Can Individuals with Celiac Disease Drink Barley-Based “Gluten-Removed” Beers such as Omission? A Gluten Free Watchdog Special Report
To write this report on the safety of of barley-based gluten-removed beers, Gluten Free Watchdog consulted with experts in mass spectrometry, ELISA testing, and amino acid sequencing of gluten proteins. We are very grateful that they generously shared their knowledge so that this information could be passed along to you. To access a pdf of the report please click here.
Comments (15)
I understand the necessary privacy restrictions, but I would love to share a screenshot of this pdf to Omission’s Facebook page, where they’re still gleefully touting themselves as gluten free.
Hi Ken, You are welcome to share a screenshot of the article but please include the link to the post on Gluten Free Watchdog https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/can-individuals-with-celiac-disease-drink-barley-based-gluten-removed-beers-such-as-omission-a-gluten-free-watchdog-special-report/
I don’t doubt anything you say in this report, but it does not reinforce your credibility to cite unidentifiable sources and essentially say: trust me. This practice is unusual and non-standard in any scientific review. Again, i don’t doubt the veracity of your content, but its value tends to pale when your experts won’t put their name on it. It begs one to question why.
Hi Kelly, Your point is fair and valid. There are many legitimate reasons why a source may want to remain anonymous (including current or former places of employment). When faced with the decision of either sharing valuable information from this exceedingly high qualified expert with the gluten-free community or removing the information from the article, I chose to include the information.
While Omission may not “own” the data on which they rely to label their product “gluten-free”, they do own the beer product which they are selling to the public. Consequently, they are responsible for it and ought to be held accountable. While knowing the scientific community as well as the celiac/gluten free community (the target consumer of their product) are questioning the strength of their data, they are rendering a disservice to the public by continuing to use the “gluten free” label until such time that the proprietary information is published and peer reviewed. Tricia, thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Bonnie. If you come across Omission beer labeled gluten-free versus “processed to remove gluten” please let me know.
I’m under the impression that Omission Beer is labeled “gluten free” when sold in Oregon. I will let you know if I see it labeled as such elsewhere. Thank you.
That is correct, Bonnie. In the state of Oregon where Omission is brewed, bottled, and sold it may be labeled gluten-free. The labels of beer that enter interstate commerce must be pre-approved by the TTB. Beer that does not enter interstate commerce is under the jurisdiction of the state. The state of Oregon approved Omission’s gluten-free label.
Great info on “Gluten-Removed” Beers specifically Omission. Sad Omissions can’t / won’t publish the data to accelerate their findings. Personally I wish this issue completely fell under FDA as I would think Omissions would be more motivated for a resolution. For now there is enough GF beer and cider available to keep me happy. Thanks for the info!
My pleasure, Gary.
Very informative article. After all this hounding, it seems pretty clear that Omission should invest to contract a lab to get their own LC-MS test data and publish the report. This would be a step forward and may open other GF beer possibilities for breweries that use Brewer’s Clarex (Yards in Philly comes to mind). Then there is still the issue of the calibration standard. This one seems like a big research project, A lot of interested parties would need to come together and chip in to make this happen.
I have been searching for answers to these questions for a while. Not sure if there has been any movement or updates since this article was written?
I know that since I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac (4 years) I’ve seen many changes to the product list of “safe” or “unsafe” for consumption by Celiacs. Liquor being the perfect example. When I was first diagnosed, the consensus among experts was to research the ingredients used in a given liquor/brand, in order to determine what is safe. And then a couple of years ago I listened to an interview with experts from the University of Chicago, that stated anything distilled is safe for Celiac consumption (barring no gluten additions like what is common in liqueurs, or contamination after distilling). I have my fingers crossed that most “Crafted to Remove Gluten” beers turn out to be safe. I’ve drank several on different occasions, and felt totally fine. But that doesn’t mean my gut remains healed…
Hi,
I have consumed over the past week a beer called Glutiny ( as in a Mutiny referece with skull bones to boot!) I have had celiac since I was a toddler. I was in so much stomach pain last night , i can only think it was due to the “gluten removed ” aspect of this beer. I will never again drink it. I haven’t had any problems with Redbridge since its made from sorghum. Ive learned a hard lesson.
I have celiac and drank omission last night, and am paying for it today?
I wish US gluten labeling was not more regulated but mandated in food, drinks, and alcohol. I have a wife and daughter with celiac disease and it’s not just alcohol. We’ve been let down by labels, recalls, calling manufacturers only to get wrong info or no info at all, and restaurants alike.
It’s a serious disease that may only affect 1-2% of the population but there are people getting sick, in pain, needing surgery, etc. because we don’t force compliance.
It can’t be that hard or expensive to test your product even if you don’t claim to be gluten free, disclose shared plants that cross contaminate, and just be honest in your package labeling?
It’s very frustrating. My wife found out at 35 when she needed emergency surgery then another surgery 4 days later. My daughter has had it since she was 6yrs old. These are real people in real pain but because the FDA allows the nutritional facts to be bought, we don’t get the truth in labels.
It’s just wrong!