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Are Bulk Bins Okay?

Crayons574

By Crayons574
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Crayons574 Contributor
Crayons574
Posted

Is it okay to use bulk bins at places like Whole Foods for nuts and dried fruit? Do you guys do it or is this a no-no? And if not, where can I safely get raw, organic nuts? Do they have packaged ones online? I am pretty sensitive anyways, as I am sure many of you are, so I am thinking I need to be more careful...

I know they separate the granolas from the nuts there (and probably at Trader Joes too). I have been nibbling on some raisins I got there the other day, which were located next to the malt balls, and just realized why I have been having a reaction. So, just wondering what you guys do?

Thanks!! :D

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Raven's Mum Newbie
Raven's Mum
Posted

When we talked to the celiac dietician, she said a big NO for bulk bins as you never know if someone was double dipping and contaminated them. lol

Not sure where you are but we have found some health food stores here that carry organic nuts and the label says they use proper handling methods during processing so they don't contaminate them with wheat. I'm in Canada. Might be worth checking the health food stores out where you are. :) Westpoint Naturals is the brand. Westpoint Distrubuters is the supplier for any other Canadians reading this.

ThatlldoGyp Rookie
ThatlldoGyp
Posted
Is it okay to use bulk bins at places like Whole Foods for nuts and dried fruit? Do you guys do it or is this a no-no? And if not, where can I safely get raw, organic nuts? Do they have packaged ones online? I am pretty sensitive anyways, as I am sure many of you are, so I am thinking I need to be more careful...

I know they separate the granolas from the nuts there (and probably at Trader Joes too). I have been nibbling on some raisins I got there the other day, which were located next to the malt balls, and just realized why I have been having a reaction. So, just wondering what you guys do?

Thanks!! :D

No, NOT ok. If cross contamination via the scoops doesn't gluten you, then the "poof" from the flours will. I have seen people open several bins at once and then scoop away not realizing that they are poofing flour everywhere and cc'ing every bin they have hanging open. Or even if they are just opening one, the person next to them getting the wheat flour is poofing everywhere.

My advice? Pass those raisins on to someone else and stay away from the bins!

JillianLindsay Enthusiast
JillianLindsay
Posted

The Safeway we shop at has a dispenser where you place the bag under the chute and press a lever. No one can cross-contaminate the food :) ...at least not at the customer level :P

teacherkd Apprentice
teacherkd
Posted

The health food store I shop at has the flours away from most other things, but it really depends. The yogurt covered raisins and the like are on one wall and most of the flours are kiddiewhumpus on the next wall, or around the wall in the next room. The dried fruit is okay, as is the sea salt and the quinoa. I won't touch the teff or the buckwheat because these are interspersed with rye, barley, and wheat.

YoloGx Rookie
YoloGx
Posted

The packaged raw sunflower seeds at TJ's have never caused me a problem. I avoid bulk bins. If I need something and there is no small package to get it in, I have occasionally ordered and bought a big bag--did that for my roomie so he can make his own tahini from sesame seeds. The bag will last forever, however it also is saving him a bundle.

Bea

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    • marion wheaton
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By marion wheaton · Posted

      Thanks for responding. I researched further and Lindt Lindor chocolate balls do contain barely malt powder which contains gluten. I was surprised at all of the conflicting information I found when I checked online.
    • trents
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By trents · Posted

      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a super sensitive celiac for whom that standard is insufficient. 
    • BlessedinBoston
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By BlessedinBoston · Posted

      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

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