Warning! Gm Cocoa Puffs Not gluten-free Any More!

[VydorScope]

A MAJOR THANK YOU!!!

My husband just picked up a box of the poison Cocoa Puffs. You saved the kids and I from getting glutened.

Thanks angain Vincent,

Laura

You are very welcom, freaking annoying how easy it is to get glutened by "safe" products

[BamBam]

tHIS JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW CAREFUL WE HAVE TO BE ABOUT READING INGREDIENTS EVERY TIME WE BUY SOMETHING.

I AM SO FLIPPING MAD AT GENERAL MILLS - I'M PAST THE AGE OF COCOA PUFFS, BUT IT WAS JUST SUCH A FUN TREAT TO HAVE ONCE IN AWHILE - I'D DAIRY FREE ALSO SO TO HAVE CHOCOLATE IS JUST A REAL TREAT.

I HAVE BEEN GLUTENED, AS I ATE THESE TWICE IN THE LAST TWO DAYS AS A SNACK, AND YES MY TUMMY HURTS, AND YES MY INTESTINES HURT, AND YES I WILL BE RUNNING TO THE BATHROOM FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AND YES, I DID SEND THEM AN E-MAIL AND TOLD THEM EXACTLY HOW I FELT ABOUT IT.

BAMBAM

[CarlaB]

tHIS JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW CAREFUL WE HAVE TO BE ABOUT READING INGREDIENTS EVERY TIME WE BUY SOMETHING.

I AM SO FLIPPING MAD AT GENERAL MILLS - I'M PAST THE AGE OF COCOA PUFFS, BUT IT WAS JUST SUCH A FUN TREAT TO HAVE ONCE IN AWHILE - I'D DAIRY FREE ALSO SO TO HAVE CHOCOLATE IS JUST A REAL TREAT.

I HAVE BEEN GLUTENED, AS I ATE THESE TWICE IN THE LAST TWO DAYS AS A SNACK, AND YES MY TUMMY HURTS, AND YES MY INTESTINES HURT, AND YES I WILL BE RUNNING TO THE BATHROOM FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AND YES, I DID SEND THEM AN E-MAIL AND TOLD THEM EXACTLY HOW I FELT ABOUT IT.

BAMBAM

Bambam, sorry you're feeling sick, but you still have cocoa Pebbles -- more fitting for you anyway!!

[chasesparents]

Hey Vince -

I have a 3 year old son as well, and he is addicted to Cocoa Puffs. He is not that fond of Cocoa Pebbles. So I am in the same boat as you. It is SO difficult to tell them that they can no longer have their favorite cereals. I had to break it to my son that he can no longer have the Malt-o-meal corn pops when they changed their recipe. It sucks ! I complained to General Mills too.

I recall, and maybe I'm wrong....you can check on it. But the Great Value Brand Cocoa Puffs did not have Gluten in them, but warned of being made in a facility that processes wheat. I probably won't give them to my son, unless other adults tried them to see if they got affected (I do not have celiac, so I don't know if anyone will react)

Just thought I'd mention it.

Thanks !

Sarah

[BamBam]

Bambam, sorry you're feeling sick, but you still have cocoa Pebbles -- more fitting for you anyway!!

That is a cute one - Pebbles and BamBam!! I will eat them for my choclate fix from now on. Although

I will probably check the ingredients on them each time just to make sure.

[hez]

I just sent an e-mail. However, I am a tad fatalistic, I don't think they care what we think. They are a huge corporation and we are a small group. I still think my voice needed to be heard. It is up to them to listen.

Hez

[gf4life]

I guess I have mixed feelings about this. Yes it is bad that we have fewer choices available at the regular grocery stores, but as a mom to 3 kids who would rather eat junk that healthy choices, it is a good thing that I can't buy them the junk cereals...They used to like many of the healthier gluten-free cereals and they nearly stopped eating them when the sugar cereals became available to them again. And yes, I realise I don't HAVE to buy them, but when the choice is buy local or travel out of town to Whole Foods, well what would you do with gas prices so high!

And they are only so-so on liking the Dora cereal, and I tossed out the box before they got home so they don't even know it is a "baby" cereal. Even my 7 year old is too old for Dora!

Hopefully they aren't changing the Neopets IslandBerry Crunch, since that one never did contain wheat starch! I guess we'll all have to start checking that one too. I even like that one, it is not nearly as sweet as most other sugar cereals.

[VydorScope]

I probably won't give them to my son, unless other adults tried them to see if they got affected (I do not have celiac, so I don't know if anyone will react)Just thought I'd mention it.

Sarah,

I am in same boat as you Sarah, I do not have celiac disease, so I would not be able to "test" any unknown ceral, and perfer to wiat for other brave souls to do it befor testing with my son. THough in general I aviod Walmart, so probably not try them either way.

Thanks for the suggestion thoguh! Next time I am at Wild Oats I will have to see if they have somehing simular.

[chasesparents]

Vince -

Please let me know if you find anything !!! I hate breaking my son's heart ! He knows he can't have things with "Gluten" in them. But if I tell him that Cocoa Puffs now have "gluten" he's gonna be devastated. And Cocoa Puffs are a good "in the car" snack item, it's gonna be a great loss. I'm bummed.

[mrsnj91]

OMG does this never stops!*sigh* It seems like yesterday we were having the gluten-free CocoPuff discussion! There isn't much out there she can have. How disappointing. I wrote too.

[Michi8]

I just sent an e-mail. However, I am a tad fatalistic, I don't think they care what we think. They are a huge corporation and we are a small group. I still think my voice needed to be heard. It is up to them to listen.

Hez

I think you're right...they don't care about what a small group thinks...celiacs are not their target market. Their decisions about ingredients has little to do with meeting the needs of those with restricted diets, and everything to do with the bottom line. Looking at GM's Canadian website, their big selling point right now is "whole grains," of which wheat is a huge part. The costs of ingredients from suppliers likely has a lot to do with the changes in ingredients as well. However, they still need to hear from celiacs about this issue.

Michelle

[imsohungry]

Well,

Crud! I love my morning bowls of cereal...no coffee needed, just cereal w/rice milk and I'm a happy lady. Now, I'm down to cocoa pebbles and the Enviro. frosted flakes (at $5.00 a box and they taste nothing like the "real thing").

Thanks for the update!

-Julie

[VydorScope]

I think you're right...they don't care about what a small group thinks...celiacs are not their target market. Their decisions about ingredients has little to do with meeting the needs of those with restricted diets, and everything to do with the bottom line. Looking at GM's Canadian website, their big selling point right now is "whole grains," of which wheat is a huge part. The costs of ingredients from suppliers likely has a lot to do with the changes in ingredients as well. However, they still need to hear from celiacs about this issue.

Michelle

Which is why we have to get everyone we can to write in and look like a LARGE group.

[VydorScope]

BAH got a useless reply..

Thank you for contacting General Mills regarding gluten in our cereal.

It is our goal to help our consumers determine whether or not they can include our products in their diet. We never make a claim that any product is gluten free. We believe it is best to refer to the specific ingredients listed on each product package.

We do understand that ingredients can be confusing, so we want to assure you if the ingredient label does not list wheat, barley, rye, oats or gluten containing ingredients sourced from these grains, then the product would be gluten-free. Sources of gluten are listed on the label even if the source of gluten is part of another ingredient (such as flavoring or spice). Because ingredients may vary from one package to another due to product reformulation, you should use the product’s ingredient label to provide you with current and accurate information.

Additional information regarding gluten may be obtained by contacting your health care professional or:

Celiac Sprue Association/United States of America, Inc.

PO Box 31700

Omaha, NE 68131-0700

402-558-0600

Or toll free: 877-CSA-4-CSA (877-272-4272)

www.csaceliacs.org

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Jack Stone

General Mills

Consumer Services

[chasesparents]

I did check the last time I was at Walmart. The Great Value Brand "Cocoa Cools" do not list any gluten in the ingredients, but warned that it is processed in a facility with wheat (which obviously... Cocoa Puffs are processed in a facility with wheat, but General Mills is not nice enough to tell us that)

[VydorScope]

I did check the last time I was at Walmart. The Great Value Brand "Cocoa Cools" do not list any gluten in the ingredients, but warned that it is processed in a facility with wheat (which obviously... Cocoa Puffs are processed in a facility with wheat, but General Mills is not nice enough to tell us that)

Acatully the did. At least if you asked them they did. They siad they run one "flavor" of ceral per day and throughly wash everything between ceral changes. In all the boxes that we had, my son never reacted at least.

[hez]

I finally got a response. Not that it is helpful.

Hez

Thank you for contacting General Mills about Cocoa Puffs and Trix cereals. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments and will forward them to our product teams.

We apologize for any disappointment.

Sincerely,

Jack Stone

General Mills

Consumer Services

[eKatherine]

I understand it's not quite the same (not the same at all...) but surely some of your disappointed kids would be distracted by putting chocolate milk on some non-cocoa type cereal.

[VydorScope]

I understand it's not quite the same (not the same at all...) but surely some of your disappointed kids would be distracted by putting chocolate milk on some non-cocoa type cereal.

WEll the great thing about cocoa puffs was more of the snack factor then the breakfast factor. THey work great in a ziplog bag in a shopping cart/car seat/etc. Travel very well, and make almost no mess. Not the only food of course, but anyone that has a toddler can tell you how hard it is to get them to tyr noew foods!

[CarlaB]

Okay everyone, this is very strange ... two people from our local celiac group contacted General Mills by phone. They said that they've not changed the formula and that they're trying to get gluten OUT of their products!! They said that Trix and Cocoa Puffs do not have wheat in them and that they have no plans in the future to put wheat in them.

Given how they've responded to us, this is very weird ... unless, thousands of people complained and they're taking it back out of the cereals ... but they claim they never put it back in.

[gfp]

Okay everyone, this is very strange ... two people from our local celiac group contacted General Mills by phone. They said that they've not changed the formula and that they're trying to get gluten OUT of their products!! They said that Trix and Cocoa Puffs do not have wheat in them and that they have no plans in the future to put wheat in them.

Given how they've responded to us, this is very weird ... unless, thousands of people complained and they're taking it back out of the cereals ... but they claim they never put it back in.

Hate to say this and start another "conspiracy theory" but did they ask permission to record the phone call?

[VydorScope]

Okay everyone, this is very strange ... two people from our local celiac group contacted General Mills by phone. They said that they've not changed the formula and that they're trying to get gluten OUT of their products!! They said that Trix and Cocoa Puffs do not have wheat in them and that they have no plans in the future to put wheat in them.

Given how they've responded to us, this is very weird ... unless, thousands of people complained and they're taking it back out of the cereals ... but they claim they never put it back in.

Well thats odd, I mean its labeld on the box for all to see.

[CarlaB]

What I'm wondering is if the box you purchased dated April 2007 which had wheat, was actually an older box and somehow the wheat gave it a longer shelf life. It just seems weird that they've not actually told any of us that they changed the formula back, and they've told two people here that they never changed it.

[VydorScope]

What I'm wondering is if the box you purchased dated April 2007 which had wheat, was actually an older box and somehow the wheat gave it a longer shelf life. It just seems weird that they've not actually told any of us that they changed the formula back, and they've told two people here that they never changed it.

They told Clan Thompson, they were the ones the broke the info when Trix changed. Then after I told them about cocoa puffs, they called and confirmed it with GM

So my best guess is you clubmates got 2 cust svr reps taht were behind in trianing?

[CarlaB]

I bet you're right, yet I'm hoping they might just be listening!