I'm Mad At Nature Valley's Granola Bars

[Roda]

If you tolerate oates may I suggest you try certified gluten free oats? I saw Udi's gluten free granola at the store. It was in a bag and is made with certified gluten free oats. Most other sources of oats are cross contaminated. I am envious of anyone who can eat gluten free oats. Even those I react badly to. Kind and boomi bars are my favorite and are oat and gluten free.

[tlbpeterson]

hi!  i'm finding this post 5 years too late, but i just wanted to let you know that malt is no longer listed as an ingredient on the deliciously crunchy oat n honey bars.  (they are so good!)  i sent nature valley a message to see if there are any other ingredients in the bars that would prevent the item from being gluten free.  (besides the oats, that is.  i have full blown celiac, but do fine with non-gluten-free oats)

 

 

Figuring out that it was gluten that was causing me such digestive pain and discomfort starting almost a year ago sent me into a deep depression. Suddenly, I couldn't eat ANYTHING, and everything hurt. I racked up some doctor bills, maxed out my crappy health benefits, and didn't even get a diagnosis. Before all this mess, getting through the day was hard enough hungerwise because of my high metabolism. I also get really bored with large portions of the same food, so I like to have numerous sides or snacks to go with meals.

Now, with this new stumbling block, it became extremely difficult to pack lunches to take to work. I found time to prepare steamed or sauteed zucchini and white or brown rice, but what about snacks? Sure, applesauce, yogurt, fruit snacks, fresh fruit, carrots, and the like are good choices that are easy to take along, but I was missing something more "substantial." Since I could no longer choose crackers or cookies, I looked at various bars and thought my usual staple made by Nature Valley would still work. Unfortunately, when I first started the gluten-free diet, I didn't comprehend the intricacies of it, which include the danger of the word malt.

Now I know and I'm more careful, but I had overlooked my granola bars. (I haven't noticed any discomfort from eating oats, by the way)
I was all too trusting of your labeling practices, NV. Sure, you list out everything all nice and neat:

and even include a nice little warning that seems pretty specific:

...leaving it all too easy to overlook the fact that your "crisp rice with soy protein" is infected with malt.
I've been eating your bars on and off for the last 9 months, so trusting, so unaware, blaming the gurgly guts on cross-contamination of *other* products until I was bored the other day at school and read the ingredients of an Oats 'n Honey bar just to occupy myself as I munched on it.

I'm mad now.

• At your company for having such delicious, inexpensive, and easily obtainable bars that I can't eat.
• At myself for not reading more slowly and noticing "malt" hiding there right next to "salt"
• At crisp rice makers for finding it completely necessary to flavor their products with malt powders, syrups, and extracts.

...and at gluten in general. I feel like I didn't evolve properly or something

(Quotes sourced from Open Original Shared Link because the US Nature Valley site doesn't list their individual product ingredients)
Note:
While I was searching for the ingredients for the granola bars, I may have stumbled upon one or two flavors that might not have the crisped rice and offending malt in them, so I'm going to check all of the flavors next time I'm at the store. You're still on my pooplist, though. *shakes fist*

 

[kareng]

hi! i'm finding this post 5 years too late, but i just wanted to let you know that malt is no longer listed as an ingredient on the deliciously crunchy oat n honey bars. (they are so good!) i sent nature valley a message to see if there are any other ingredients in the bars that would prevent the item from being gluten free. (besides the oats, that is. i have full blown celiac, but do fine with non-gluten-free oats)

The oats are not gluten free oats, so these products would not be safe for a Celiac.

Open Original Shared Link

For someone with Celiac, even one with no symptoms, gluten is causing damage.:

Open Original Shared Link

"The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage your intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms. It can take weeks for antibody levels (indicating intestinal damage) to normalize after a person with celiac disease has consumed gluten. "

[gilligan]

Am I understanding this correctly?  Nature Valley gluten free granola bars are not gluten free?

[kareng]

Am I understanding this correctly?  Nature Valley gluten free granola bars are not gluten free?

 

This new poster dredged up an old top from before the gluten-free ones were even made. This topic  is talking about the regular granola bars with oats. The oats are not gluten free and that makes them not safe for Celiacs.  

 

 

 

The Almond Crunch, labelled Gluten free, do not contain oats.

[tlbpeterson]

Am I understanding this correctly?  Nature Valley gluten free granola bars are not gluten free?

they only marking on the wrapper is the kosher U, no gluten-free label listed.  the allergens list soy, peanut, almond and pecan.  when this thread originated in 2009, the ingredients listed malt.   but it's not on there any more.

 

have you been eating them with no problems?  i'm okay with them.

[kareng]

they only marking on the wrapper is the kosher U, no gluten-free label listed.  the allergens list soy, peanut, almond and pecan.  when this thread originated in 2009, the ingredients listed malt.   but it's not on there any more.

 

have you been eating them with no problems?  i'm okay with them.

 

 

I thought you said you were talking about the ones with oats.  Those are not safe forCeliacs.  They do make a kind with almonds that are gluten-free.

 

This is the gluten-free one.  There is a peanut ones, too, but I have never seen them.

 

 

Open Original Shared Link

[gilligan]

I got a box of the roasted almond nut crunch in a "gluten free box of the month" club from TasteGuru.  Yes, I ate them without a problem. The box states gluten free, and I didn't see anything scary listed in the ingredients.  I just ordered more boxes from Amazon, so I sure hope they are okay.  Yikes!  I didn't look for an official gluten-free insignia, but I certainly will next time.

[kareng]

I got a box of the roasted almond nut crunch in a "gluten free box of the month" club from TasteGuru.  Yes, I ate them without a problem. The box states gluten free, and I didn't see anything scary listed in the ingredients.  I just ordered more boxes from Amazon, so I sure hope they are okay.  Yikes!  I didn't look for an official gluten-free insignia, but I certainly will next time.

 

 

Those are fine!  Its the ones with the oats that are not fine!

[kareng]

Those are fine!  Its the ones with the oats that are not fine!

This is getting silly. The info on this thread was from 2009. I don't think The gluten-free ones were even around then.

The problem is the other granola bars that contain oats. NAture valley isn't using gluten-free oats, so they do not claim those are gluten-free. No matter what tbpetersen says, experts do not recommend Celiacs eat oats which have not been certified gluten-free. It is an accepted " practice " that oats can contain wheat.

[gilligan]

This is getting silly. The info on this thread was from 2009. I don't think The gluten-free ones were even around then.

The problem is the other granola bars that contain oats. NAture valley isn't using gluten-free oats, so they do not claim those are gluten-free. No matter what tbpetersen says, experts do not recommend Celiacs eat oats which have not been certified gluten-free. It is an accepted " practice " that oats can contain wheat.

Thank you for clearing this up.

[kareng]

Thank you for clearing this up.

Thank you for saying this. Sometime I feel like I am talking to myself here!