Cross contamination issues with Food Processing Companies

[Cindy Neshe]

I purchased food items online seeing the gluten-free symbol. No where online did it say the products were cross contamination with Gluten in their facility. Has anyone else found this with products? We need better communication to make sure people who have sensitivity issues properly notified before purchasing the item. I have actually emailed companies and asked about their statement on the product that it is gluten-free but found out their facility is not dedicated gluten-free, which means Gluten can come in contact with the gluten-free food item. I had to call, nothing listed on the product. I know that a "Dedicated gluten-free Facility" will be listed but why are these manufacturers not listing cross contamination? The answer is probably they don't want to be accountable. 

[Scott Adams]

So just because a product is made in the same facility does not mean that it is contaminated, it's possible, and likely, that if it is labeled gluten-free, then it is in fact gluten-free. Why are you assuming that there is contamination? What is the product?

[Cindy Neshe]

Hi Scott,

Nugo nutrition bars. It’s says they are gluten free (Certified) but manufactured on equipment that also processes products containing peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy and egg. Soy has wheat in it. The company states it goes though a rigorous process and produces the allergy items first and washes the machine. Then the produces non allergy items. I had a reaction. I tossed them out. 

[Scott Adams]

Soy does not have wheat in it, and soy is gluten-free.

[Cindy Neshe]

Regular soy ABSOLUTELY has wheat gluten in it!

[Aussie Celiac]

I was wondering about Soy. What about almond milk? I'm in Australia and it's hard to find much info sometimes. I've stopped the Japanese soy, as they don't guarantee anything. 

[Cindy Neshe]

Hi Aussie,

I have to apologize “soy” by itself does not contain wheat or gluten like Adam said. Soy can be an allergy in its own for some people. I had soy sauce on my brain when I made that comment. But I do want to say this. I often wonder about the low 20 ppm the govt allows in food. It’s low but for some people this might be an issue. We don’t really know enough yet of what gluten really does to us. Does it stay in our gut and build up over time? It’s perplexing. 

[Cindy Neshe]

I forgot to say. Some people are allergic to Almonds. If you don’t have that allergy then it should be safe as long as there are no gluten ingredients.

[Scott Adams]

17 hours ago, Cindy Neshe said:

Hi Aussie,

I have to apologize “soy” by itself does not contain wheat or gluten like Adam said. Soy can be an allergy in its own for some people. I had soy sauce on my brain when I made that comment. But I do want to say this. I often wonder about the low 20 ppm the govt allows in food. It’s low but for some people this might be an issue. We don’t really know enough yet of what gluten really does to us. Does it stay in our gut and build up over time? It’s perplexing. 

Soy has been on our safe list for nearly 30 years, it is gluten-free. Most soy sauces do include wheat, and should be avoided.

The following two lists are very helpful for anyone who is gluten sensitive and needs to avoid gluten when shopping.

It's very important to learn to read labels and understand sources of hidden gluten, and to know some general information about product labelling--for example in the USA if wheat is a possible allergen it must be declared on a product's ingredient label like this: Allergens: Wheat.

 

 

 

17 hours ago, Cindy Neshe said:

Hi Aussie,

I have to apologize “soy” by itself does not contain wheat or gluten like Adam said. Soy can be an allergy in its own for some people. I had soy sauce on my brain when I made that comment. But I do want to say this. I often wonder about the low 20 ppm the govt allows in food. It’s low but for some people this might be an issue. We don’t really know enough yet of what gluten really does to us. Does it stay in our gut and build up over time? It’s perplexing. 

In general if you see "gluten-free" on a label in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc., it does mean that the food is safe for those with celiac disease, and it does NOT mean that there is 19ppm gluten in it, as some people might lead you to believe.

Whenever a company detects gluten in the 5-19ppm (most tests can't accurately go below this level) in foods which they have labelled gluten-free, especially a USA-based company (lawsuits in the USA are far more common and easier to win in such cases), they will immediately seek to find and eliminate the source of the gluten contamination.

There is a very common myth or misconception that companies don't care at all if their products test between 5-19ppm, but they definitely do because a product recall could be just around the corner should they hit the 20ppm or higher level. Many people, including myself, now have home test kits like Nima, and companies are definitely aware of this.