why would anyone trust gluten free store products

[DJFL77I]

6. Are manufacturers required to test for gluten to label a product “gluten-free”?

No. Manufacturers are not required to test for the presence of gluten in ingredients or in the finished “gluten-free” labeled food product. However, they are responsible for ensuring that the food product meets all labeling requirements. Manufacturers will need to determine how they will ensure this.

[Scott Adams]

Although they are not required to test, they are legally bound by what they put on their labels. So in general if they put "gluten-free" on their label, they do test regularly for gluten, and most batch test. A product recall would be very expensive, and potential lawsuits even worse, thus compliance with the labeling law has been very good. Given that thousands of people have Nima Sensors and can test items themselves for gluten and share this info instantly on their app or in places like this forum or with the FDA, most companies don't add this to the label if it isn't true and monitored.

But you are correct, our current FDA system is not perfect, and here are some older articles about this:

 

 

 

[AlwaysLearning]

I have had some issues with foods that are labeled as gluten-free, but those instances have been rare and my reactions were small. But I'm hardcore about being gluten free so I now react to even miniscule parts per million. If you're like me, that just means we're doing it right! If you're avoiding processed foods and only have a limited number of suspect foods in your diet, it does make it easier to figure out the source and to avoid it in the future. Shared manufacturing facilities are often the problem. But I would not overlook the possibility that there is a hidden source in your diet other than the gluten-free food you originally suspected. Gluten turns up in the strangest places, even dental appliances!

I have found that there are a lot of products out there that are gluten free but aren't labeled as such because the manufacturer doesn't want to be liable, but they'll say on their website that it is gluten-free. I have had pretty good luck with some of these products. You can try applying some common sense. Like if they are a really big name brand and produce massive quantities of their product, they might be less likely to have a shared processing line where the equipment can become contaminated, only producing one item all of the time. But I only go this route when all other options have been exhausted and I really don't want to make my own from scratch.

Also, keeping a food/symptom diary can really help find culprits. Even if you miss some meals, you might still develop some good habits about thinking about what you eat and remembering even if you didn't jot it down.