Does Anyone Here Eat Trader Joes Products?

[Coolclimates]

hi all. I have pretty bad Celiac Disease but do not get sick if I get glutened. Rather I seem to get a very delayed reaction that can lead to weight loss, extreme fatigue, etc. Yet my antibodies have been elevated for nearly 18 months, even though I'm very strict about my gluten-free diet. So my question for those of you who do get ill when glutened: can you tolerate Trader Joes food products or do they make you sick? The reason I'm asking is twofold: 1. I don't get ill when glutened but eat their products often so I don't know if that's been keeping me from healing and 2. they are labeled "no gluten ingredients" instead of gluten-free so I wonder about cross contamination issues.

I'm not sure how sensitive I am because I don't get an immediate reaction that i can pinpoint, but my tests have not been good. I've also had 2 endoscopies...still trying to find more information about what they found with the one I had 2 weeks ago.

I would really like to hear your thoughts about TJ's products.

[rosetapper23]

The simple, short answer is, yes, I've been glutened by Trader Joe products. It's been hit-and-miss with them, and my last run-in convinced me that I can't eat their so-called "gluten-free" products without the possibility of cross-contamination. I truly wish I could trust them because I LOVE their ginger snaps...but I was terribly glutened the last time I bought them. I'd like to point out, though, that Trader Joe's products are from many different food manufacturers. Some of their gluten-free products might be okay....but I've stumbled across enough contaminated products to make me too wary to eat them.

[cait]

Yeah, they're kind of hit or miss. Their labeling drives me nuts, because I never know what's actually safe. I no longer eat much from TJs.

[Coolclimates]

thanks for your comments so far. Yes, I'm disappointed with their lack of consistency and also with their crazy labeling (also inconsistent). I wish they would get their act together and be more careful about not contaminating their no gluten products or otherwise just don't have these products in the first place to tempt and sicken people.

[Mango04]

I eat TJ's food extremely regularly (practically live next door to one) and don't have any sort of problem. Their gluten-free pasta is inexpensive and great. I love their almond milk. I don't eat much of their super processed stuff though (they do sell a lot of junk food) so maybe that helps.

[Kate79]

With Trader Joe's, you can't take the 'no gluten ingredients' label as any kind of guarantee because of shared equipment and processing facilities. However, they're pretty good about listing that elsewhere on the packaging. Unfortunately, many of their 'no gluten ingredient' products DO share equipment with wheat, so you've got to be pretty vigilant - my husband accidentally bought bagged lettuce, of all things, from TJ's that shared processing equipment with wheat. I've been perfectly fine with the stuff that doesn't share equipment, but I don't touch the stuff that does.

Agree on their lack of consistency. Recently I saw a can of TJ's chili labeled as containing 'no flour' - and who knows what the heck that means?

[Coolclimates]

lettuce sharing equipment that processes wheat? Now that's a new one. Yeah, I don't know what to make of the "no flour" thing on the chili. Strange for sure...

[salexander421]

I steer clear of TJ products. A lot of their stuff is made on shared equipment. More times than not that will get me so I steer clear.

[deonagarcia]

hi all. I have pretty bad Celiac Disease but do not get sick if I get glutened. Rather I seem to get a very delayed reaction that can lead to weight loss, extreme fatigue, etc. Yet my antibodies have been elevated for nearly 18 months, even though I'm very strict about my gluten-free diet. So my question for those of you who do get ill when glutened: can you tolerate Trader Joes food products or do they make you sick? The reason I'm asking is twofold: 1. I don't get ill when glutened but eat their products often so I don't know if that's been keeping me from healing and 2. they are labeled "no gluten ingredients" instead of gluten-free so I wonder about cross contamination issues.

I'm not sure how sensitive I am because I don't get an immediate reaction that i can pinpoint, but my tests have not been good. I've also had 2 endoscopies...still trying to find more information about what they found with the one I had 2 weeks ago.

I would really like to hear your thoughts about TJ's products.

I agree with everyone else, some of their products are contaminated. I try to stick with the ones that have a "G" or say "gluten free" on package like their 72% dark chocolate or their rolled oats from dedicated facility.

[burdee]

I use the TJ's instant (precooked) brown rice packages. With 6 other diagnosed allergies, I can't find many other TJ products I can eat safely. However, I never reacted to the brown rice, even though I'm very sensitive to all of my 7 allergens.

[Sumomo]

I have definitely gotten glutened from Trader Joe's products, but only because of careless label reading (shared on machinery that processes wheat); I agree that the gluten-free label looks good in practice, but just because the ingredients are gluten-free doesn't mean it's gluten-free, I have unfortunately learned that the hard way! So a little extra reading can definitely go a long way!

[NoGrainNoPain]

Glad I saw this. When I can't make my own beans, I buy La Castellina from my local grocer. They are imported from Italy, made from beans, water and salt. I eat them without any ill effect. Since they cost a bit more, I decided to try Trader Joe's canned beans, made with beans, water, salt and calcium chloride. I did this a few times and eliminated any other possible varriables, and got sick every time. Tonight, I tried the canned salmon. This is my second time, and it made me sick. So I'm pretty sure it's the salmon. The dried plums are great, but I'm sensitive to whatever it is they do with most of their products. Also, I'm grain and soy free.

[cyclinglady]

How long have you been gluten free? I eat TJ's canned salmon all the time (breakfast) and have never been glutened. It is packed in the USA. Maybe you have an intolerance to fish or a histamine issue. Dried plums have natural sulfites and many folks have an intolerance to those.

When healing it is best to consume fresh or frozen whole foods until your gut is healed.

I hope you fell better soon!

[Coolclimates]

I have been gluten-free for 5 years now, yet my antibodies are still slightly elevated. I never eat out and only prepare my own food and avoid Trader Joes products.

[cyclinglady]

Would you mind telling which test is elevated (TTG or DPG)?

[cyclinglady]

Sorry, but weren't you having issues with your Dad bringing in bread and not being careful? I recall that you have been eating meals in their home when you were visiting. I think your Dad has dementia? How is that going? Have you stopped eating at your parent's house? I recall that you were in a tough spot. I am sorry that you are still getting glutened.

I asked about retesting for compliance. I think TTG needs to be in range, but not necessarily a zero.

[Coolclimates]

I think it was IgA. My Dad has promised not to bring anymore bread into the house. After having more conversations with him (which were often quite intense), he has come to the realization that this was causing me a lot of anxiety and he wanted to put an end to it. So the situation is much better...at least for now.