Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Gluten In Food For Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas?

nascarrunner71

Recommended Posts

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted

Forgive me if this has been covered here, but my sister (celiac) just had this problem. I encouraged her to try corn tortillas. She purchased Food for Life sprouted corn tortillas at Whole Foods after reading the ingredients (Organic Sprouted Whole Kernel Corn, Filtered Water, Sea salt, Lime) and discussing it with a Whole Foods employee (they used to be stored next to the other gluten-free tortillas). She had a terrible reaction after having the tortillas, so I encouraged her to contact Food for Life. When she went to their website, she found the tortillas under the "Gluten Free/Wheat Free" section. The package doesn't say gluten-free, but it says "gluten free, flourless" on the website. However, while browsing the rest of the website, she found this comment relating to the non-gluten breads:

"sprouted in filtered water with a touch of organic malted barley and sea salt'

When she contacted Food for Life, she received the following response:

Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you obtain a stomach ache from the Organic Sprouted Corn Tortillas. That product does contain gluten. We offer a Wheat Free/Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Tortilla that

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I just looked at the web site and they do list them as gluten-free. On another part that explains sprouted grains, they mention the barley in the water. I sent them a comment that I thought that was missleading. Maybe if a few others would send notes, too, they will look into it.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I do not buy Food For Life products because their labeling is confusing and has been deliberately misleading in the past. They were calling their spelt breads "wheat free" until an FDA crackdown forced them to recall the breads and relabel. As you found in your "stomach ache" email, the company does not seem to care much about consumer health issues.

Open Original Shared Link

The "contains wheat ingredients" does not apply to malted barley, and there are no celiac labeling rules in effect yet. The barley is probably below the % threshold where it has to be declared, although a more scrupulous company would declare it anyway. I'd report them to the FDA, since the product made your sister sick from an undisclosed ingredient.

conniebky Collaborator
conniebky
Posted

When I was reading your post, I, too, was offended about the "sorry 'bout your stomach ache."

Stomach ache?? My Aunt Fanny it's just a stomach ache! I never heard of Food for Life, but that's reason enough for me not to want to know anything further.

skigirlchar Newbie
skigirlchar
Posted

how offensive - i'll make sure to never purchase their foods & i am sending this to all my friends who are amazing in their accommodations for me when i visit to make sure this is on the "do not buy" list.

i'd love for them to experience one of our "stomach aches" and then re-send that w/ a straight face.

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for the support everyone. We just don't want anyone else to have the same problem. If we can make enough waves to fix the ingredient list--even better.

StephanieGF Rookie
StephanieGF
Posted

Why do companies do this, I mean really, can even a gluten eater taste that bit of barely in the water. :rolleyes: Yet it is a major problem for a growing part of the population. Especially when you market your product to health food stores like whole foods where people on gluten-free diets tend to shop. I wish WFs would stop carrying that product, I know at my whole foods it is right next to many other gluten-free products.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

FYI: The Gluten-Free Mall is in the process of finding out more information about this product, and will drop it instantly if we find out that there is any gluten in this product. I'll let you know what we find out. Also, the customer service letter you posted was a typical "off the cuff" response that I would not put too much stock into. We did speak to someone at the company today named "Griffin" who already disagreed with what that letter said. He is going to get back to me with more details in the next few days.

Take care,

Scott

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted
  • Author

Scott,

Thank you for posting an update. I've also received an email from celiac.com stating they are working on this issue. I appreciate everyone's attention.

I suspected the email was a "blow-off" and that I why I have been attempting to gather info from other sources.

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted
  • Author

Why do companies do this, I mean really, can even a gluten eater taste that bit of barely in the water. :rolleyes: Yet it is a major problem for a growing part of the population. Especially when you market your product to health food stores like whole foods where people on gluten-free diets tend to shop. I wish WFs would stop carrying that product, I know at my whole foods it is right next to many other gluten-free products.

Our local whole foods where the tortillas were purchased has pulled the product off the shelves for now (after she supplied the company email). Previously, they had been displayed by the gluten-free products, but had been moved to a different area of the freezer. The manager was very concerned and was already walking toward the freezer before my sister requested they be pulled. I'd be curious if this spreads to their other branches. You might consider speaking to your local manager.

Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

FYI: I discontinued selling this product today on The Gluten-Free Mall in response to a phone conversation today with Griffin. His explanation about this product's gluten-free status was vague and confusing, even though they did and do still claim that the product is gluten-free on their own web site (which seemed to surprise him):

Open Original Shared Link

I'd rather play it safe and stop selling it than take a chance.

He did assure me that their Food For Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Gluten-Free Tortillas are 100% gluten-free, and we will keep selling them.

Thanks for bringing this topic to my attention!

Take care,

Scott

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

The sprouted corn tortillas are listed as gluten free on this page of their site. Last paragraph on the page.

Open Original Shared Link

Food For Life offers a wide variety of delicious gluten free products, including our new Sprouted Organic Corn Tortillas, Brown Rice Tortillas and two new Yeast Free Gluten Free Breads. All of our Gluten Free products are made with natural and carefully inspected ingredients.

I haven't seen on the Food for Life site where it says they use barley water in the sprouting process yet. Does anyone have a link to that?

Update

Ok, I did find a reference to barley water on the FAQs page. But it is talking about Ezekiel 4:9 bread. Not sure if there are other refs to the barley water sprouting process or not. It does seem like the sprouting process should be explained for the sprouted organic corn tortillas. They would have to use a different container for the sprouting and not use the barley to avoid CC.

Open Original Shared Link

Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9® Sprouted Grain Bread is inspired by the Holy Scripture verse Ezekiel 4:9. Our 2,500 year old prodigy is made from six certified organic grains and legumes, sprouted in filtered water with a touch of organic malted barley and sea salt. This bread is truly the staff of life.

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted
  • Author

FYI: I discontinued selling this product today on The Gluten-Free Mall in response to a phone conversation today with Griffin. His explanation about this product's gluten-free status was vague and confusing, even though they did and do still claim that the product is gluten-free on their own web site (which seemed to surprise him):

Open Original Shared Link

I'd rather play it safe and stop selling it than take a chance.

He did assure me that their Food For Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Gluten-Free Tortillas are 100% gluten-free, and we will keep selling them.

Thanks for bringing this topic to my attention!

Take care,

Scott

Scott,

Thank you for taking action on this problem. You were a great help.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I wrote them to ask about this the same day that this came up. This is the reply I recieved today:

Dear Karen, thank you for your interest in our products.

We do not advertise our Sprouted Corn Tortillas as gluten free. In house, we do take precautions against cross-contamination and we do not use any gluten ingredients in our Sprouted Corn Tortillas, but because we cannot be guaranteed by our supplier with gluten free corn, we cannot responsibly make a gluten free claim. This is simply an issue with the nature of the organic corn market at this time and there just isnt a supplier out there who can guarantee this standard.

As for our filtered water, we have our own in-house reverse osmosis water filtration system and we do not reuse water in any of our products. Furthermore, we do not add barley or barley malt to our filtered water or our Sprouted Corn Tortillas.

I hope this information is helpful, please let me know if you have any further questions,

G. Griffin Boostrom

Customer Relations

This is what it still says on the website:

Food For Life offers a wide variety of delicious gluten free products, including our new Sprouted Organic Corn Tortillas, Brown Rice Tortillas and two new Yeast Free Gluten Free Breads. All of our Gluten Free products are made with natural and carefully inspected ingredients.

Also, when you click on gluten-free stuff it shows the sprouted corn but they have taken it off the actual list. I sent him back a note with the above & said that they might want to check the website.

This is too bad since I really liked the rice tortillas but feel that something is going on with this company (or maybe not enough is going on).

CaraLouise Explorer
CaraLouise
Posted

I had them several years ago and I never felt quite right after eating them. Now I know why! Thanks so much for the research!

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Interesting that they don't feel like they can provide gluten-free organic corn at all. I knew there was CC in the grain industry but I didn't know it was that bad.

nascarrunner71 Newbie
nascarrunner71
Posted
  • Author

I got the same follow-up email about corn contamination. Apparently, this is their new form letter. I can't decide if this is crap or we really should be worried about corn contamination. Oh, and they blame their web designer! Here it is:

thank you for your interest in our products. Let me start by thanking you for letting us know about this issue with our website; we have a number of issues with our current site and are presently working with a new web developer to address these issues.

That being said, we do not advertise our Sprouted Corn Tortillas as

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I wrote them to ask about this the same day that this came up. This is the reply I recieved today:

Dear Karen, thank you for your interest in our products.

We do not advertise our Sprouted Corn Tortillas as

  • 3 months later...
quincy Contributor
quincy
Posted

Forgive me if this has been covered here, but my sister (celiac) just had this problem. I encouraged her to try corn tortillas. She purchased Food for Life sprouted corn tortillas at Whole Foods after reading the ingredients (Organic Sprouted Whole Kernel Corn, Filtered Water, Sea salt, Lime) and discussing it with a Whole Foods employee (they used to be stored next to the other gluten-free tortillas). She had a terrible reaction after having the tortillas, so I encouraged her to contact Food for Life. When she went to their website, she found the tortillas under the "Gluten Free/Wheat Free" section. The package doesn't say gluten-free, but it says "gluten free, flourless" on the website. However, while browsing the rest of the website, she found this comment relating to the non-gluten breads:

"sprouted in filtered water with a touch of organic malted barley and sea salt'

When she contacted Food for Life, she received the following response:

Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you obtain a stomach ache from the Organic Sprouted Corn Tortillas. That product does contain gluten. We offer a Wheat Free/Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Tortilla that

heatherjane Contributor
heatherjane
Posted

I should have googled this product before eating it today for lunch. I usually search a new product that I haven't eaten before, but I figured the labeling said just corn, lime, sea salt. A few hours after eating I starting experience the tell-tale pain along the bottom of my right rib cage.

This thread seems to indicate that the product is suspect. It only says "wheat free" on the package. which is misleading. if anyone sees this post, let me know what the latest is. I will check the mall to see if it still removed ....

thanks.

I do think it's interesting that celiac is mentioned all over their website now. <_<

  • 3 weeks later...
hoyhacesol Newbie
hoyhacesol
Posted

This is too bad! :(

I have this tortillas every morning and love them. They don't make me feel bad but if they do have gluten I will stop eating them.

Can anybody recommend another brand of corn tortillas that are indeed gluten-free and don't have any "unnecessary" ingredients (e.g. only corn, lime, water, salt). Thanks a lot!

Sara

BRUMI1968 Collaborator
BRUMI1968
Posted

This is too bad! :(

I have this tortillas every morning and love them. They don't make me feel bad but if they do have gluten I will stop eating them.

Can anybody recommend another brand of corn tortillas that are indeed gluten-free and don't have any "unnecessary" ingredients (e.g. only corn, lime, water, salt). Thanks a lot!

Sara

Sara,

I suggest you buy Masaca Masa Flour. It says gluten-free and is also GMO free...I think. You have to make your own tortillas, but they are super good and it does not really take long once you get the hang of it. It is just corn treated with lime. We eat them all the time - no problems. You'll want to get a tortilla press, but they are pretty cheap. We used a wine bottle to roll them out before we bought one.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

This is too bad! :(

I have this tortillas every morning and love them. They don't make me feel bad but if they do have gluten I will stop eating them.

Can anybody recommend another brand of corn tortillas that are indeed gluten-free and don't have any "unnecessary" ingredients (e.g. only corn, lime, water, salt). Thanks a lot!

Sara

Mission brand corn tortillas are good. I also Enjoy Life brown rice warps. I get them at Whole Foods stores and some Giants.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,551
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Newest Member

    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.