Cheerios

[lpellegr]

I just got a box of Cheerios for the rest of the family, and they say "gluten-free".  Which made me wonder how did they do it?  I react to oats, ironic after eating 3 bowls of Cheerios every day for 30 years, so I avoid them, even gluten-free, but I was curious.  Did they actually use gluten-free oats, and would there be sufficient supply?  Wouldn't they have to raise the price?  On the back of the box they explain: they SORT the oats from conventional fields to remove wheat, rye, and barley.  Okay, that's probably done by computer, and I've seen enough of those "how it's made" shows to know that they can do it rapidly, using puffs of air to knock the offending grains out of the line, but how rigorous is this?  I have to assume that they wouldn't claim it to be gluten-free unless they were pretty sure about it, but would you eat them?

[ravenwoodglass]

Would I eat them? No way. IMHO it sounds like there would be a big risk of CC.

[mommida]

There is an add on the side bar explaining the gluten free cheerios.  The oats are sifted to separate wheat, rye, and barley out.  The finished product has then been tested to be labeled gluten free. 

I will try them.  I do have some problems digesting oats, because I have not been eating them for YEARS. 

[StephanieL]

They have an endorsement from the celiac disease association or something and they test post production to less that 20 PPM which should be fine for most people with Celiac. 

 

I found them at our grocery store yesterday and my kids are in love! Haven't had them in the house for 5+ years and they are happy as clams and no complaints. 

[nvsmom]

This is an email that GM sent Gluten-Dude a few months back:

 

 I just wanted to share an update with you on Gluten Free Cheerios, in the interest of continuing the dialogue with you. We know there have been some concerns in the celiac community, and one of the ways we want to address those concerns is through increased transparency. I know you’ve seen Tricia’s recent post on Cheerios, and we continue to work directly with her to address her concerns. The below is new data of our first month of production that we have not published yet but will continue to be part of our transparency journey with the celiac community. I wanted to share it with you immediately to help alleviate any concerns you may have about the safety of our product for your community.

We have 34 days of Original Cheerios production across our 4 Cheerios plants. Each of those run days has at least 12 samples that we pull.

– The mean ppm of those samples is 7.
– 30 days had an average < 10ppm - 2 days = 11ppm; 2 days = 12ppm Furthermore, we have some data on some of the other flavors (that run less frequently due to size of business). - Multi-Grain Cheerios: 2 run days across 2 plants -- Mean <5ppm - Apple Cinnamon Cheerios: 1 run day across 1 plant --Mean <5ppm As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are likely talking to Tricia on the 12th or 13th and would be happy to update you on some of the specifics of that dialogue once we land on the date. Thank you!

Open Original Shared Link

GM showed him this picture of the average cc of oats when not certified gluten-free.  That's how much wheat and barley needs to be removed. ... Eek.

Open Original Shared Link

GM may be able to make Cheerios safe, but I'll wait on that and let others be the guinea pigs.  For me, it is better safe than sorry.

[bartfull]

The highest result they got was 12 PPM. If I could get them here I would try them. I never was big on cereal but plain cheerios was one that I liked.

[kareng]

The highest result they got was 12 PPM. If I could get them here I would try them. I never was big on cereal but plain cheerios was one that I liked.

If you can get cheerios, you will be able to get them. They are regular Cheerios. Like all the gluten-free Chex cereals are just the regular kind. It might take a few more weeks for the local stores to seek out of the old ones.

[bartfull]

That's good to know. I probably won't be getting any soon because cereal is not high on my list of priorities. Not when I can have a grilled cheese on Udi's for breakfast instead.

[cyclinglady]

Dang, Barty! All your talk of grilled cheese sandwiches drove me to making one last week. I usually never do any grains because any kind of grain spikes my blood sugar, but it was to "die for". I paid dearly though! Bad tummy ache. I became lactose intolerant after my July accidental glutening. Might try it again taking those lactose enzymes as I am doing well with lactose free milk. Hoping I get all dairy back! I tested years ago as a kid with a milk allergy and I think I have finally outgrown the milk protein allergy but now am lactose intolerant due to that glutening. Oh well!

I really want a grilled cheese sandwich again!

[bartfull]

I'm sorry!

 

I'm one of those people who can eat the same thing every day forever, IF it is something I like. Used to be greasy cheeseburgers and fries. I don't eat those anymore because the hamburger here is nasty and nobody has a dedicated fryer here. (I know I could make bison burgers and Ore Ida fries, but it's just not the same.)

 

But grilled cheese is my second favorite and I really do eat them every day.

[nvsmom]

Mmmmm, grilled cheese.

[squirmingitch]

Yummmmmmm grilled cheese. And if not that, then cheese toast -- makes a nice snack between dinner & bed.

[nvsmom]

https://www.celiac.com/articles/24094/1/General-Mills-Draws-Fire-for-Gluten-free-Manufacturing-Choices/Page1.html

[sharps45]

I bought three boxes of them- regular, frosted, and apple cinnamon.  The first two were just fine, the apple cinnamon hammered me.  GM tests so many boxes out of each days production, takes a sample from each box and uses the average of the bunch for their tested sample.  So there could be several boxes in each group that are higher than 20ppm, but because they are averaged the total comes out alright.  If you get one of the boxes that are over, tough luck for you (like I did).  If you do get sick, send the boxtop with the lot number on it back to General Mills. 

Currently there are not enough gluten-free oat producers in the country to supply cheerios with the amount of oats they need, so they have to sort and sample.  Some bad boxes are going to get through.

[squirmingitch]

Here is an update on the Gluten Free Cheerios from Gluten Free Watchdog:

Update September 16, 2015

On Monday and Tuesday of this week Gluten Free Watchdog sent a compilation of detailed illness reports related to Cheerios consumption to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in Massachusetts, the Director of Food Labeling and Standards at FDA, and the Deputy Commissioner for Foods at FDA.

FDA is now aware of the situation. If you believe you became ill after eating Cheerios, FDA is asking that you contact FDA’s MEDWATCH, the Adverse Event Reporting System. You can do this online Open Original Shared Linkor via phone (800) 332-1088. Choose option #4 to speak to a representative.

 

To read the entire update click this link:

Open Original Shared Link

[mamaw]

I just got  a  post  stating  honey nut  & cheerios original gluten-free   are being  recalled  from a plant  in Ca.  . Please go to cheerios.com  to check  dates of recall....

[RMJ]

Here's the General Mills press release for the recall:

Open Original Shared Link

 

[squirmingitch]

It was bound to happen.

[Glamma]

After thee stool samples, two rounds of antibiotics and being gluten free for 5 years, I now know why I have been really sick.  I will NEVER purchase this product again.

[Ankur]

This might be good info I read on Cheerio's website - 

"We are embarrassed & sorry to share an incident that occurred at our production facility in Lodi, California, that allowed wheat flour to enter our gluten-free oat-based system. As a result, original and Honey Nut Cheerios produced on several dates may contain wheat and were wrongly labeled gluten free."

Open Original Shared Link

[squirmingitch]

Ankur, you might be interested in reading several of these informative posts:

Open Original Shared Link

[Ankur]

what a shame! 

[Cindydee]

Cheerios are my all-time favorite cereal and since GM seems to be pretty good with the gluten-free thing, I did try them. They promptly came right back up within minutes. So disappointed that they didn't do a better job with these.

[xjrosie]

My daughter is celiac/diabetic, and we tried these. She has been eating them for about a month and have had no problems whatsoever. We did not get one of the boxes that we affected by the recall, fortunately. She eats these every single morning. When she is glutened, she doesn't get the physical symptoms, but her blood sugar drops to the 20s-30s after about a week of eating gluten. So far, no problems at all.

[julissa]

I bought these to give my grandkids for breakfast when they sleep over. breakfast was always a problem, so it's great to be able to get them. would I eat them? nope, not worth it to me