Are 4C Gluten Free Bread Crumbs Really gluten-free?

[gfmomtoK]

Has anyone been glutened by the 4C gluten free bread crumbs that are new on the market? They are certified gluten free, but my daughter got sick the night that we had them. NOT SURE THAT WAS THE CAUSE, but I just contacted the company and found out they are made IN THE SAME FACILITY as their regular bread crumbs. Seems like there is a high likelihood for cross contamination. Interestingly, their package does not say "made in a facility that also produces foods containing wheat.". Thoughts anyone?

[mommida]

I suggest you keep a food journal.  Keep track of all the foods (keep labels if possible), but keep in mind the activities and locations of these activities.  The symptoms (if any) and BM's.

 

We did determine my daughter could not continue with gymnastics.  The 100 or so sit ups in the workout made her GERD symptoms flare up. (Celiac and Eosinophilic Esophagitis)

 

If symptoms continue, you should go back to the pediatric gastroenterologist.  The journal will help convince the dr. that something is going on.  In certain situations like EE, the reaction continues for up to 12 days.  It may be another food allergy or intolerance.  So a referral for allergy testing would be reasonable.

[sunny2012]

I never eat anything that is "made in a facility that also produces foods containing wheat"! EVER! I would guess that is your daughters problem. Report the lack of notice to the government oversight agency. Rules are meant to be followed. It will take time but they will do something about this violation.

 

We have to stand up for our rights to have dangerous ingredients and CC listed on products labeled gluten-free.

[kareng]

I never eat anything that is "made in a facility that also produces foods containing wheat"! EVER! I would guess that is your daughters problem. Report the lack of notice to the government oversight agency. Rules are meant to be followed. It will take time but they will do something about this violation.

 

We have to stand up for our rights to have dangerous ingredients and CC listed on products labeled gluten-free.

 

 

Are we talking about the US?  There is no law i the US that a company must say something is made in the same facility as wheat.

 

If a product is certfied gluten-free, it has been tested.  You could contact the company to see what level they test at - many "certifications" require <10 ppm.  Shared facility doesn't mean much.  Many places have completely separate areas for all the gluten-free ingredients and machines.  A grocery, most restaurants, etc are "shared facilities".

[sunny2012]

In the US, these are the stipulations that manufactures must follow:

 

"

1. What does gluten cross-contact mean in the context of the final rule?
   The term “cross-contact” is not defined in the final rule, but gluten cross-contact generally refers to the unavoidable presence of gluten in a food due to contact with a gluten-containing food (wheat, rye, barley, or their crossbred hybrids like triticale). The U.S. Grain Standards allow commodity grains, legumes, and seeds to contain a small percentage of another commodity grain as a result of commingling during production. The presence of gluten in a grain, legume, or seed that is naturally free of gluten from this type of commingling is an example of cross-contact. The typical practice of crop rotation, as well as the shared use of harvesting and transport equipment and storage silos, often results in gluten-containing grains coming into contact with other grains, legumes, and seeds that are naturally free of gluten. Furthermore, manufacturing facilities that use shared production equipment to produce foods both with and without gluten could result in gluten cross-contact. Any grain other than the gluten-containing grains of wheat, rye, barley, or their crossbred hybrids like triticale can be labeled gluten-free, if it meets the definition, including that the presence of any unavoidable gluten due to cross-contact situations is less than 20 ppm."
2. "
3. If a person sensitive to gluten eats a product labeled gluten-free and becomes ill or otherwise experiences adverse health effects, can they report this to FDA?
   Yes, the agency has two ways that consumers can report such concerns:
   • Contact FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Adverse Event Reporting System called “CAERS” by phone, 240-402-2405 or email, Open Original Shared Link
   • Consumers and manufacturers can also report any complaint they may have about an FDA-regulated food (e.g., potential misuse of gluten-free claims on food labels) to an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for the state where the food was purchased.Open Original Shared Link. Reports should include: the name, addresses and phone numbers of persons affected and the person reporting the incident.
     • the doctor or hospital if emergency treatment was provided.
     • a clear description of the problem. Describe the product as completely as possible, including any codes or identifying marks on the label or container.
     • give the name and address of the store where the product was purchased and the date of purchase."

[kareng]

In the US, these are the stipulations that manufactures must follow:

 

"

• What does gluten cross-contact mean in the context of the final rule?

  The term “cross-contact” is not defined in the final rule, but gluten cross-contact generally refers to the unavoidable presence of gluten in a food due to contact with a gluten-containing food (wheat, rye, barley, or their crossbred hybrids like triticale). The U.S. Grain Standards allow commodity grains, legumes, and seeds to contain a small percentage of another commodity grain as a result of commingling during production. The presence of gluten in a grain, legume, or seed that is naturally free of gluten from this type of commingling is an example of cross-contact. The typical practice of crop rotation, as well as the shared use of harvesting and transport equipment and storage silos, often results in gluten-containing grains coming into contact with other grains, legumes, and seeds that are naturally free of gluten. Furthermore, manufacturing facilities that use shared production equipment to produce foods both with and without gluten could result in gluten cross-contact. Any grain other than the gluten-containing grains of wheat, rye, barley, or their crossbred hybrids like triticale can be labeled gluten-free, if it meets the definition, including that the presence of any unavoidable gluten due to cross-contact situations is less than 20 ppm."

• "
• If a person sensitive to gluten eats a product labeled gluten-free and becomes ill or otherwise experiences adverse health effects, can they report this to FDA?

  Yes, the agency has two ways that consumers can report such concerns:

• Contact FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Adverse Event Reporting System called “CAERS” by phone, 240-402-2405 or email, CAERS@cfsan.fda.gov
• Consumers and manufacturers can also report any complaint they may have about an FDA-regulated food (e.g., potential misuse of gluten-free claims on food labels) to an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for the state where the food was purchased.Open Original Shared Link. Reports should include: the name, addresses and phone numbers of persons affected and the person reporting the incident.

• the doctor or hospital if emergency treatment was provided.
• a clear description of the problem. Describe the product as completely as possible, including any codes or identifying marks on the label or container.
• give the name and address of the store where the product was purchased and the date of purchase."

There is no law that they must say its a shared facility or that a shared facility would keep a food from meeting the <20 PPP standard. And like I mentioned, if it's " certified" as gluten-free , many of those certifying agencies have a standard of <10 ppm. I don't know which one certified the food she is talking about.

[bartfull]

Yes, if it is "certified gluten-free", it has been tested. There are lots of companies with shared facilities who test their gluten-free products and get certified. I've never, ever gotten sick from anything with the gluten-free certified label.  

 

As the OP said, she is not sure if the breadcrumbs are what made her child sick. As a new poster here perhaps her child is new to gluten-free. If she still has damage to her gut she could have been sickened by just about anything. When we first start lots of different foods can make us feel ill - things with too much spice, acidic foods, things with too much fiber, and others. That doesn't mean she was glutened.

[sunny2012]

They know that their bread crumbs are a possible source of cross contamination due to being processed on shared equipment. They are purposely misrepresenting their product without that information. That makes it false advertising which is not allowed.

 They are in fact targeting the portion of public who can be made extremely ill with this falsified information. It is a crime in the US to bait consumers into purchasing a product with falsified information.

 

I reported a company for such behavior. The government forced them to stop endangering people using the above argument . The law is flexible enough to protect people.

[kareng]

They know that their bread crumbs are a possible source of cross contamination due to being processed on shared equipment. They are purposely misrepresenting their product without that information. That makes it false advertising which is not allowed.

 They are in fact targeting the portion of public who can be made extremely ill with this falsified information. It is a crime in the US to bait consumers into purchasing a product with falsified information.

 

I reported a company for such behavior. The government forced them to stop endangering people using the above argument . The law is flexible enough to protect people.

I thought they said shared facility not shared equipment. That is different, but still does not have to be labelled. Once again, if it is certified gluten-free, it has been tested for the presence of gluten.

[cyclinglady]

What was created with the breadcrumbs? I made and ate gluten-free fried chicken coated with certified gluten-free breadcrumbs about two months after my diagnosis and ended up in the hospital! Was it the bread crumbs? No! It was sheer gluttony. Too much chicken, too much fat -- I was a pig! It tasted so good. Not a good thing to consume just after a diagnosis (severe villi damage). Live and learn.

How do I know for sure that I was not glutened? Hubby is my canary! He was fine.

I could eat them now without an issue! Yippee! But I am almost two years into my healing process.

[bartfull]

Sunny, you don't seem to understand that if it is certified it has been tested and PROVEN to be gluten-free.

[Gemini]

They know that their bread crumbs are a possible source of cross contamination due to being processed on shared equipment. They are purposely misrepresenting their product without that information. That makes it false advertising which is not allowed.

 They are in fact targeting the portion of public who can be made extremely ill with this falsified information. It is a crime in the US to bait consumers into purchasing a product with falsified information.

 

I reported a company for such behavior. The government forced them to stop endangering people using the above argument . The law is flexible enough to protect people.

I think, Sunny, that you need to reassess your learning curve for gluten free living because many of the posts you make contain incorrect information or border on baseless fear of products. If you want to restrict your diet unnecessarily because you think everything contains gluten, you are free to do so but advising other's incorrectly is a bigger blunder than ratting out companies based on incorrect accusations about their products. 

 

These breadcrumbs have been tested and pass for certification.  You can easily call to see what level they test down to.  I bought some recently to try, based on other Celiac's recommendations they were safe.  These are smart, highly sensitive, diagnosed Celiac's whose recommendations I trust.  I'll let you know when I use them how it all turns out but I'm betting they are safe.

 

Shared facilities is not the same as shared lines, period.

[notme]

shipping companies DO wash out their trailers and containers, that is if they do not designate dedicated trailers for a particular product.  in MOST cases, manufacturers have 'house carriers' which allows a shipping company to drop trailers at specific loading origins and have their mode of power (truck or train) pick them up when they are dropping empties.  this is called 'spotting' and it is done for ease of shipping and logistical  preference.  why would you risk contaminating an entire load of cargo?  <from the transportation point of view, once that product goes onto your trailer, it belongs to you until someone signs off when you transport it to its destination.  why would i want to pay for a load of 'whatever' by contaminating it?  i don't.  i'm in trucking.

[StephanieL]

I never eat anything that is "made in a facility that also produces foods containing wheat"! EVER!

 

 

I would bet you eat things that are processed in a facility often.  Just because it isn't on the label DOES NOT mean it isn't.  Unless you eat nothing but fruits and veggies and meats, I would bet some things you eat are in fact process in the same facility. Many manufacturers use the same lines as well but will go over with you how the clean the lines to removed traces of what was processed before. This may include testing the line itself, discarding the first x amount after a change and then testing the product of the new run.  Again it depends on manufacturers and some are much better than others with that stuff.