Companies Putting Wheat In Once "wheat Free" Food

[frustratedneicey]

HI Everyone,

I haven't been on here for a while. I had been feeling better, and I thought that I was finally coping with my diet. (also been very busy with school) But, since I went to the store last night, I have been pretty ticked off. It seems that my local Weis Markets had decided to start putting wheat starch in the cereals I have been eating for months....what is wheat starch doing in plain, puffed rice cereal?????? Not only that cereal but quite a few more, along with Malt-o-meal doing the same!!!!! Does anyone know what is going on with this.. I just read in the paper about more consumption of diversified grains because of the "growing awareness" of Celiac disease and other conditions and then these companies turn around and do this!!! Just when I was getting used to shopping at the regular grocery store and avoiding high health food store prices they do this crap!!! All I can say is that I am glad that I double checked the label. I have been eating these cereals for months thinking that they were safe. No wonder I have lost 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks with constant diarrhea with blood in it!!! I guess I've learned my lesson, I will never assume what I have always eaten to be safe!!!

Sorry, just needed to vent!!!!!!

Denise

[penguin]

I think it has something to do with the "whole grains" campaign going on in the food manufacturing world. Wheat starch allows them to claim whole grains, or something like that.

[2Boys4Me]

I've only found one brand of Puffed Rice w/o "may contain traces of wheat" and that's Safeway brand. It used to say may contain but now the only ingredient is rice, but it's "made in a factory that uses wheat". Nature's Path (or Valley) has an organic puffed brown rice w/o wheat.

[Idahogirl]

I feel your pain! Luckily, I started on the gluten-free diet just after a bunch of cereals went off the "safe" list, so I never even realized there were more choices. I used to get Safeway's corn pops, but then they added wheat starch, and I used to get Malt-o-Meal's chocolate krispies cereal, and of course, they added wheat, along with their corn pops. Now I either get Cocoa Pebbles (I should knock on wood!) or the $4 a box kind, which has like 3 bowls of cereal in it. I am such a cereal person, so it sucks when you find something you like only to find out you can't have it anymore!

Lisa

[Guest nini]

this frustrates me to no end... my daughter gets attatched to a favorite cereal then they turn around and start adding wheat starch to it...

I've been laughing (out of frustration) at Mission tortilla's new ad campaign about their new multi grain tortillas with whole wheat... and they honestly think this is healthier???!!!! I'm tempted to write them a letter and tell them that wheat is toxic to not only Celiacs but the vast majority of people, possibly everyone... they just don't realize it yet.

[cmzirkelbach]

The cereals at Weis Market are probaby packaged by Malt-O-Meal. There have been two explanations as to why wheat starch is showing up in these products.

1) Malt-O-Meal removed trans-fats and needed to use wheat starch as a stabilizer to replace the trans-fats

2) With the new labeling laws, and the added liability that comes with them, it was less risky from a business stand point to just put wheat starch in the products, and not have to deal with issues relating to food senstivities and allergies.

Either way, you need to be vigilant about checking food labels.

[mamatide]

Tell me about it - I was buying corn chips for nachos yesterday and almost picked up the NEW Tostitos whole grain nacho chips.

Thank goodness they look different (speckled brown/beige rather than yellow).

I'm miffed.

Keeps us on our toes. Or toilets I guess

[kbtoyssni]

this frustrates me to no end... my daughter gets attatched to a favorite cereal then they turn around and start adding wheat starch to it...

I've been laughing (out of frustration) at Mission tortilla's new ad campaign about their new multi grain tortillas with whole wheat... and they honestly think this is healthier???!!!! I'm tempted to write them a letter and tell them that wheat is toxic to not only Celiacs but the vast majority of people, possibly everyone... they just don't realize it yet.

What??? Mission is starting to put wheat in their tortillas??? Thanks for warning me. Is it just in their wheat tortillas or the corn ones, too?

[Guest nini]

What??? Mission is starting to put wheat in their tortillas??? Thanks for warning me. Is it just in their wheat tortillas or the corn ones, too?

as far as I know it's just their flour tortillas... Mission so far has been good about labeling which of their products are gluten-free and I was told the gluten-free products are produced in a separate facility from the gluten containing ones...

[kbtoyssni]

as far as I know it's just their flour tortillas... Mission so far has been good about labeling which of their products are gluten-free and I was told the gluten-free products are produced in a separate facility from the gluten containing ones...

Thanks, Nini.

I eat Tostitos all the time. If they're adding wheat to their whole grain chips, could there be cross contaimination issues with the corn chips? Has anyone called them about this? If not, I'll call them today!