Labeling Question

[skipper30]

I am wondering if, when a product label says gluten free...does that mean gluten free or wheat free? Does it depend on the company? I am wondering if companies in the mainstream know the difference between true gluten free and wheat free...also I am wondering if the companies have to declare wheat in ANY shape, form or fashion that is in or associated with their products. (Like Twizzlers)

I'm not sure if I have asked clearly what it is I am wondering...but I do not really know how to word it. I know that they must list wheat as one of the top allergens, but what I am wondering is how is it the the other "gluten" grains can be left off? And..is it just the artificial/natural flavorings and malt that we need to watch out for.

I am just trying so hard to get it all out of the house(many accidental cc by a little brother who is 2.) And with Halloween upon us, I want to keep Cooper from anything he isn't supose to have...but I guess I am still not very good at this whole label reading thing!!

Dallas

[jerseyangel]

I am wondering if, when a product label says gluten free...does that mean gluten free or wheat free? Does it depend on the company? I am wondering if companies in the mainstream know the difference between true gluten free and wheat free...also I am wondering if the companies have to declare wheat in ANY shape, form or fashion that is in or associated with their products. (Like Twizzlers)

I'm not sure if I have asked clearly what it is I am wondering...but I do not really know how to word it. I know that they must list wheat as one of the top allergens, but what I am wondering is how is it the the other "gluten" grains can be left off? And..is it just the artificial/natural flavorings and malt that we need to watch out for.

I am just trying so hard to get it all out of the house(many accidental cc by a little brother who is 2.) And with Halloween upon us, I want to keep Cooper from anything he isn't supose to have...but I guess I am still not very good at this whole label reading thing!!

Dallas

Hi ,

If a product is marked gluten-free, it means gluten-free (no wheat, barley or rye). If the label says wheat free, it could still contain barley or rye, so never assume that wheat free means gluten-free.

Many (but not all) mainstream companies will clearly list gluten ingredients on the package. For those, all you have to do is read. There is always a chance of CC with any company that isn't a dedicated facility. Usually, trial and error are the only way to know for sure if products from a certain company will cause problems for you.

Companies must declare the presense of wheat because wheat is one of the top 8 allergens. Since barley and rye are not on that top 8 list, companies are not obligated to list it. Although, again, the companies that say specificlly that they will list gluten, will list all gluten sources.

Nestle and Hershey are two companies that will list any gluten.

Hope this helps a little!

[Corkdarrr]

If a product is gluten free, then it is, by nature, wheat free.

However, just because a product does not contain wheat, it does not mean it is gluten free.

Label reading will get easier - I promise! It just takes a lot of practice. And pretty soon you will begin to recognize which companies you can trust, and which ones will 'hide' gluten.

I am always suspicious about natural flavorings and modified food starches, but I can usually find the answer by searching on this board or by using google (which often times brings me back to this board anyways).

Good luck!

Courtney

[skipper30]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

We have "only" been doing this for about 10 months now and just when I think I know what I am doing...I gluten my poor little guy! We have a Fall festival tonight at our church and I am almost frantic about the candy. MAINLY because once it is out of the big package...there often aren't lables to check...SO, I think I will just go get some candy that I know he can have and trade out anything I suspect!

Thanks for you responses!

Have a great weekend!

[tarnalberry]

based on a recent post, I'm going to caveat jerseyangel's post - gluten free may not 100% of the time mean gluten free. apparently, neutrogena was not checking for rye and barley when they said things were gluten free, and are in the process of correcting that.

scratch that, I'm just going to disagree that gluten free means no wheat, barley, or rye. I don't fully trust a "Gluten Free!" label - I use it as a guide to suggest that I should read the ingredient list. there is no definition of gluten free, legally, yet. so things get labelled gluten free even if there are oats in them, sometimes. I have personally seen things labeled gluten free when they have contained oat fiber (energy bars), barley grass (beverages and nutritional supplements), or wheat starch (so long ago, I've forgotten, but it was something snack related). (the last one was a product where I believe they used codex wheat - starch that has been processed so much that the protein has theoretically been removed - but it was not a european imported product.

you can't just pick up something that says "gluten free" without reading the label. there are certain companies you can come to trust to label gluten (in all its forms - including oats) on the ingredient list, and there are companies you can come to trust to use the 'gluten free' label correct. but nothing takes the place of ingredient reading, especially since ingredients change often.

label reading does get easier over time, though. it really does. kinda like learing a foreign language.

[teebs in WV]

Tiffany,

Thanks for the information. I have been at this a year and this is the first time that anyone has suggested that a 'gluten-free' label should still be investigated. I have personally encountered products in the "gluten-free" section of the health food store that were merely wheat-free, but I have never even thought about questioning that.

It makes perfect sense though. I just bought a bag of Smarties today because I read on this forum that they were safe. As I was unwrapping my first (of many) rolls, I hesitated and asked my niece to read the ingredients to me (I was driving). As soon as she read the words "Smarties contain none of the following common allergens: gluten...." I ripped that sucker open and popped them in my mouth!

So after reading your post I thought I should check for myself, and sure enough the label says "Smarties contain none of the following common allergens: gluten (From wheat barley, oats and rye)...."

Pretty cool I thought - especially since gluten was the first "allergen" and also the fact that they included oats.

This time I was OK, but you have definitely made an impression on me with this post. I will make sure that I will read every label - including those claiming "gluten-free".

Thanks again,

Tracy

[Kaycee]

I have picked up products labelled gluten free, only to see that there is wheat is in the list, not sure if it is hydrolised wheat and all the gluten has supossedly been removed. But I know there are products out there which have wheat, but the manufacturers claim all the gluten has been removed.

I for one, will not touch these products. Someone here said, if you took the poison out of the rat poison, would you still eat it?

For me, I tend to eat things that do not have too many additives. It horrifies me when I pick up a packet of rice crackers and the list of ingredients is 5 inches long. A couple of lines of ingredients for me is borderline.

Catherine

[jaten]

It's interesting to have found this thread. I was just contemplating what a serious issue we have on hand with gluten-free labels cropping up everywhere on everything. I was actually logging on to express my thoughts. Like Tarnalberry, I have come to distrust the "gluten-free" label. I'm afraid that perhaps more and more manufacturers are wanting to jump their products on the "gluten free label bandwagon" without really being 100% certain they are gluten free. As Tarnalberry said, there are no laws in the U. S. governing this.

I am not putting all vendors in that category. By no means! There are some that are very responsible. But, the onus is ours to be certain the foods we ingest are safe. After having successfully gone a few months without a glutening, I am now dealing with my 2nd one in 2 wks. I got too comfortable and let my guard down.

Last night I ate a new-to-me frozen food from a new-to-me manufacturer. I was excited to have found a new food labeled "gluten free" right on front of the package. I nuked it. I ate it. Within 1 1/2 hours I was in gluten distress. This morning dh checked the ingredient list of the other products in our freezer by this company....made in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, and wheat. Not knowing the practices of this particular company, I can tell you with a certainty that a little of their wheat came a little too close to my gluten-free meal.

Just in the year since my diagnosis I have seen more and more "gluten free" labels stamped on mainstream foods. Until there is strict governance of this label, please don't accept it at face value.

Celiac beware! Buyer beware! We don't have to live in fear. We just have to be proactive.

[2Boys4Me]

Just the other day I was at an Italian market and picked up some biscuits with "Senza Glutine" on them and a wheat sheaf with a line through it. I read the ingredients and there was no wheat/rye/oats/barley/malt except a disclaimer at the end said: May contain other gluten containing cereals.

The product was made in Italy and imported through a company in Ontario. The website is still under construction.

I was confused. I didn't buy the cookies/biscuits/whatever they were.

[Kaycee]

It seems over here in NZ there has not been many more products claiming to be gluten free, and it just seems to be many more companies are changing their labels saying that their food is manufactured on machines that process gluten containing products.

One such product was a brand of muesli bar I had been eating on and off for a while as a treat, then I noticed the company had changed its packaging, and with the change they had put a warning on it being produced on the same machinery as gluten. That labelling was not there before!

For me it would seem that my food choices are getting less as food producers seem to be trying to save their butts by putting in what appears to be a disclaimer on their labels. I have not found a potato crisp that I can safely eat, as they all contain gluten or produced on the same machinery!

But I feel, and I hope that soon there will be an upsurge in people wanting or needing gluten free products, and I think things will improve a whole lot. My stint in Auckland the other day was not successful as for finding good wholesome food in cafes. Yes they had muffins, but do you want a muffin for lunch, or even a gluten free biscuit? No.

Catherine

[jaten]

Just the other day I was at an Italian market and picked up some biscuits with "Senza Glutine" on them and a wheat sheaf with a line through it. I read the ingredients and there was no wheat/rye/oats/barley/malt except a disclaimer at the end said: May contain other gluten containing cereals.

The product was made in Italy and imported through a company in Ontario. The website is still under construction.

I was confused. I didn't buy the cookies/biscuits/whatever they were.

I've read that there are other grains that contain gluten, for example corn. I don't know. I do know that the protein (gluten) in wheat, rye, barley, and oats is what we have to avoid. Oats may or may not be a problem depending on who you listen to. My g.i. told me last December to completely avoid it. I do.