Are Gluten-Free Foods Misleading Consumers?

[Scott Adams]

Are consumers wrongly assuming gluten-free foods to be nutritionally equivalent to their gluten-containing counterparts? Are they being mislead?

That's the subject of a recent talk presented at the 50th Annual Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). Among the evidence cited was that gluten-free items have a significantly higher energy content and a different nutritional composition to their gluten-containing counterparts.

View the full article

[Victoria1234]

5 hours ago, admin said:

Are consumers wrongly assuming gluten-free foods to be nutritionally equivalent to their gluten-containing counterparts? Are they being mislead?

That's the subject of a recent talk presented at the 50th Annual Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). Among the evidence cited was that gluten-free items have a significantly higher energy content and a different nutritional composition to their gluten-containing counterparts.

View the full article

Seems like they are not fortifying them with vitamins, and using the least expensive route they can to make the maximum profit (i.e. Double or triple the price of their food counterpart.) at least that is what I am seeing with breads and cookies and pastas in the gluten-free aisle. Yes I'm sure some of their ingredients are in less demand, thus cost more. I understand that. But I bet lots of them are taking advantage of the fad, trend, what not, to fatten their wallets excessively.

[plumbago]

due to poor nutritional labelling.

A few years ago, I dared to bring up the lack of supplementation in gluten-free bread and suffered the consequence for doing so. It seemed there were a few very vocal opponents to supplementing bread; indeed, they wanted to be left alone. Specifically I was talking about the B vitamins and folic acid. To refresh, gluten-free food is considered "specialty" food, therefore exempt from many laws in the United States.

As for labeling, as most celiac veterans by now well know, gluten-free diet may be considered "healthier" if eating less processed food in general. Nine times out of ten my default assumption is that gluten-free processed food will have more of the "bad" stuff like sugar to make up for not using wheat. That we have really no idea what's in our food is good to know.

The gist of the presentation is that gluten-free products cannot be considered as substitutes for their gluten-containing counterparts, and that numerous gluten-free items should reformulated using healthier ingredients to help promote healthy nutrition in children.

This is also good to hear. Good luck with the crowd who wants to be left utterly alone.

Plumbago