Trader Joe's strikes again

[jage]

We got some "gluten free" English muffins from trader Joe's and they made me quite sick from gluten. The latest post about trader Joe's bread being questionable was from 2018. They're new locally and I was hoping their gluten-free processes had improved in the years since I last lived near one, but I'm paying a heavy toll for that hope.  Whatever their practices and contamination levels this is what I would call severe exposure, certainly gluten, and worse cross contamination than I've experienced in years.  Hopefully someone else will skip trying trader Joe's brand "gluten free", I'm certainly not risking any of their bread. 

[Jays911]

9 minutes ago, jage said:

We got some "gluten free" English muffins from trader Joe's and they made me quite sick from gluten. The latest post about trader Joe's bread being questionable was from 2018. They're new locally and I was hoping their gluten-free processes had improved in the years since I last lived near one, but I'm paying a heavy toll for that hope.  Whatever their practices and contamination levels this is what I would call severe exposure, certainly gluten, and worse cross contamination than I've experienced in years.  Hopefully someone else will skip trying trader Joe's brand "gluten free", I'm certainly not risking any of their bread. 

 

Just now, Jays911 said:

 

Never an issue for me. And I am super sensitive. At least for their bread and bagels. Is it possible you have another food allergy?

[jage]

1 hour ago, Jays911 said:

 

Never an issue for me. And I am super sensitive. At least for their bread and bagels. Is it possible you have another food allergy?

I have so many I have to keep track on my phone, but none of them have the particular unique symptoms of gluten.  And it's highly possible it was ONLY the english muffins, after all that is the only thing I got sick from - I actually had half a chocolate muffin (pretty sure it was tj brand also) two days before with no symptoms.  But it was absolutely the english muffins and the exact symptoms I get from gluten.  My reaction to exposure is delayed enough that I ate two for dinner very late last night and two for breakfast, and I'm having my second round of symptoms right on schedule with that intake.  Regardless it's good to know the bread and bagels might be okay, I'm just not ready to take that leap at the moment, haha.  Also it's a good point on the other allergies, like I said I've got them in spades but it never hurts to re-evaluate what might be causing our issues.

[Scott Adams]

Anything is possible, but their products are, I believe, made in a dedicated facility. My daughter and I have been eating the various Trader Joe's gluten-free products for many years now and never had an issue, but again, it's possible they had some sort of issue with a batch. Did you save any of this product? If so, you could do a report to the FDA, and if you keep it, they may want to run tests on it.

Another possibility that many people overlook is that they may be reacting to xanthan gum or other gums used in gluten-free products:

 

[Awol cast iron stomach]

I know a few others gave you some info already. I wanted to add my experience. I use to eat them in the past. I developed a corn intolerance. So the TJ products containing corn meal, corn starch, or corn derivatives are no longer a fit for me.

 

I hope you are able to find an alternative.

 

Best wishes.

[Dr. Elizabeth]

Got so sick from the English muffins as well. I have had no problem with any of the gluten-free products at Trader Joe’s since I was diagnosed with celiac a couple years ago so I was so surprised when I got so sick on the muffins. It had to be the gluten in the muffins because there was nothing else to blame it on.

[Steve-n-Portland]

Trader Joe's "gluten-free" hickory products are definitely not celiac safe. Their own website used to have a sidebar acknowledging this. Trader Joe's contracts out for their products, or obtains products elsewhere and puts their brand on it. Is Trader Joe's acknowledges, the facilities in which their products are made may change without notice, and ingredients or sources for ingredients may change without notice. Every time I tried Trader Joe's "gluten-free" muffins, breads, tortillas, etc, I had a reaction. The worst reactions were from the muffins (which are about 440 cals apiece, btw). 

[Steve-n-Portland]

Correction: My previous post refers to hickory products when I actually meant bakery products.

[Steve-n-Portland]

Also, a class action lawsuit was launched in 2024 against Trader Joe's re: their " gluten free" everything bagels. They tested at 269ppm. (Personally, I am not sure they will win. The FDA says that the *ingredients* have to be less than 20ppm for a company to label something "gluten-free."  In order to be certified as gluten-free by the GFCO, the *final product* needs to be less than 20ppm. That said, the lawsuit is arguing that most people read that label and assume the final product is safe for people with celiac. Thus, many people were made sick. And being sick can have costly consequences in regard to work or school, depending when one becomes ill.)

[trents]

We have had numerous reports from forum participants experiencing gluten reactions from Trader Joe "gluten-free" products. It seems it's not a good place for the celiac/gluten sensitive community to shop.

[trents]

@Steve-n-Portland, there is a difference in the requirements to use the label "Gluten Free" and the label "Certified Gluten Free". "Gluten Free" is governed by FDA regulations and has a ceiling of 20 ppm. "Certified Gluten Free" is a labeling convention used by the GFCO, an independent international third party certifying group that uses 10 ppm as its standard.

[Scott Adams]

12 hours ago, Steve-n-Portland said:

Correction: My previous post refers to hickory products when I actually meant bakery products.

Here is a recent reply to a Celiac.com email asking for comment about gluten contamination detected in their bakery products:

Quote

Thank you for reaching out. While we can’t speak to the specific tests they performed on any product, we can share with you that our Gluten Free Almost Everything Bagels are made in a gluten free bakery, and each “lot” of bagels is tested to ensure that it meets our gluten free standard. Our standard is aligned with GFCO at less than 10 ppm, which is more stringent than the FDA standard of 20 ppm.

If you can share the lot code on the Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Almost Everything Bagels that were tested, we can contact our supplier to verify the test results for that specific lot. Again, every lot is tested, and the product will only be sold at Trader Joe’s if those tests verify that it meets our standards.

We approach product quality and integrity seriously. When there is an issue, we take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems if there is any doubt about its safety or quality.

Thank you,
Nakia Rohde
Public Relations Manager

You can read more about it in this thread:

 

[StuartJ]

Just ate some for lunch!  A really superb alternative to gluten-free bread and burger buns that all have the taste and consistency of compacted sawdust.  I bought two packs and now I'm down to one remaining muffin so need to get some more; the only thing is it's their own brand - they don't do mail or on line ordering and the nearest TJ's is in Charlottesville (a real nightmare to drive around) an hour away from me over the mountain.  😒

[Scott Adams]

The Trader Joe's GF hamburger buns are the best!