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Gluten Free Label Accuracy.

alucard4545

By alucard4545
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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alucard4545 Explorer
alucard4545
Posted

So this is something that bothers me because it seems like a contradiction. It's when a product says "gluten free" on it, but on the back it also says that their plant processes several things including WHEAT GERM. AHHHHH red flag! (it doesn't have to be wheat germ specifically, it can be any gluten allergen, my product just happens to say so) So is it actually gluten free or not? What if it got contaminated.

I have two products that say this sort of message. One of them is Sunland natural peanut butter ---> Open Original Shared Link

So I'm just not sure whether it's safe to assume that if they're labeling they're product GLUTEN FREE, even though the plant also processes WHEAT GERM, that they must be practicing safe methods in the plant. Should I call the number on the website and ask? Does this type of thing bug anyone else?

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Here in Canada, manufacturers are required to follow "Good Manufacturing Processes" which includes cleaning of equipment between batches. A warning such as you describe can not be a substitute for that. A product can be labeled gluten-free here if it contains no ingredients derived from a gluten grain, and reasonable precautions are taken to avoid contamination. A "may contain" statement is allowed when, despite reasonable precautions, cc may be unavoidable.

In the USA, the term "gluten-free" is not legally defined. CYA statements abound. Baseball is no longer the national pastime in the USA--it has been replaced by litigation.

Keep in mind that if you allow any gluten in your home, your home is a shared facility. In that case, your dishes and cutlery are likely shared equipment. You do wash them between uses, don't you? So do food manufacturers.

The risk of unintended contamination is real, but don't let it overwhelm you. It can happen at any point on the supply chain, not just at the final production facility.

AVR1962 Collaborator
AVR1962
Posted

So this is something that bothers me because it seems like a contradiction. It's when a product says "gluten free" on it, but on the back it also says that their plant processes several things including WHEAT GERM. AHHHHH red flag! (it doesn't have to be wheat germ specifically, it can be any gluten allergen, my product just happens to say so) So is it actually gluten free or not? What if it got contaminated.

I have two products that say this sort of message. One of them is Sunland natural peanut butter ---> Open Original Shared Link

So I'm just not sure whether it's safe to assume that if they're labeling they're product GLUTEN FREE, even though the plant also processes WHEAT GERM, that they must be practicing safe methods in the plant. Should I call the number on the website and ask? Does this type of thing bug anyone else?

I have also wondered how safe they are. At first I was trying all kinds of different products, making my own biscuits, etc. But I noticed that much of it was making my stomach feel odd- full, almost too full like it wasn't wanting to digest right especially the breads. So I have limited even the products labled gluten free.

Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted
Baseball is no longer the national pastime in the USA--it his been replaced by litigation.

Yup.

And it's one, two, three glutenings and you're out....

I have reacted to "gluten free" peanut butter, and replaced it with a brand that just says "contains: peanuts, salt. may contain traces of tree nuts or soy." and do much better on that brand. I am leery of anything "natural..." for a reason.

We're America, the land of watching other countries do something for a decade, before deciding to creep forward up the next rung to American except- us- alism.

alucard4545 Explorer
alucard4545
Posted
  • Author

Here in Canada, manufacturers are required to follow "Good Manufacturing Processes" which includes cleaning of equipment between batches. A warning such as you describe can not be a substitute for that. A product can be labeled gluten-free here if it contains no ingredients derived from a gluten grain, and reasonable precautions are taken to avoid contamination. A "may contain" statement is allowed when, despite reasonable precautions, cc may be unavoidable.

In the USA, the term "gluten-free" is not legally defined. CYA statements abound. Baseball is no longer the national pastime in the USA--it has been replaced by litigation.

Keep in mind that if you allow any gluten in your home, your home is a shared facility. In that case, your dishes and cutlery are likely shared equipment. You do wash them between uses, don't you? So do food manufacturers.

The risk of unintended contamination is real, but don't let it overwhelm you. It can happen at any point on the supply chain, not just at the final production facility.

Thank you. This is good information to know. I wonder why here in America we don't have a legal definition of gluten free. I've read about that in other places as well. It seems so absurd. Hopefully this can change soon, I'm not sure what steps will be necessary to make that change. Time to research I guess.

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

nope. Take for example Benifiber, says gluten free but is made completely out of wheat.

also skippy natural peanutbutter is really good and i've had good luck with it.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Thank you. This is good information to know. I wonder why here in America we don't have a legal definition of gluten free. I've read about that in other places as well. It seems so absurd. Hopefully this can change soon, I'm not sure what steps will be necessary to make that change. Time to research I guess.

They have been trying to pass legislation for years. The FDA recently asked for comments on the bill if you want to read it and give them your imput.

Here's a thread:

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