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Tea Bags Sealed With Wheat Paste

T.H.

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T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

I've heard to be careful of tea, both for barley or wheat content AND for the possibility of a tea bag that might be sealed with wheat paste.

But the closest I've ever come to finding a company that seals with wheat paste was Lipton tea not answering the 'what seals your tea bag' question.

Them: Just check the ingredients label to see if our teas have gluten ingredients.

me: I understand that, but what about the tea bags? How are they sealed? Is there any gluten used in that process?

them: we list all the ingredients that make up our tea on the label...

and so on and so forth. I've seen a blogger on tea who ran into the same problem. Never could get a straight answer from Lipton on how their bags were sealed.

So I'm wondering: Has anyone ever actually FOUND a tea that had tea bags sealed with gluten, or is this more like a gluten myth?

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Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I went hunting to answer this question for myself. All I could come up with was urban myth. If anyone has a link or email from a tea maker sealing teabags with gluten paste, I would love to know as well.

irish daveyboy Community Regular
irish daveyboy
Posted

I went hunting to answer this question for myself. All I could come up with was urban myth. If anyone has a link or email from a tea maker sealing teabags with gluten paste, I would love to know as well.

Myth!

The tea bag fabric is crimpped under extreme pressure causing it to bond.

My father was a production manager in Allied Suppliers (Liptons) and installed and set-up the first tea bagging machine in Ireland 40 + yrs ago.

Just as a matter of interest tea bag became fashionable, to use up the tea dust

residue from tea chests. (which was normally wasted).

Best Regards,

David

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

wow- thanks dave for all the great info! im glad so many members here can help! :)

i wish the food industry would label everything better- i dont expect them to make everything gluten free for us- JUST list ALL the allergens. yesterday i got a frozen hot chocolate at a book store (even tho dairy is not my best friend) & she asked if i wanted whip cream- i asked to look at the ingredients- and it contained: Mixed Tocepherols. the cannister only listed: MILK as an allergen, but i have totally seen prepared dishes at Whole Foods list wheat in the ingredients-> but not in the allergen list :(

anyways, sorry for the mini rant.

thankyou everyone for all your info :)

T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted
  • Author

Oh, thank you, David!

This is one that's been bugging me for a long time now. Nice to find someone who knows a bit about it.

Of course, now the big mystery is figuring out why the myth started in the first place, LOL. :)

And thanks for the bit of information on the tea bag origins, too - I love learning little things like that. Makes life a bit less confusing and more interesting, I always think.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

It contained: Mixed Tocepherols. the cannister only listed: MILK as an allergen, but i have totally seen prepared dishes at Whole Foods list wheat in the ingredients-> but not in the allergen list :(

Tocopherol can be from wheat, but there are many, many other sources. If it was from wheat, then that would have to be listed. Since it was not, you know the sources did not include wheat.

Under FALCPA, wheat must be disclosed clearly. It can either be in the ingredients list, or in a "Contains" statement. The law does not require both, although many companies choose to do both.

CarolinaKip Community Regular
CarolinaKip
Posted

Bigelow teas lable their teas gluten-free, except for one kind. When I stopped drinking coffee, I started having an occasional cup of tea. I figured others were gluten-free as well, but I like seeing it on the box :)

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cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

Tocopherol can be from wheat, but there are many, many other sources. If it was from wheat, then that would have to be listed. Since it was not, you know the sources did not include wheat.

Under FALCPA, wheat must be disclosed clearly. It can either be in the ingredients list, or in a "Contains" statement. The law does not require both, although many companies choose to do both.

oh i was not aware or 100% sure that the companies always had to specifically declare it in an ingredient or allergen list. i just assumed since the industry is kind of slow to catching on- maybe they wouldnt always specify the origins to an ingredient. i was naturally suspicious- because they dont always cite if an ingredient is from corn or wheat right??? at least that seems to be the case. not every vitamin E bottle or pain medication bottle lists where their ingredient is derived from- at least that has been my experience when i called the makers of Advil.

???

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Ah, there are different rules for medications and food.

In the US, food packaged on or after January 1, 2006, must by federal law, clearly disclose the presence of any of the top eight allergens: wheat, soy, milk, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish. They can be in the ingredients list, or in a "Contains" statement following the list. Either one meets the legal requirement, but many companies do both.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

Ah, there are different rules for medications and food.

In the US, food packaged on or after January 1, 2006, must by federal law, clearly disclose the presence of any of the top eight allergens: wheat, soy, milk, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish. They can be in the ingredients list, or in a "Contains" statement following the list. Either one meets the legal requirement, but many companies do both.

thanks :)

  • 4 years later...
1deirdre1 Newbie
1deirdre1
Posted

Tea bags are heat sealed with PLASTIC thats why  Lipton is avoiding answering your question

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Tea bags are heat sealed with PLASTIC thats why  Lipton is avoiding answering your question

Plastic, you say? Would you please provide your source for this. It is news to me. Even if true (which I doubt), that would not be a source of gluten.

  • 2 months later...
jean3na Newbie
jean3na
Posted

Breaking news from the FDA, and brought to the celiac community by Dr. Tom O'Bryan.

 

Note: avoid tea bags, none was found in the teas themselves, but 8 of 20 revealed the presence of gluten, high enough for someone with celiac disease to react. Here's one such study:

 

Open Original Shared Link

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Breaking news from the FDA, and brought to the celiac community by Dr. Tom O'Bryan.

 

Note: avoid tea bags, none was found in the teas themselves, but 8 of 20 revealed the presence of gluten, high enough for someone with celiac disease to react. Here's one such study:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

 

That doesn't conclude that tea bags are sealed with a wheat paste - which would dissolve in hot water and open the tea bag.  Looks like the conclusion was that they might need to study the tests or testing methods.

 

 

"These results raise questions regarding the screening procedures used to detect gluten and how the observation of a homologous antigenic element is defined."

jean3na Newbie
jean3na
Posted

They tested positive for gluten with both test kits and in both sets of extracts. Tea bag roulette, anyone? Quite terrible odds.

 

This study shows there is no gluten in the tea itself and shows gluten above 20 ppm when in a tea bag in 8 out of 20 tests performed multiple times.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I've never had any problems with tea bags. Never. If you're worried about it just buy loose tea.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

To make you feel better, try Republic of Tea. They are certified gluten free. I drink that and plain old Lipton.

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