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"gluten Free Pebbles" I Think Not!

GFreeMO

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GFreeMO Proficient
GFreeMO
Posted

Has anyone else tried and got glutened from the new "gluten free" Post Fruity Pebbles? I ate them 2 days in a row and last night, BAM! Glutened. I looked 6 mo. pg. I've been so careful too. Makes me so mad that we can't trust some of these companies with their gluten free labeling. Back to Rice Chex for me!

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hollyres Explorer
hollyres
Posted

Has anyone else tried and got glutened from the new "gluten free" Post Fruity Pebbles? I ate them 2 days in a row and last night, BAM! Glutened. I looked 6 mo. pg. I've been so careful too. Makes me so mad that we can't trust some of these companies with their gluten free labeling. Back to Rice Chex for me!

I have been eating all of the Pebble products for years and have never, ever been glutened. In the beginning of my diet about 4.5 years ago I would question everything I ate with the slightest sign of intestinal distress. I trusted nothing new. I even cut out certain gluten free foods because I THOUGHT they had made me sick - really missing out over the years. It might be the high sugar content or the dyes in it, but not gluten. I cannot have a DROP gluten, and I know they are safe in that area. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to question your reaction, I just hate to see you blame the wrong source. I also don't want others to read this and be afraid of Pebbles. Not all foods work for all people, but it is not always gluten that is the cause. - Holly

twe0708 Community Regular
twe0708
Posted

I am able to eat them too with no problems. :D

GFreeMO Proficient
GFreeMO
Posted
  • Author

Hmmm, I don't know. I haven't added anything new to my diet and I have been gluten free for 2 years. Am def. not new to this Something in those made me very sick. Not sure how they can be positive that artificial flavors that are listed in the ingredient label are gluten free.

The so called gluten free pebbles have only been gluten free since Jan of 2011. So perhaps, I had an old box. A rep from Post emailed me back and said that before 2011 they were not gluten free and there are some boxes out there with the old formulation. They can not say that they are truly gluten free. Here is a response to the question.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry regarding gluten in Post Cereals.

There are no wheat, oats, barley or rye formulated in Post Fruity, Cupcake or Cocoa Pebbles Cereals. Even though these products are being produced on a dedicated line, they are made in a facility with other products that do contain gluten. As a result Post Foods, LLC does not warranty them or any of our cereal products to be gluten free. While we are very focused on food safety and have established comprehensive HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) systems, supported by formal Allergen Prevention programs, it is possible that trace amounts of gluten may be present in transportation vehicles and storage devices.

All of our other cereals contain gluten. We have no future plans to get any of our products certified gluten free.

We hope you find this information helpful. Thank you again for your inquiry.

lucky97 Explorer
lucky97
Posted

But doesn't Cocoa Pebbles contain "caramel color?" I just read it on their website ten minutes ago and thought that was a no-no for celiacs.

I haven't seen this...are you saying the Pebbles boxes now say "gluten free" like the Chex boxes do?

I sure would like to add Cocoa Pebbles to my gluten free arsenal if I could...would like to use them for baking, too.

tea-and-crumpets Explorer
tea-and-crumpets
Posted

I have not had a problem with Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles, and I am sensitive enough to react to something that was made on the same lines as other things with wheat. The boxes do say Gluten Free and have at least since October 2010, when I was diagnosed.

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

Carmel color in the U.S. is fine for celiacs. I've eaten Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles for a LONG time and never had any issues.

Sorry you got sick!

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GFshay Apprentice
GFshay
Posted

Did your box say "Gluten Free"? I bought a box of Cocoa Pebbles and it was clearly labeled on the side of the box. I'm pretty sure in order to label something gluten free a company needs to undergo significant testing and procedures. I would trust any that say "Gluten Free", barring any major mistake on their part.

But I agree it could be the dyes or other chemicals that are irritating you rather than gluten content. My husband, who doesn't have Celiac, has noticed that even non-gluten highly processed food products are starting to bother him since we're eating so much more naturally these days. You might not be used to all that in the morning, if your previous go-to cereal was rice chex (much easier to digest).

Here's what I found on caramel color (from Open Original Shared Link: If you see the words “caramel color” on an FDA-regulated food product and the word “wheat” is not included in the ingredients list or the Contains statement the caramel color does not contain wheat protein. At this time, allergen labeling of USDA-regulated foods (meat products, poultry products, egg products) is voluntary and not mandatory. Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely that a meat, poultry, or egg product sold in the US would contain wheat-based caramel color.

Another interesting discussion is "starch" in food, which seems generally well labeled, with a few exceptions. Check out this discussion of USDA vs. FDA labeling laws: Open Original Shared Link

kimis Collaborator
kimis
Posted

I have been eating the new pebbles cereal bars this week....no problems so far. I would really love a bowl of kix....but I am afraid :(

CeliacMom2008 Enthusiast
CeliacMom2008
Posted

Did your box say "Gluten Free"? I bought a box of Cocoa Pebbles and it was clearly labeled on the side of the box. I'm pretty sure in order to label something gluten free a company needs to undergo significant testing and procedures. I would trust any that say "Gluten Free", barring any major mistake on their part.

This is not the case in the US. There is no labeling law for gluten free. It is up to the company to decide what they consider Gluten Free and how they want to label it. The law has been hung up on the definition of what gluten free is (a PPM threshold). So although a gluten free label is reassuring, it does not guarantee any testing has been done.

Further, US manufacturers are only required to label the top 8 allergens at this time and barley and rye are not in the top 8.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Further, US manufacturers are only required to label the top 8 allergens at this time and barley and rye are not in the top 8.

There are a number of companies that will always clearly disclose any gluten source in the foods they make. If you don't see "wheat, rye, barley, barley malt, oats" on the labels, its not there, or hidden in "flavors, starches, etc." Open Original Shared Link This makes shopping MUCH easier.

Rye is almost never found in ordinary food. It only turns up in things like rye bread (and variants thereof such as pumpernickel).

Barley is the concern. If the manufacturer is not one of the ones in the link above, then there is a chance that barley is hiding in natural flavors. It is a small chance, since barley malt is expensive and so is usually identified (watch for it in chocolate).

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

Different celiacs notice symptoms at different levels of trace gluten contamination. Many become sensitive to lower levels as time goes on. Just because others eat something without experiencing symptoms doesn't mean that everyone can. If you react, don't eat it. Hope you recover quickly.

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