Allergen Labeling..wheat, But Not Rye, Barley, Or Oats.

[ajavery93]

So I am still only 1.5 years on the gluten free diet and am still learning new things all the time, but this really blew my mind! I recently had an interaction with Campbell's Soup that turned my world upside down. I assumed (first mistake), that by carefully reading labels, double checking that companies were in compliance with FALCP act of 2004, and looking for rye, barley, or oat ingredients, I would be safe. Boy was I wrong. I recently bought a can of Campbell's roadside chili (ingredients below):

Water, Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Seasoned Beef Crumbles (Beef, Salt, Spice Extractives), Diced Tomatoes in Tomato Juice, Red Kidney Beans, Kidney Beans, Contains Less than 2% of the Following Ingredients: Modified Food Starch, Red Peppers, Green Peppers, Spice, Jalapeno Peppers, Soy Protein Concentrate (Caramel Color Added), Salt, Dehydrated Onions, Sugar, Dehydrated Garlic, Paprika, Red Pepper

Although I trust that most companies are compliant with the FALCP, I emailed them asking to make sure that the MFS mentioned, is indeed gluten free. They confirmed that it was. Great, time for some "mmm, mmm good" Chili! Not so fast! It turns out, that their "chefs" use either oats, rye or barley in the creation (under spices) and that it is not safe for celiac folks. When I inquired into how the barley, rye or oats could be used in this manner, they claimed that I was infringing on proprietary rights and rudely and impatiently proclaimed that the federal government backs this claim.

Which brings me to this. Why would this law have such an obvious hole in it? I would like to know what proportion of people with wheat allergies can safely consume gluten. To the best of my understanding, gluten is the protein that the majority of people with a wheat allergy are allergic to. Though I do not have the hard numbers to back this up, I suspect that if those individuals specifically with gluten allergies were filtered out from those with the more amorphous wheat allergy, it would no longer be one of the top 8 allergens. So, how is it, that a company like campbell's can knowingly omit their use of barley, oats, rye from their product list? To their credit, they were at least able to inform me that their product was not gluten freen. But what about those companies that do not know beyond wheat, because they are not expected to know (recently called Jack Links and they only no their product does not contain wheat, they have no idea about barley or rye, etc). Why bother enforcing the listing of wheat, but excluding barley, rye, and oats? That is still a huge risk, especially to very sensitive individuals like myself. Product labels change and I cannot possibly call a company every time I purchase a product to ensure that their product has not be reformulated to include a legally omitted gluten source. This leaves us with only labelled gluten free products, which is really a shame, because their is alot more out there that we could probably safely enjoy, but at what risk?

This law in its present form is clearly not adequate and leaves many consumers with gluten allergies at risk. I wonder if any of you know of a way to lobby for an amendment to this otherwise groundbreaking law? Or in the past have other individuals had interactions with the FDA. I was so suprised/disgusted at how callously I was treated by Campbell's, that I immediately picked up the phone to the FDA. However, after being on hold at work for 45 minutes, I had to give up and get back to business. Once I cooled down at home, I decided to try this forum first to see if anyone else has had success or knows of a productive way of addressing this issue? What do people think about the FALCP as it is currently written? Does anyone think this is close to adequate? I am not asking the government to take responsibility for what is ultimately our misforturne, only to give us the minimum tools necessary to make educated decisions about what we consume. I cannot do that if ingredients are carelessly left off.

Looking forward to your feedback!

Andy

[Lisa]

Welcome Andy,

Wheat is considered one of the top allergens that must be listed by law. Barley, malt, and rye do not have to be listed and yes, they often can hide in spices or natural flavors. Under the US labeling law, barley, malt and rye are not required to be listed.

It is common practice to look for companies who will clearly list ALL forms of gluten in their ingredient listing or allergen statements. Here is a listing of those companies:

Open Original Shared Link

Campbell's has a very limited gluten free listings in the United States. Campbell's Canada has a totally different gluten free listings.

It was just a few years ago that wheat did not have to be disclosed. I take comfort in small step forward!

This is a great site with the best information around. Take a walk around.

[Generic]

Technically an allergy is different than being gluten intolerant or celiac.

[tarnalberry]

gluten is not an "allergen". it causes intolerances, and autoimmune reactions, not allergies (a different immune - not autoimmune - response). (broadly speaking, as far as we know, etc. etc....)

the allergen labeling law is in regards to the eight most common food allergens: wheat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. ONLY. it doesn't include gluten.

[lovegrov]

People who have a real allergy to wheat do not react to barley, rye, oats, etc. This is entirely different from celiac.

The allergen law did not list all "gluten" because a demand to do so would have resulted in no allergen law at all. People with a wheat allergey and folks with celiac are much better off than they were before the law.

richard

[maureen s]

Richard, you're saying that since I was diagnosed with a borderline wheat allergy, not celiac, I should be able to ingest regular beer, barley soup, steel-cut oatmeal -- all without wheat products of course. You may have just made my day!

Thanks.

[lovegrov]

"Richard, you're saying that since I was diagnosed with a borderline wheat allergy, not celiac, I should be able to ingest regular beer, barley soup, steel-cut oatmeal -- all without wheat products of course. You may have just made my day"

I'm no expert on wheat allergy but you should be able to eay rye and barley. As for beer, many are made from wheat so you have to watch that. And the problem with oats is cross contamination with wheat. It's up to you whether to try just any oats or to go for the ones grown and processed away from wheat.

richard

[maureen s]

"Richard, you're saying that since I was diagnosed with a borderline wheat allergy, not celiac, I should be able to ingest regular beer, barley soup, steel-cut oatmeal -- all without wheat products of course. You may have just made my day"

I'm no expert on wheat allergy but you should be able to eay rye and barley. As for beer, many are made from wheat so you have to watch that. And the problem with oats is cross contamination with wheat. It's up to you whether to try just any oats or to go for the ones grown and processed away from wheat.

richard

Thanks for replying, Richard.

Just an update -- in case there are other wheat-allergy sufferers. I ate a prepackaged Rice Krispies Treat made with barley malt. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't buy a six pack.

I have undergone two stomach surgeries (from a ruptured appendix and subsequent bowel obstruction), so my doctor did warn me that I may have GI issues that I may never know the causes of. I don't have the usual wheat allergy because my Ig E level was normal as was my Ig A level for celiac. There is a third Ig-something that was slightly elevated and she diagnosed me with a "borderline wheat allergy." She said that since there are so few people with elevated Ig-something levels that there hasn't been much research done. She suggested I treat my condition like celiac disease. I have and the gluten-free diet has helped considerably. So it is possible that other people with wheat allergies may be able to tolerate barley and rye, just be forewarned.