Beware Bart And Judy's "gluten-Free " Cookies

[IrishHeart]

Gluten Free Watchdog has approved the following statement regarding the test results for Bart and Judy’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

 

This service is run entirely on subscriptions, but they have generously allowed us to share the results because so many in the G F community requested the information be shared with the public. You can see the full report if you are a subscriber. 

(on a personal note, full disclosure: I am a subscriber)

 

“Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC recently tested a box of Bart and Judy’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for gluten contamination using the R5 ELISA Mendez method. The product tested well above 20 parts per million of gluten. Detailed test results are available only to subscribers of Gluten Free Watchdog. Test results provide a snapshot picture of the gluten content of this product at one point in time. There is no way of knowing without testing many more samples whether the results of the one sample tested are representative of the gluten content of this product as a whole.”

 

For more information about Gluten Free Watchdog see Open Original Shared Link. Written permission to post this statement was provided to subscribers of Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC.

 

 

**italics are mine** because I am trying to drive the point home.   

 

I'd like to add: if you can afford it, please subscribe to Gluten Free Watchdog. This testing information would not exist without this service and they need the support of the gluten-free community to keep it going.

It's about $5.00 a month and you can cancel at any time.

[GF Lover]

Thanks for the Information Irish.

 

Colleen

[IrishHeart]

You bet! This entire topic troubles me because the man, Bart kept insisting his cookies were safe.

His website states:

 

These cookies are independently tested at 5.6ppm which is far under the new federal limit of 20ppm.

 

He even started a vendetta against

Gluten Dude over it after GD posted a blog article about their production practices. It got pretty weird and  ugly. 

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Open Original Shared Link

[GF Lover]

Dang Irish.  I guess I missed all that on the Dude's site.  Thanks for the links.  And yup.  Open and shut legal case and I hope Bart takes that page down and releases the name.  It's funny, when someone figures out they can be liable for what they print and put up on the Internet they usually quickly back down.  I guess some think it is still the "Wild West Net"  lol.

 

Colleen

[HavaneseMom]

Oh My! Thanks for posting this Irish Heart. I just read through all of the links and received quite an education. "Gluten Free" splattered across a label does not always equal gluten free food!

 

I have a couple of questions I am hoping someone can answer or provide me with links to the answers.

When will the new law for gluten free food labeling go in to effect?

What exactly will the new law mean as far as testing for gluten in the finished product goes?

Will manufacturers have to disclose if the facility or equipment is shared under the new law? From what I understand, this is voluntary right now.

 

I am just really curious about this new law and how it would avoid something like this from happening in the future. There were a couple of cases in the links were it said that this manufacturer claimed his cookies were tested to around 5ppm of gluten. This was apparently way off base. I wonder who will be monitoring the testing under the new law?

[kareng]

  On 6/7/2014 at 2:05 PM, HavaneseMom said:

Oh My! Thanks for posting this Irish Heart. I just read through all of the links and received quite an education. "Gluten Free" splattered across a label does not always equal gluten free food!

 

I have a couple of questions I am hoping someone can answer or provide me with links to the answers.

When will the new law for gluten free food labeling go in to effect?

What exactly will the new law mean as far as testing for gluten in the finished product goes?

Will manufacturers have to disclose if the facility or equipment is shared under the new law? From what I understand, this is voluntary right now.

 

I am just really curious about this new law and how it would avoid something like this from happening in the future. There were a couple of cases in the links were it said that this manufacturer claimed his cookies were tested to around 5ppm of gluten. This was apparently way off base. I wonder who will be monitoring the testing under the new law?

I am sure a lot of people are wondering about this. Maybe you could start a new thread in the " labeling" section? Maybe google a few links to discuss? I know the actual law is on- line and some articles from Celiac associations. That would be great!

[HavaneseMom]

  On 6/7/2014 at 2:21 PM, kareng said:

I am sure a lot of people are wondering about this. Maybe you could start a new thread in the " labeling" section? Maybe google a few links to discuss? I know the actual law is on- line and some articles from Celiac associations. That would be great!

Hi Karen,

That is a great idea! I will try to gather some facts and will start a topic a little later.

In the mean time, I did a quick Internet search and came across this article with 10 fast facts regarding the new label law. Facts 6 & 7 in this article are keeping me from getting overly excited about this new law really protecting us from situations like the cross contaminated cookies.

Here's a link to the article with the 10 fast facts if anyone is interested:

Open Original Shared Link

[kareng]

Haven't seen any statement from Bart yet.  Seems like he may be very inconstant in his practices.  

[HavaneseMom]

  On 6/9/2014 at 2:13 PM, kareng said:

Haven't seen any statement from Bart yet.  Seems like he may be very inconstant in his practices.

I am very curious to see what he has to say about all of this.

If he is not already shaking in his boots, he should read this story about what can happen to people who make false gluten free claims:

Open Original Shared Link

Way to go Gluten Free Watchdog! I subscribed yesterday and it looks like a great service to the Celiac community.

[kareng]

  On 6/9/2014 at 4:51 PM, HavaneseMom said:

I am very curious to see what he has to say about all of this.

If he is not already shaking in his boots, he should read this story about what can happen to people who make false gluten free claims:Open Original Shared Link

Way to go Gluten Free Watchdog! I subscribed yesterday and it looks like a great service to the Celiac community.

Looks like he posted this on Facebook-

"

Bart's Bakery We believe in following an acceptable scientific protocol before publishing results.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 2:20pm"

[kareng]

This was posted on FaceBook today  by the Glutenfree Watchdog

 

 

"Bart & Judy's Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Thanks to all the wonderful subscribers who shared the information released by Gluten Free Watchdog responsibly. The FDA has been provided with extensive information on this product. Gluten Free Watchdog will be purchasing this product again shortly after August 5 for retesting. We will be doing the same for other products that have tested at or above 20 ppm gluten. More information will be sent out soon in an email. Thanks!"

[Serielda]

Dear IrishHeart,

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! My husband saw those the other day at the store and almost bought them for me but changed his mind for another treat, as I was still a little bit curious about them.  Are there other brands out there a newbie like me should be on the alert for so I do not have to go through any unnecessary pain from being fibbed to?

 

Thx,

 

Serielda

  On 6/7/2014 at 12:13 PM, IrishHeart said:

Gluten Free Watchdog has approved the following statement regarding the test results for Bart and Judy’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

 

This service is run entirely on subscriptions, but they have generously allowed us to share the results because so many in the G F community requested the information be shared with the public. You can see the full report if you are a subscriber. 

(on a personal note, full disclosure: I am a subscriber)

 

“Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC recently tested a box of Bart and Judy’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for gluten contamination using the R5 ELISA Mendez method. The product tested well above 20 parts per million of gluten. Detailed test results are available only to subscribers of Gluten Free Watchdog. Test results provide a snapshot picture of the gluten content of this product at one point in time. There is no way of knowing without testing many more samples whether the results of the one sample tested are representative of the gluten content of this product as a whole.”

 

For more information about Gluten Free Watchdog see Open Original Shared Link. Written permission to post this statement was provided to subscribers of Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC.

 

 

**italics are mine** because I am trying to drive the point home.   

 

I'd like to add: if you can afford it, please subscribe to Gluten Free Watchdog. This testing information would not exist without this service and they need the support of the gluten-free community to keep it going.

It's about $5.00 a month and you can cancel at any time.

[IrishHeart]

  On 6/17/2014 at 6:43 PM, Serielda said:

Dear IrishHeart,

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! My husband saw those the other day at the store and almost bought them for me but changed his mind for another treat, as I was still a little bit curious about them.  Are there other brands out there a newbie like me should be on the alert for so I do not have to go through any unnecessary pain from being fibbed to?

 

Thx,

 

Serielda

 

 

That's the only one I am aware of right now, but I am very glad you did not get those cookies!!