Cross-contamination (?) Question

[nancygee]

Hi all,

I'm newly diagnosed (through biopsy) with celiac disease and I'm trying to gather as much as info as I can. Apologies if this question is covered somewhere, but I can't seem to find it.

At Trader Joes, while shopping off their gluten-free list, I noticed that many products say something along the lines of "produced on equipment shared with wheat." Should I avoid those products entirely, or are they usually ok? I got pretty frustrated and overwhelmed when I saw how many "gluten-free" products had this disclaimer.

Thanks for any info, and I'm so glad I found this board!

Nancy

[home-based-mom]

Hi all,

I'm newly diagnosed (through biopsy) with celiac disease and I'm trying to gather as much as info as I can. Apologies if this question is covered somewhere, but I can't seem to find it.

At Trader Joes, while shopping off their gluten-free list, I noticed that many products say something along the lines of "produced on equipment shared with wheat." Should I avoid those products entirely, or are they usually ok? I got pretty frustrated and overwhelmed when I saw how many "gluten-free" products had this disclaimer.

Thanks for any info, and I'm so glad I found this board!

Nancy

Hi, Nancy, and welcome! I think all of us are so glad we found this board!

The answer to your question is, unfortunately, "It depends."

It depends on how sensitive you are, on how thoroughly the manufacturer cleans the equipment, if the equipment actually had residue was the product in the package you bought run through first and therefore more likely to pick something up or . . . . ?

Some people find they not only cannot consume products from shared equipment, they also cannot consume products from a shared facility. Other people don't have problems with either. It just depends, and is something you will figure out soon enough by trial and error what does and does not work for you.

Manufacturers are not required to put the information about shared facilities and equipment on their packaging, but I tend to have more confidence in those that do, just because they are being honest and upfront about their product. That way the consumer can make a better informed decision.

[nancygee]

Hi, Nancy, and welcome! I think all of us are so glad we found this board!

The answer to your question is, unfortunately, "It depends."

It depends on how sensitive you are, on how thoroughly the manufacturer cleans the equipment, if the equipment actually had residue was the product in the package you bought run through first and therefore more likely to pick something up or . . . . ?

Some people find they not only cannot consume products from shared equipment, they also cannot consume products from a shared facility. Other people don't have problems with either. It just depends, and is something you will figure out soon enough by trial and error what does and does not work for you.

Manufacturers are not required to put the information about shared facilities and equipment on their packaging, but I tend to have more confidence in those that do, just because they are being honest and upfront about their product. That way the consumer can make a better informed decision.

Thank you Sandi! This is a big help. I'm sure I will many more questions as I go along.

[Donna F]

The longer you are on the diet, typically the more sensitive you become. I personally try to avoid foods produced on shared equipment b/c damage can be done whether or not we experience symptoms. There actually are quite a few companies out there with dedicated facilities. I also scour these boards and if I see a number of people reacting to a particular brand I also avoid it. One example is Amy's frozen meals. I was eating them for a while and after a few months started to see a small return of symptoms. Come to find out Amy's (at that time) wasn't producing in a dedicated facility and there were cc (cross contamination) issues in some of their products. Btw - Amy's now makes some of their products in a dedicated facility as indicated on the packaging.

All in all its your choice. Some people avoid those foods and others buy them anyway b/c they don't feel affects. I prefer to play it safe. Sometimes it takes months of ingesting gluten for me to notice any affects - and by then who knows how much damage is done.

Btw, welcome There is so much to learn on here!