Quaker Grits

[hthorvald]

I used to eat oatmeal every morning but needed to switch to either grits or cream of rice. I really like grits, but can only get the Quaker brand. I know that they produce oats and am concerned about cross contamination. Does anyone know if they are truly gluten-free?

When I call the company, I get the usual legal liability runaround that they can't guarantee, eat at your own risk, they are gluten-free, but not sure about cross contamination, etc.

Thanks,

H.

[Guest Lindam]

I just went to the Quaker website Open Original Shared Link, and it appears that the old fashioned and instant grits are okay. The butter flavored grits listed wheat as an allergen. So I think that just the plain ones are okay.

I hope this helps. I love grits, also.

Linda :

[hthorvald]

Thanks for the confirmation. When I went to the web site, I couldn't find the information, which is why I called them. I'll check out the URL you provided.

I'm very glad to know that Quaker grits are o.k.

H.

[celiac3270]

They may be, but I wouldn't eat them. I had read another article on this study, but this was recently on Jessica's support group, USA Silly-Yaks

There is an article in the most recent issue of Gluten Free Living. It talks about contamination of oats.

A registered dietician took 12 containers of rolled or steel cut oats that represented 4 different lots of three brand names. The brands being McCanns, Country Choice, and Quaker.

The ELISA R5 test was used on the 12 samples. All of the brands showed contamination!!!

McCann's

1st- below level of detection (so under 3ppm)

2st- below 20ppm

3nd- 23ppm

4rd- 725ppm

Country Choice

1st- below 20ppm

2nd-4th ranged from 120-210ppm

Quaker

All four tested from 338-1807ppm

Under 20ppm is the codex standard used to determine Gluten free.........but all of the brands showed some crazy levels of contamination and were inconsistent. I wouldn't trust them!!

Quaker is the worst of all of these--stay away in my opinion.

[KaitiUSA]

I strongly agree with celiac3270. They really are contaminated. Those are horrible stats!

[cdford]

Check out some of the off brands. Kroger here carries a brand called Dixie Lily. when I contacted them, they stated that they were handled in a facility that only handled corn. I have used them for a couple of years and have not had a reaction of any kind. The last time I used the Quaker grits, I did.

I place my grits into a plastic container so I do not have the number to Dixie Lily handly. If you called them, you might be able to find a distributor close by.

[Guest Lindam]

I guess this is all very upsetting to me. You really can't trust what the ingredient panel says! I also called Quaker and the rep reassured me that the plain grits were okay to eat!

AHHHHHHHH! This is so frustrating!

Linda

[flagbabyds]

I'm fine with quaker grits, but I also eat oats and don't get sick, so it all dependes

[Guest Lindam]

Thanks Mollie, That makes me feel better. I think I will try them when I know I have to be home for the day, if you know what I mean.

[flagbabyds]

I'm eating them right now, thanks for the good idea! I'm a very sensitive celiac and i eat them all the time

[celiac3270]

How you deal with oats is up to you....I personally avoid them completely. I once saw some oatmeal raisin cookies that had a gluten-free sticker on them in the healthfood store....they looked good--they were gluten-free, but contained oats, so I passed.

At this point, the contamination is so likely--depending on which oats you use, you might get an okay batch, but certain brands, such as Quaker, always have levels of gluten that don't meet the Codex standard. It's up to you, but remember that you don't need to feel sick to be glutened. Not trying to scare anyone, but offering my opinion that it's not worth the risk.

[celiac3270]

Also, though, I read an article that someone is planning on growing oats in Northern Europe where certain areas of soil aren't contaminated--so they can manufacture uncontaminated oats.

[flagbabyds]

McCanns in now manufacturing oats on completely seperate lines and growing them seperatly All

McCann

[celiac3270]

Good...they weren't too terrible in comparison to Quaker with contamination, but if I did eat oats, I'd feel a lot more comfortable now--with them. I'd never eat Quaker, though.

[flagbabyds]

I don't eat Quaker, but everyday before my biopsy for 2 weeks I ate MCCAns and the biopsy was completely fine

[cdford]

Guys, be sure you also check manufacturing process on corn tortillas. I have yet to find a brand that is not either manufactured on the same lines as the wheat ones or where the lines are not dusted with wheat flour. Last I checked, Flowers Bakeries was getting ready to build a new facility in south Ga. to make the corn ones completely separately. Apparently they were getting quite a few calls.

The ingredient label will just say corn and water, but the contamination is there. I finally learned to make my own. Got some good advice from a post here on doing it correctly.

[flagbabyds]

Mission corn tortillas say Gluten free on them

[cdford]

Don't know that I have seen that brand in our area of the country, but I will go looking now that I know about them.