nuts.com -- no longer Celiac safe?

[lehum]

Dear Community, 

I've been a fan of nuts.com for awhile. As the only company I know of that certify their nuts, I have eaten them faithfully for the last several years!

Only recently I noticed on the packaging (of the certified gluten-free nuts) the warning label stating that the product is processed in the same facility as wheat. 
I reached out to the company to enquire about the safety of the product and received the following answer: 

"Our facility is not allergen-free. We handle all 9 major allergens and produce products on shared equipment. While we have strict procedures in place to minimize cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that our products are completely free of allergens. We recommend individuals with food allergies to exercise caution and consult our product labels and allergen information for detailed ingredient listings"

 

I was so disappointed to read this! I already reached out to ask if this means they would not recommend even certified gluten-free products to people with celiac, but wanted to reach out here and ask for your all's thoughts too. 
No longer safe to eat? Any other recommendations for good companies? 

I have to eat low histsamine, so at the moment, I am limited to pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and macademia nuts. 

 Thanks in advance for the feedback! 

[RMJ]

I noticed that too! I emailed them to ask if this had always been the case and the labeling changed, or if the manufacturing had changed.  Their answer unfortunately didn’t answer my question.

The organization (GFFP) they use to certify only requires ONE test per product! Product must test less than 5ppm gluten, so that is good. I can’t tell from their website if they actually audit the manufacturing facilities like GFCO does.

GFFP certification

I’ve decided to go to Tierra Farm for nuts.  They are certified by GFCO, which uses a 10ppm standard, but they require more than one lot to be tested, they do audits of manufacturing facilities, and their detailed requirements are available on their website. Unfortunately Tierra Farm nuts are expensive.They have all three nuts/seeds that you mentioned. Their packaging says gluten free facility.

GFCO certification

[Scott Adams]

22 hours ago, lehum said:

"Our facility is not allergen-free. We handle all 9 major allergens and produce products on shared equipment. While we have strict procedures in place to minimize cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that our products are completely free of allergens. We recommend individuals with food allergies to exercise caution and consult our product labels and allergen information for detailed ingredient listings"

This is a typical CYA label, probably pushed by their attorneys, and it could be in conflict with their gluten-free certification. Hopefully they take additional precautions to prevent such cross-contamination.

[Scott Adams]

20 hours ago, RMJ said:

I’ve decided to go to Tierra Farm for nuts.  They are certified by GFCO, which uses a 10ppm standard, but they require more than one lot to be tested, they do audits of manufacturing facilities, and their detailed requirements are available on their website. Unfortunately Tierra Farm nuts are expensive.They have all three nuts/seeds that you mentioned. Their packaging says gluten free facility.

GFCO certification

Tierra Farm is a sponsor here, but since you brought them up I wanted to mention that they have a 20% off coupon code this month: GF20

[Beverage]

Nuts.com has a different label for gluten-free (gluten-free in a circle), and one for GFFP certified (GFFP icon). Which one was on your package of nuts?

[Beverage]

3 minutes ago, Beverage said:

Nuts.com has a different label for gluten-free (gluten-free in a circle), and one for GFFP certified (GFFP icon). Which one was on your package of nuts?

I contacted nuts.com and they responded with:

They are not shared on processed lines or contaminants. They are on an exclusively gluten free line.

[Scott Adams]

Good to know! Thanks for sharing this.

[smilebehappy]

Hi, just went to the Tierra Farm site and while no wheat or gluten is listed there was this:

Ingredients

Dry Roasted Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Sea Salt.

*Processed in a facility that handles tree nuts, soy, sesame and milk. 

So many of us have other allergies and sensitivities, always check and recheck. These may not be appropriate for all. I have been fine with nuts.com certified gluten free in the past but have not ordered anything in a while so things can change. Hopefully they will continue to be ok.

 

[Scott Adams]

I looked at the pumpkin seeds on nuts.com and see this warning--so there are many more allergens to worry about!

Quote

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Seed Kernels. Packaged in the same facility as: Peanuts, Tree Nut, Wheat, Soy, Milk, Sesame, Fish, Shellfish, Egg, and Sulfites.

 

[WVGirl]

Has anyone taste tested the nuts from Nuts.com and Tierra Farm?  I'm looking for salted, dry roasted almonds with nothing else added.  Most brands add peanut or canola oil.

[Scott Adams]

I would be surprised if anyone could taste the difference--salted dry roasted almonds should not be hard to find. As mentioned in my last post, nuts.com may not be for you if you are avoiding peanuts.

[WVGirl]

It's actually something I cannot find locally at all due to my more rural location.  I can also not find it at Walmart, Costco, or Sam's Club where I have looked when we have traveled.  So many nut options have added oil now.  Ordering online is my only option at this point.

[RMJ]

1 hour ago, WVGirl said:

Has anyone taste tested the nuts from Nuts.com and Tierra Farm?  I'm looking for salted, dry roasted almonds with nothing else added.  Most brands add peanut or canola oil.

I’ve had both but without salt. The Tierra Farm had a little more flavor, although the almonds were a bit smaller and maybe a tiny bit tougher.

[WVGirl]

Thank you!

[smilebehappy]

4 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

I looked at the pumpkin seeds on nuts.com and see this warning--so there are many more allergens to worry about!

 

Sadly, I just now see the extremely tiny and hard to read wording on the label from some I got from nuts.com last year and it's below the certified gluten free sign which is more obvious. Another concern is that there's no expiration date to be found on any of the packages I have gotten.. It's confusing because they claim these are certified gluten free which Is why I got them due to having celiac.

Looks like Tierra Farm has the lesser of the allergens, specifically wheat, so I will have to give them a try.

Thanks 

[lehum]

On 5/20/2025 at 8:54 PM, Beverage said:

I contacted nuts.com and they responded with:

They are not shared on processed lines or contaminants. They are on an exclusively gluten free line.

Thanks for sharing this! You contacted them specifically about their certified gluten-free products, or which products specifically? 

On 5/13/2025 at 11:23 PM, RMJ said:

I noticed that too! I emailed them to ask if this had always been the case and the labeling changed, or if the manufacturing had changed.  Their answer unfortunately didn’t answer my question.

The organization (GFFP) they use to certify only requires ONE test per product! Product must test less than 5ppm gluten, so that is good. I can’t tell from their website if they actually audit the manufacturing facilities like GFCO does.

GFFP certification

I’ve decided to go to Tierra Farm for nuts.  They are certified by GFCO, which uses a 10ppm standard, but they require more than one lot to be tested, they do audits of manufacturing facilities, and their detailed requirements are available on their website. Unfortunately Tierra Farm nuts are expensive.They have all three nuts/seeds that you mentioned. Their packaging says gluten free facility.

GFCO certification

So out of all the finished batches of nuts, they only test one?! That seems suboptimally safe... Maybe I will have to try Tierra Farms too...

[maryannlove]

Though trying to diligently eat gluten free, recent bloodwork was bad so searching for culprits.  Eat lot of (preferably mixed) nuts.  Most allergen labels say may be processed on equpment that also processes wheat, etc.  Finally found ONE kind (unsalted mixed) at BJ's.  Wessley (their store brand) that did not contain that warning.  Says in large letters "A GLUTEN FREE FOOD."  Well, all nuts are a gluten free FOOD!  Have been eating and now wonder if this is intentionally decieving.  So stopped eating until find culprit.  Nuts are so good for protein and fiber (especially if trying to not eat meat).  'Tis so frustrating.  Thanks to above, I'll look into Tierra Farms.   

[Scott Adams]

As mentioned earlier in this thread, one of our sponsors here, Tierra Farm, sells certified gluten-free nuts and has a free shipping deal going now:
https://www.tierrafarm.com/discount/gfships

Coupon code: GFships

 

[Aphrodite]

I’ve been using almond flour from nuts.com for over 10 years. I have dermatitis herpetiformis all over. The rash started about two months ago. I finally eliminated the almond flour, labeled certified gluten free, two weeks ago, and I think the dermatitis herpetiformis is finally healing. I am so bummed. 

[Scott Adams]

This older article makes me wonder about the GFCO and its protocols:

 

[Aphrodite]

Thank you, Scott, for sharing the article. I’ve been puzzled by products with gluten-free certifications that also include allergen disclosures stating the product is processed in facilities that also process wheat. It appears industry has moved on. I have little, if any, trust left in the certifications and labeling.

[Scott Adams]

Yes, it is unfortunate that the GFCO seems to have a policy that allows companies that it certifies to lower their guard the longer that they've had their certification. After jumping though the harder GFCO testing requirements for long enough they seem to "rubber stamp" companies and allow them to keep their certification with much less testing going forward. To me this is like having a restaurant where you train the staff one time about how do handle gluten-free foods, and do the training less and less over time, even though you might have high turnover in the industry. People in big food production and supply companies come and go, just like in restaurants, and it's important never to lower your guard.

[lehum]

7 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

Yes, it is unfortunate that the GFCO seems to have a policy that allows companies that it certifies to lower their guard the longer that they've had their certification. After jumping though the harder GFCO testing requirements for long enough they seem to "rubber stamp" companies and allow them to keep their certification with much less testing going forward. To me this is like having a restaurant where you train the staff one time about how do handle gluten-free foods, and do the training less and less over time, even though you might have high turnover in the industry. People in big food production and supply companies come and go, just like in restaurants, and it's important never to lower your guard.

The article was shocking - and horrifying - to read. For me it’s a good argument to cook as many fresh foods as possible. I personally can’t do grain free because I lose weight too quickly and don’t feel full, but I will be sticking to companies I trust like Lundberg for rice. 
 

I live in Germany and thankfully, labeling here is more transparent and more trustworthy than it appears to be in the U.S. these days (where I’m also originally from). 

23 hours ago, Aphrodite said:

I’ve been using almond flour from nuts.com for over 10 years. I have dermatitis herpetiformis all over. The rash started about two months ago. I finally eliminated the almond flour, labeled certified gluten free, two weeks ago, and I think the dermatitis herpetiformis is finally healing. I am so bummed. 

I am so sorry to hear this! May you heal quickly. ❤️

[larc]

All of these comments support what I've experienced for years -- just about anything in a package is suspect for gluten no matter how much the label trumpets its gluten-free status. And that includes foods that are labeled "certified gluten-free." A while back I was especially disappointed with nuts.com products -- after I had a reaction. As a result, I've gone through several periods when my celiac symptoms (which include significant cognitive issues, nervous system problems and arteriosclerosis) have led me to eat nothing out of a package and have cooked everything from scratch. Even today, the only nuts I eat are those I buy in the shell, crack open myself and cook. I have had too many bad experiences with nuts that I didn't prepare this way.