Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Made In Facility That Manufactures Wheat Products?

amberleigh

Recommended Posts

amberleigh Contributor
amberleigh
Posted

My dietician told me to skip stuff that had this on the label...but today I saw some gluten-free SPECIALTY items that said this. WHAT?!? So is it okay? Is it a sensitivity issue? Help a newbie out please :huh:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GeoffCJ Enthusiast
GeoffCJ
Posted

There is not an easy answer to this question.

Unfortunately, some manufactures seem to use this as a "Cover your ass" statement, and put it on all their products.

And it can mean that the wheat products are used on the adjacent production line, or used in a separate room. There is no way to know.

Many people here will avoid products that say this, but I think anyone who does and still eats out is probably fooling themselves. The odds of contamination is probably much, much higher at restaurants.

I eat stuff labeled like that. I generally avoid stuff where it says that the equipment was shared.

Geoff

blueeyedmanda Community Regular
blueeyedmanda
Posted

I eat products which are packaged in the facility. I do not use any which are produced on shared lines. I have not been glutened in a very long time.

This is a choice that you have to make for yourself. It depends on how comfortable you are with this product. If you have used it before and it has given you problems, I wouldn't try it again.

Guest j_mommy
Guest j_mommy
Posted

I agree with blueeyedamanda! I do eat food that produced in teh same facility but not the same line.Best bet here is to call/email teh company and find out for sure what's going on. Be specific in your questions in your email so that you don't just get a generic response!!1

Good Luck

Karen B. Explorer
Karen B.
Posted

I think, for a newbie it's important to more cautious because at first it's easy to get gluten from unknown sources and a newbie is still healing.

Probably the one product most discussed on this issue is Nut Thins because they are not made in a dedicated facility. Some people say they have a reaction every time they eat them, others (I'm in this group), while extraordinarily reactive to some things, have no problem with this product.

Considering that the Almond Nut Thins contain rice, almonds and potato starch and butter flavoring from milk, I can see how someone may be reacting to one of these items. But I'm not going to tell someone they aren't reacting - we all know our own body best. I've had cross contamination literally double me over like a punch in the gut so I'm not going to minimize anyone's CC reaction. Because gluten effects can surface several hours later, if I have a reaction and think a product may be suspect, I'll pick a time when I'm sure of everything else I'm eating for an entire day and try that product again. Some others may strike the suspect food immediately.

If you're new and still healing, you don't have as much leeway because you may be starting from a less healthy place and it may take you longer to recover. That's why it's important for a newbie to be more cautious. My gluten symptoms now are brain fog, GI effects and feeling crappy for a week. If my side effects were more dramatic (psych. issues, diabetic issues, neuro issues) I'd be a lot more cautious. That's why it's a personal decision.

amberleigh Contributor
amberleigh
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone! I honestly don't think I'm that sensitive to gluten, but what do I know? :rolleyes: I'm glad to know it's generally okay to eat those things...it's surprising how many labels I've come across that say that. And I agree about it being a CYA statement...and who knows what cross-contamination you're getting in restaurants. I haven't eaten out since being dx'd but it's inevitable I'm sure!

buffettbride Enthusiast
buffettbride
Posted

I was wondering this too as I saw some Paul Newman's Organic items at Wild Oats the other day that were labeled as gluten-free but had the CYA statement about a facility that processes wheat as well.

I think I'll have to check those out w/ the company to see if it's the same lines or just the facility.

I know I had purchased some chips some which had shared a line with gluten products but were gluten free and she did not have a reaction. I did not know it at the time they were produced on the same line, but I wouldn't buy those kind of chips again just to be safe. That was in the first 2 months of the whole gluten-free experience.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


2Boys4Me Enthusiast
2Boys4Me
Posted

How do you guys know if it's produced on the same line? Does it say on the label or have you phoned the company to ask? Just wondering if the US FALCPA requires that. I'm in Canada where we have no such thing as FALCPA.

I've never seen anything like that on a label and when I phone to ask about whether something is gluten free they've rarely mentioned shared lines, but always mention the cleaning practices.

GeoffCJ Enthusiast
GeoffCJ
Posted

Amberleigh,

Just wanted to Pipe in with a "Cute Family!"

My sister had twins in March, and I haven't been able to visit yet, but we're going over Labor day, and I'm very excited.

Geoff

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I used to ignore the CYA statements, but I got tired of playing roulette with my health. I avoid them now as I got tired of searching out 'what got me' and don't like it when I can eat a product once or twice and be fine and then eat it again and be sick as a dog. I feel CYA statements are there for a reason, if the item was for sure always going to be safe to eat there would be no need for the warning. I don't like being sick for 3 weeks just because I wanted a questionable item, I will do my best to find it in a safe form or go without.

irish daveyboy Community Regular
irish daveyboy
Posted
How do you guys know if it's produced on the same line? Does it say on the label or have you phoned the company to ask? Just wondering if the US FALCPA requires that. I'm in Canada where we have no such thing as FALCPA.

I've never seen anything like that on a label and when I phone to ask about whether something is gluten free they've rarely mentioned shared lines, but always mention the cleaning practices.

Hi,

I'm not sure of the position on notification in the USA and Canada, but here in Ireland and throughout the EU if a product is manufactured in a shared facility IT MUST STATE on the labelling MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF.... these could be any of the 8 top Allergens.

.

David

2Boys4Me Enthusiast
2Boys4Me
Posted

I've always felt "made in a facility" to be all right, but avoid "may contain traces". I'm not sure if may contain traces means made on a shared line or if made in a facility means separate lines. I don't think a shared facility REQUIRES a may contains disclaimer, but I'm not sure. All I know is the US has different labelling laws than Canada.

amberleigh Contributor
amberleigh
Posted
  • Author

GeoffCJ - Thanks for the compliment! :D Congrats to your sis...twins are a lot of fun!

Thanks everyone for the responses. I made some frozen veggies the other night that said "manufactured in the same facility as wheat products" and have been fine. I wonder if it depends on the food as well? Some may be more permeable than others, which would allow the gluten to seep in? I'm stretching here...LOL!

I'm sorry to those of you who are sick for weeks at a time. I can't imagine. My gluten reactions are usually only for a few hours...I guess I'm "lucky".

irish daveyboy Community Regular
irish daveyboy
Posted
I've always felt "made in a facility" to be all right, but avoid "may contain traces". I'm not sure if may contain traces means made on a shared line or if made in a facility means separate lines. I don't think a shared facility REQUIRES a may contains disclaimer, but I'm not sure. All I know is the US has different labelling laws than Canada.

Hi, back again with a clarification !

.

In Europe shared facilities can be:

.

The same production line.

.

The line next to the production line.

.

Or in another room altogether.

.

The logic behind this is, if say for example the air pressure in the room

(producing the item that is quoted as gluten-free)

is less than that in the room producing the Gluten products,

then there could be an airborne transfer causing CC.

.

David

jaten Enthusiast
jaten
Posted
I used to ignore the CYA statements, but I got tired of playing roulette with my health. I avoid them now as I got tired of searching out 'what got me' and don't like it when I can eat a product once or twice and be fine and then eat it again and be sick as a dog. I feel CYA statements are there for a reason, if the item was for sure always going to be safe to eat there would be no need for the warning. I don't like being sick for 3 weeks just because I wanted a questionable item, I will do my best to find it in a safe form or go without.

DITTO.

Karen B. Explorer
Karen B.
Posted
GeoffCJ - Thanks for the compliment! :D Congrats to your sis...twins are a lot of fun!

Thanks everyone for the responses. I made some frozen veggies the other night that said "manufactured in the same facility as wheat products" and have been fine. I wonder if it depends on the food as well? Some may be more permeable than others, which would allow the gluten to seep in? I'm stretching here...LOL!

I'm sorry to those of you who are sick for weeks at a time. I can't imagine. My gluten reactions are usually only for a few hours...I guess I'm "lucky".

Just for future ref, you may find as your body doesn't have to fight gluten every day, it gets more irritated with you when you get glutened.

I was asymtomatic when I was diagnosed, so I was shocked to find that I'm quite reactive to it now. I had never had DH before my diagnosis but I had it show up and had to track it down. It was in the time release melatonin I got from GNC but it took them a week of steady phone calls before they would admit that there was "just a trace" from the wheat starch they used.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Scott Adams
      0

      New Research Reveals Why the Gut May Stay Sensitive Even After a Gluten-Free Diet

    2. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Scatterbrain's topic in Sports and Fitness
      5

      Feel like I’m starting over

      Hi @Scatterbrain Thank you for your reply. Some of these things could be weaknesses, also triggered by stress, which perhaps have come about as the result of long-term deficiencies which can take a long time to correct. Some could be completely unrelated. If it is of help, I'll tell you some of the things that started in the first year or two...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      8

      My only proof

      @NanceK, I do have Hypersensitivity Type Four reaction to Sulfa drugs, a sulfa allergy. Benfotiamine and other forms of Thiamine do not bother me at all. There's sulfur in all kinds of Thiamine, yet our bodies must have it as an essential nutrient to make life sustaining enzymes. The sulfur in thiamine is in a ring which does not trigger sulfa allergy...
    4. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      8

      Related issues

      Your goal is not to be a good puppet, there is no gain in that. You might want to restart the ones that helped. It sounds more like you are suffering from malnutrition. Gluten free foods are not fortified with things like Thiamine (B1), vitamin D, Iodine, B1,2,3,5,6 and 12 as non-gluten free products are required to be. There is a Catch-22 here. Malnutrition...
    5. NanceK
      - NanceK replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      8

      My only proof

      Hi…Just a note that if you have an allergy to sulfa it’s best not to take Benfotiamine. I bought a bottle and tried one without looking into it first and didn’t feel well. I checked with my pharmacist and he said not to take it with a known sulfa allergy. I was really bummed because I thought it would help my energy level, but I was thankful I was given...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,295
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    LaniH
    Newest Member
    LaniH
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Scatterbrain Thank you for your reply.   Some of these things could be weaknesses, also triggered by stress, which perhaps have come about as the result of long-term deficiencies which can take a long time to correct.   Some could be completely unrelated. If it is of help, I'll tell you some of the things that started in the first year or two, following my diagnosis - I pinned everything on coeliac disease, but it turns out I wasn't always right!  Dizziness, lightheaded - I was eventually diagnosed with cervical dizziness (worth googling, could be your issue too, also if you have neck pain?)  A few months after diagnosis I put my neck out slightly carrying my seven-year-old above my head, and never assigned any relevance to it as the pain at the time was severe but so short-lived that I'd forgotten the connection. Jaw pain - stress. Tinnitus - I think stress, but perhaps exacerbated by iron/vitamin deficiencies. Painful ribs and sacroiliac joints - no idea, bloating made the pain worse. It got really bad but then got better. Irregular heart rate - could be a coincidence but my sister (not a coeliac) and I both developed this temporarily after our second Astra Zeneca covid jabs.   Subsequent Pfizer jabs didn't affect us. Brain fog - a big thing for people with certain autoimmune issues but in my case I think possibly worse when my iron or B12 are low, but I have no proof of this. Insomnia - stress, menopause. So basically, it isn't always gluten.  It might be worth having your vitamins and mineral levels checked, and if you have deficiencies speak to your Dr about how better to address them?    
    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @NanceK, I do have Hypersensitivity Type Four reaction to Sulfa drugs, a sulfa allergy.  Benfotiamine and other forms of Thiamine do not bother me at all.  There's sulfur in all kinds of Thiamine, yet our bodies must have it as an essential nutrient to make life sustaining enzymes.  The sulfur in thiamine is in a ring which does not trigger sulfa allergy like sulfites in a chain found in pharmaceuticals.  Doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition (nor chemistry in this case).  I studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I wanted to know what vitamins were doing inside the body.   Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Not feeling well after starting Benfotiamine is normal.  It's called the "thiamine paradox" and is equivalent to an engine backfiring if it's not been cranked up for a while.  Mine went away in about three days.  I took a B Complex, magnesium and added molybdenum for a few weeks. It's important to add a B Complex with all eight essential B vitamins. Supplementing just one B vitamin can cause lows in some of the others and result in feeling worse, too.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption of all the B vitamins, not just thiamine.  You need all eight.  Thiamine forms including Benfotiamine interact with each of the other B vitamins in some way.  It's important to add a magnesium glycinate or chelate supplement as well.  Forms of Thiamine including Benfotiamine need magnesium to make those life sustaining enzymes.  (Don't use magnesium oxide.  It's not absorbed well.  It pulls water into the intestines and is used to relieve constipation.)   Molybdenum is a trace mineral that helps the body utilize forms of Thiamine.   Molybdenum supplements are available over the counter.  It's not unusual to be low in molybdenum if low in thiamine.   I do hope you will add the necessary supplements and try Benfotiamine again. Science-y Explanation of Thiamine Paradox: https://hormonesmatter.com/paradoxical-reactions-with-ttfd-the-glutathione-connection/#google_vignette
    • Wheatwacked
      Related issues

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Your goal is not to be a good puppet, there is no gain in that. You might want to restart the ones that helped.  It sounds more like you are suffering from malnutrition.  Gluten free foods are not fortified with things like Thiamine (B1), vitamin D, Iodine, B1,2,3,5,6 and 12 as non-gluten free products are required to be. There is a Catch-22 here.  Malnutrition can cause SIBO, and SIBO can worsen malnutrition. Another possibility is side effects from any medication that are taking.  I was on Metformin 3 months before it turned me into a zombi.  I had crippling side effects from most of the BP meds tried on me, and Losartan has many of the side effects on me from my pre gluten free days. Because you have been gluten free, you can test and talk until you are blue in the face but all of your tests will be negative.  Without gluten, you will not create the antigen against gluten, no antigens to gluten, so no small intestine damage from the antigens.  You will need to do a gluten challange to test positive if you need an official diagnosis, and even then, no guaranty: 10 g of gluten per day for 6 weeks! Then a full panel of Celiac tests and biopsy. At a minimum consider vitamin D, Liquid Iodine (unless you have dermatitis herpetiformis and iodine exasperates the rash), and Liquid Geritol. Push for vitamin D testing and a consult with a nutritionist experienced with Celiack Disease.  Most blood tests don't indicate nutritional deficiencies.  Your thyroid tests can be perfect, yet not indicate iodine deficiency for example.  Thiamine   test fine, but not pick up on beriberi.  Vegans are often B12 deficient because meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy are the primary souces of B12. Here is what I take daily.  10,000 IU vitamin D3 750 mg g a b a [   ] 200 mg CoQ10 [   ] 100 mg DHEA [   ] 250 mg thiamine B1 [   ] 100 mg of B2 [   ] 500 mg B5 pantothenic acid [   ] 100 mg B6 [   ] 1000 micrograms B12 n [   ] 500 mg vitamin c [   ] 500 mg taurine [   ] 200 mg selenium   
    • NanceK
      My only proof

      By NanceK · Posted

      Hi…Just a note that if you have an allergy to sulfa it’s best not to take Benfotiamine. I bought a bottle and tried one without looking into it first and didn’t feel well.  I checked with my pharmacist and he said not to take it with a known sulfa allergy. I was really bummed because I thought it would help my energy level, but I was thankful I was given this info before taking more of it. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Feel like I’m starting over

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hello @Scatterbrain, Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals.  Gluten free food is not fortified so you may be starting to run low on B vitamins and vitamin D.   By the way you should get your mom checked for celiac disease.  You got it from your mom or dad.  Some studies show that following a gluten-free diet can stabilize or improve symptoms of dementia.  I know that for the 63 years I was eating gluten I got dumber and dumber until I started GFD and vitamin replenishment and it began to reverse.  Thiamine can get used up in a week or two.  Symptoms can come and go with daily diet.  Symptoms of beriberi due to Thiamine deficiency.   Difficulty walking. Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet. Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs. Mental confusion. Pain. Speech difficulties. Strange eye movements (nystagmus) Tingling. Any change in medications? Last March I had corotid artery surgery (90 % blockage), and I started taking Losartan for blood pressure, added to the Clonidine I was taking already.  I was not recovering well and many of my pre gluten free symptoms were back  I was getting worse.  At first I thought it was caused a reaction to the anesthesia from the surgery, but that should have improved after two weeks.  Doctor thought I was just being a wimp. After three months I talked to my doctor about a break from the Losartan to see if it was causing it. It had not made any difference in my bp.  Except for clonindine, all of the previous bp meds tried had not worked to lower bp and had crippling side effects. One, I could not stand up straight; one wobbly knees, another spayed feet.  Inguinal hernia from the Lisinopril cough.  Had I contiued on those, I was destined for a wheelchair or walker. She said the symptoms were not from Losartan so I continued taking it.  Two weeks later I did not have the strength in hips and thighs to get up from sitting on the floor (Help, I can't get up😨).  I stopped AMA (not recommended).  Without the Losartan, a) bp did not change, after the 72 hour withdrawal from Losartanon, on clonidine only and b) symptoms started going away.  Improvement started in 72 hours.  After six weeks they were gone and I am getting better.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.