

Dee

[BlessedMommy]

Washing is always a good idea--if possible. When eating at a continental breakfast in a hotel, I rinse off the hardboiled eggs before eating.

[psawyer]

I eat foods made in facilities that also process ingredients I avoid. The alternative is just too restrictive. If you refuse shared facilities, you will never, ever eat at a restaurant, or at a family member's house. Just because there are noodles in the next room does not mean that there are noodles in your soup. Good Manufacturing Practices, as observed by all major food manufacturers, call for isolation of ingredients and cleaning between runs. As another member noted, disclosure of share facilities is voluntary.

[livinthelife]

As a rule, I try not to, but, as others have said, it's not required to be labeled so I probably eat a lot more of these "shared facilities" foods than I think when I opt for a package of something.

 

I know Lay's jalapeño kettle chips (total cheat guilty pleasure!!) bother me since I keep a food journal and they seem to be a common "trigger" food, so I don't eat them anymore. Having said that, I'm still learning and it very well may be a reaction to something else. 

[DougE]

Like many of the other replies, I will eat products that declare that they are made in a shared facitlity.  One exception is bakeries (I can just imagine flour hanging in the air everywhere). 

[NatureChick]

For me it depends on the item and the brand.

For premade foods, I definitely notice a difference between dedicated facilities and not. When I think I've gotten a minor contamination, I normally give the suspect food a second or third try before scratching it off my grocery list permanently. Aimee's brand comes to mind when it comes to having some problems, though some products seem to be worse than others. The opposite would be Glutinos, a brand I don't  remember ever having glutened me.

Things like nuts are always hit or miss but I have had better luck buying bulk than packaged items. I only do organic, but find that unsalted poses the least risk, while salted can be a problem. I presume that means that flour is used as an anti-flaking agent for a powdered ingredient somewhere in their processing line. I never buy nut mixes. 

I actively avoid gluten-free items made by my grocery-store's bakery. I've only tried it once and it was definitely more gluten than a minor contamination so I have to presume that it is because the kitchens are contaminated with regular flour dust. 

The grocer's butcher counter is also hit or miss. The less that needs to be done to a cut of meat, the lower the chances of problems. So a simple chunk of meat would be the safest, a ground or sliced product somewhere in the middle, having had to go through another machine, and a product like a sausage that might contain more ingredients (and more chances of cross contamination) won't ever be on my grocery list again. But I do buy packaged sausages that say gluten-free on the label, so it is the facility that is the problem.

But I'm super lucky that the grocery stores at which I shop have excellent gluten-free labeling or sections, only carry minimally-processed products which cuts down on issues, and carries lots of gluten-free options so I'm not tempted to take many risks. 

I also did a ton of research when I first went gluten-free which helped me avoid mistakes. That said, it took me more than a month to finally admit that I had to give up my favorite spaghetti sauce, even calling the manufacturer to double check because it was so much better than the competition and its ingredients really "shouldn't" contain any gluten. But most companies are buying their tomato paste premade and it often contains ingredients other than tomatoes. 

Oh, and distilled products that "should" be gluten-free are another risky area. I do make sure to read labels to make sure things like vinegar are made from corn rather than wheat.

And I also won't trust a human being to tell me that something is gluten-free. There are plenty of people on this forum who eat things that I know from experience contain gluten. Though it is great for them that their reactions are so minor they can be overlooked, I'm glad I have a "tell" symptom that responds to minute amounts because I'd much rather know.

[SoLacey]

"Oh, and distilled products that "should" be gluten-free are another risky area. I do make sure to read labels to make sure things like vinegar are made from corn rather than wheat."

 

I wonder, how can you tell if vinegar is made from corn rather than wheat?  I have definitely been reacting to some vinegars.  I've been just avoiding them all together unless it's something I have already eaten and was fine with. 

 

I'm super  sensitive so I won't eat anything in a box that was made in shared facilities.  I have gotten very sick from gluten free products that I later found out were made on shared equipment.  I had some frozen potatoes the other night that said gluten free.  I wasn't too worried about cross contamination because they were potatoes after all.  After getting sick I did some searching and found that the Ore-ida tater tots were processed on shared equipment.  I got super sick from Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, also says gluten free, also made on shared lines. 

 

I feel somewhat lucky that I am so sensitive, I worry for those that aren't that because they may not get as sick they might be doing damage internally and not know.  My sister and my son both have it and aren't quite as sensitive as I am, I see them doing things that freak me out.
 

[StephanieL]

Yes.  My kitchen is a shared facility.  That is way different than shared equipment.  Most companies don't disclose this.  There is no rule that they have to.  

Yes to this.  

 

Just as a facility doesn't need to disclose if allergens are used in the plant or even run on the same lines, they don't have to disclose if gluten is in the facility.  There are some brands that are better at labeling than others and have a better reputation. It's all about comfort levels for sure!