Ore Ida Tater Tots Gluten

[NimaWishing]

My daughter is a super sensitive Celiac, and she was just glutened by Ore Ida Tater Tots, which are labeled gluten-free on front of the bag, but not certified on 9/25/24. We will not eat anymore Ore Ida until they are certified.

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @NimaWishing! You may already know this but the difference between "Gluten Free" and "Certified Gluten Free" is the difference between having less than 20 ppm and less than 10 ppm. "Gluten Free" is an FDA standard and "Certified Gluten Free" is a standard of the GFCO, a nongovernmental third party certifying organization recognized internationally. 

Edited September 26, 2024 by trents

[knitty kitty]

Welcome to the forum, @NimaWishing,

I cannot tolerate Ore Ida Tater Tots either.   Ore Ida Tots contain corn, which some Celiacs, like me, react to.  Those Tots also use Sulfites to keep the potatoes from discoloration and to promote browning.  Some Celiacs, like me, develop a Hypersensitivity to Sulfutes in foods and medications.   

I buy store brand tater tots which don't contain those fancy expensive additives and they are cheaper.  No gluten free certification, but no gluten nor corn nor Sulfate ingredients either.  

Hope this helps!

[SunshineV]

@NimaWishing That is interesting that you mentioned the tater tots.  I have a very serious case of celiacs, diagnosed 1 month ago and still feel sick, have abdominal pain etc. even after adhering to eating gluten free and not eating out.  

question for you…Is there any chance it could be from something else your daughter ate? Is your house gluten free? Are you cooking the tater tots on a pan or fryer that had been used for gluten items previously?

There is no judgement at all, I’m just asking because for me personally( per my dr.) someone could leave a crumb on the counter and it accidentally gets in my food I will be glutened. 

My question for all is…. when a product like “Simply Mills” cookies are Certified gluten free, which I do eat..

how can it truly be safe if the box also says (made on a line that also processes tree nuts and wheat)??

On another note, This puts me back in panic mode because it’s impossible to find all your ingredients certified and what if it’s like the cookies and is certified ??

Prayers for your daughter! I’m so sorry she has to go through this.

I hope you all have a blessed day and feel good!

 

[trents]

Are you aware that the food labels "Gluten Free" and "Certified Gluten Free" are not equivalent? And are you aware that neither of them actually mean there is no gluten in the product, just that the gluten level is below a certain level? Gluten Free is an FDA designation indicating there should be less than 20 ppm of gluten and Certified Gluten free is a GFCO designation indicating the product should have less that 10 ppm of gluten.

[Scott Adams]

While anything is possible, I'd like to still defend Kraft-Heinz and their Ore-Ida Tater Tots with regard to gluten. Kraft-Heinz has, for well over a decade, had an excellent allergen policy where they disclose any possible allergens on their labels. If you are having issues with them, could it be due to another intolerance/sensitivity?

Their regular Tater Tots don't have gluten-free on their label, but also do not disclose wheat as an allergen, and here are the ingredients, with "Natural Flavors" being the only one that is suspicious:

Regular Tater Tots:

Quote

POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER, COTTONSEED, SOYBEAN AND /OR CANOLA), SALT, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, DEXTROSE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, DEHYDRATED ONIONS, SODIUM SULFATE, NATURAL FLAVORS.

Their Crispy Tater Tots do say gluten-free on their label, so perhaps go for the Crispy version? The Crispy version also includes Natural Flavors, so I doubt the Natural Flavors would be a source of gluten:

Crispy Tater Tots:

Quote

POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL BLEND (SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED), SALT, CORN FLOUR, DEXTROSE, DEHYDRATED ONION, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE (TO RETAIN NATURAL COLOR), NATURAL FLAVOR.

[knitty kitty]

This is the label from my store brand "tater bites" :

"Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or Less of Modified Corn Starch, Dehydrated Onion, Dextrose, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (To Promote Color Retention).

Allergen Info
Free from Does Not Contain Declaration Obligatory Allergens."

 

These do not contain corn flour nor Sodium Sulfate.   It does contain a small amount of corn starch.  

Some people can react to the corn protein, zein, in a way similar to gluten.   I react to corn as well as to gluten.   Following a Paleo diet or simply removing all grains from the diet while healing after diagnosis can help reduce the risk that the body will react to other carbohydrate proteins in corn and oats.

 

References:

The Prevalence of Anti-Zein Antibodies: A Comparative Study between Celiac Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7922782/

Prolamins of maize and wheat differentially affect intestinal cells both in biopsies of celiac patients and CACO-2 cell line

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540105.2015.1086316#abstract

 

[SunshineV]

@trents Yes , My Dr made me fully aware of everything you said.
It just seems kind of sneaky in a way though that a company can say they are certified yet, they have food lines with wheat??

It makes me wonder if products that may not be certified but that do not produce any gluten type products may in actuality be better… Does that make sense…

[knitty kitty]

Yes, a company that has dedicated lines where gluten is never processed on it is optimal.

[trents]

17 hours ago, SunshineV said:

@trents Yes , My Dr made me fully aware of everything you said.
It just seems kind of sneaky in a way though that a company can say they are certified yet, they have food lines with wheat??

It makes me wonder if products that may not be certified but that do not produce any gluten type products may in actuality be better… Does that make sense…

Yes, it does make sense.

[Scott Adams]

17 hours ago, SunshineV said:

@trents Yes , My Dr made me fully aware of everything you said.
It just seems kind of sneaky in a way though that a company can say they are certified yet, they have food lines with wheat??

It makes me wonder if products that may not be certified but that do not produce any gluten type products may in actuality be better… Does that make sense…

I am not sure where you are getting "they have food lines with wheat" for these products, as Kraft-Heinz has always declared any major allergens on their labels, including if a product is made in a facility that makes wheat products. Also, even their Crispy Tater Tots are not certified gluten-free, but are labeled gluten-free.

[SunshineV]

@Scott Adams I wasn’t referring to Kraft Heinz.