Very Confused About Whey And Dextrose Labeled On gluten-free Products

[virginiagl]

Went to Sprouts today looking for some gluten-free mac and cheese for my kiddo and some cookie mix too...and I was really confused by the claim on some of the boxes about being gluten free. Amy's gluten free mac and cheese has whey and or dextrose in it. Aren't these on the list of ingredients to avoid for people with gluten intolerance? There was a cookie mix too by another brand(don't remember the name now)that said gluten free on the box and it had whey in the ingredient list! It was even in the supposed gluten-free isle of Sprouts(beware they have lots of stuff that isn't gluten free in their supposedly gluten free isle. Some of that stuff says "made with wheat flour" right on the front of the box!

I left the store very annoyed.

[Lisa]

Whey and dextrose are gluten free.

Unfortunately, every time your pick up a product you must read the label. Once you get the hang of it, it's really not all that difficult. But, it does take time and the learning curved is steep.

I can certainly understand your frustration. There is a lot of information on the "Baking and Product" Thread here. Take a look around.

[virginiagl]

Wow, my bad! I wonder how I got my signals crossed on that. I could have sworn those were no no's on the forbidden list. Well I did say I was confused lol and I am! This is so freakin hard.

[Reba32]

whey is a by-product of making cheese, and dextrose is a sugar.

[virginiagl]

thank you for the clarification! What are dextrins? I think that might be where I got my signals crossed about dextrose. No telling why I thought whey was a wheat product. Actually...now that I am thinking about it more...maybe I was also on a lactose intolerance site because I have that too...and maybe that is where I saw whey and confused it in my mind. Sorry, I don't mean to put misinformation out there. I am still learning.

[Lisa]

Wow, my bad! I wonder how I got my signals crossed on that. I could have sworn those were no no's on the forbidden list. Well I did say I was confused lol and I am! This is so freakin hard.

It IS freakin' hard!!! You got that right!

But, this is a great place to run your questions by and ask whatever you need too, or just vent some frustration. Because there is not one person here who has not been in your shoes. Your question will answers one that some one else has.

When an item is labels "Gluten Free" or "No Gluten Ingredients", generally your only concern might be a disclaimer on that product that might say "processed in a facility that also processes wheat". That is a warning for you to make up your own mind. A few sensitive people with Celiac or gluten sensitivity, will react to the smallest bit of cross contamination. Many times it's a companies way of CYA statement (in a law suit environment). It is something that does not concern me.

[skigirlchar]

You may have heard about avoidance of whey with a lot of people talking about going gluten-free/CF (or even stricter and going gluten-free/CF/SF - gluten free / casein free/ soy free).

Take it one day at a time. Yes, it's frustrating, but you will find it gets.......... not easier, but you start to learn what works.

[Juliebove]

Went to Sprouts today looking for some gluten-free mac and cheese for my kiddo and some cookie mix too...and I was really confused by the claim on some of the boxes about being gluten free. Amy's gluten free mac and cheese has whey and or dextrose in it. Aren't these on the list of ingredients to avoid for people with gluten intolerance? There was a cookie mix too by another brand(don't remember the name now)that said gluten free on the box and it had whey in the ingredient list! It was even in the supposed gluten-free isle of Sprouts(beware they have lots of stuff that isn't gluten free in their supposedly gluten free isle. Some of that stuff says "made with wheat flour" right on the front of the box!

I left the store very annoyed.

Whey is gluten free. It is a dairy product. Many celiacs find they must avoid dairy. If you're one of those, then you shouldn't have it.

I don't know about dextrose. AFAIK, it can be made of many things. But if you are in the US, they would have to disclose it if it were made of wheat.

[virginiagl]

Yeah I was noticing that little disclaimer when I was trying to find peanut and soy free stuff for my son. I didn't buy the almond butter because of that little disclaimer. Going grocery shopping put me in a really terrible mood today. I'm so cranky and fed up with food companies!

[pdquick]

The reason that some celiacs have to avoid dairy is usually because of lactose intolerance, but that's not an autoimmune issue. Whey is mostly protein. There may be some residual lactose in it, but probably not enough to cause a problem Virginiagl says she tolerated it just fine.

[Squirrelflight]

I tell you what stumped me for awhile was how maltodextrin is ok but dextrin is not.. the 'malt' in the name just raised red flags for me.. LOL

[Nor-TX]

I am both gluten and dairy intolerant and boy oh boy is it difficult. Sprouts is a great store and there are lots of products that fit into my needs. They are as pricey as Whole Foods, but where I live they are closer than Whole Foods.

I find I get the same "glutened" feeling when I eat dairy or gluten. This is a hard road each day, but when the bloating, tiredness, and nausea goes, it feels great.

[Nightingale8472]

Went to Sprouts today looking for some gluten-free mac and cheese for my kiddo and some cookie mix too...and I was really confused by the claim on some of the boxes about being gluten free. Amy's gluten free mac and cheese has whey and or dextrose in it. Aren't these on the list of ingredients to avoid for people with gluten intolerance? There was a cookie mix too by another brand(don't remember the name now)that said gluten free on the box and it had whey in the ingredient list! It was even in the supposed gluten-free isle of Sprouts(beware they have lots of stuff that isn't gluten free in their supposedly gluten free isle. Some of that stuff says "made with wheat flour" right on the front of the box!

I left the store very annoyed.

With Sprouts, they have an aisle that's MOSTLY gluten-free stuff, but you have to pay attention, because the aisle, at least in my local Sprouts, is more of a "special diet" aisle rather than strictly gluten-free. They keep Pamela's mixes right next to the vegan mixes with the whole wheat flour. It's the little green tags on the shelf, not the aisle itself that designates gluten-free. Also, things do get re-shelved in the wrong place in any store. Whole Foods, on the other hand, has a specific section that is totally gluten-free.

Personally, I feel the selection's a bit better at Sprouts, and I feel a bit more "normal" shopping there, because I'm not constantly checking a pre-printed list. I can just look for the little green tags as I go up and down the aisles. It's just less stressful.

[Reba32]

maltodextrin can be made from corn or wheat. If it's made from corn, it's not a celiac problem. If it's made from wheat (more common outside the US) then it *could* be. I've read in several places that because maltodextrin is a "sugar alcohol" that even if it is derrived from wheat, it is fine for celiacs to eat.

However I myself had such a bad reaction to wheat based maltodextrin (used in sugar free candies and chocolates a lot) that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

dextrin is apparently most commonly made from tapioca, sweet potato and waxy maize in the US. It *may* be made from wheat in Europe, as well as from other sources, so be careful on imported foods, or if you're travelling outside the US.

[Lisa]

dextrin is apparently most commonly made from tapioca, sweet potato and waxy maize in the US. It *may* be made from wheat in Europe, as well as from other sources, so be careful on imported foods, or if you're travelling outside the US.

I would like to add, any ingredient containing wheat, must be listed according to FDA regulations, if imported into the US.

[sandsurfgirl]

I buy things that have the processed in a facility label because if I didn't I would buy pretty much nothing. Because so many people are sue happy, they have to put warnings on everything that make it confusing.

Cleaning out peanut butter machinery and switching it over is so difficult I just don't imagine them doing that very much.

Maltodextrin in the US is fine because if it's wheat it will be labeled.

[Canadian Girl]

i'm confused about dextrin.. can we have it??? are the FDA regulation the same as in Canada? Also.. if something says "made in a facility that also produces wheat products" that means to avoid it completely too right???

[mushroom]

Am not sufficiently familiar with US labeling laws to answer about dextrin; think it's okay. Mostly Canada seems to follow USA. As far as "processed in a facility that also handles" (whatever your particular intolerance may be, including wheat), this is something that we all have to experiment with for ourselves. Some of us are much more sensitive to trace amounts of non-tolerated substances than others. For myself, I am pretty much okay with all shared facilities, but it is a very individual reaction. You have to find out what your own tolerance level is. Some people have to avoid all shared facilities altogether, some just avoid "processed on the same lines as" where they clean the lines between runs. Yes, you run the risk of cc (for you) in your experimentation, but it is good to know how strict you need to be about these things (and to find it out early).

[Canadian Girl]

Am not sufficiently familiar with US labeling laws to answer about dextrin; think it's okay. Mostly Canada seems to follow USA. As far as "processed in a facility that also handles" (whatever your particular intolerance may be, including wheat), this is something that we all have to experiment with for ourselves. Some of us are much more sensitive to trace amounts of non-tolerated substances than others. For myself, I am pretty much okay with all shared facilities, but it is a very individual reaction. You have to find out what your own tolerance level is. Some people have to avoid all shared facilities altogether, some just avoid "processed on the same lines as" where they clean the lines between runs. Yes, you run the risk of cc (for you) in your experimentation, but it is good to know how strict you need to be about these things (and to find it out early).

ok that helps thx, however, if we eat things that are made in a shared facility but don't react, we could still be damaging our intestine just not feeling it, correct?? that's what i don't get.. i've been avoiding things that say made in shared facilities..

[psawyer]

It is important to bear in mind that both in Canada and the USA, labeling of shared facilities/equipment is voluntary. Just because the label is silent does not mean that wheat is not present in the facility. If you are really that concerned, you must call the company, or limit your purchases to specialty companies such as Glutino.

Dextrin is very rarely made from wheat. In the US, it would have to be clearly labeled as wheat if it was. Canada does not require the disclosure of wheat, but many manufacturers (including Con Agra, General Mills, Kraft and Unilever) will always clearly disclose any gluten ingredient by naming the grain.