Dear Beloved Gluten Free Watchdog community,
During this very difficult time, here are some hopefully helpful tips. Please note that all recipes are my own from a book I wrote many, many years ago. If the photos don’t come through in this email, please cut and paste links into browser.
Difficulty eating? During times of stress, I’m prone to slight nausea and no desire to eat. If you are like me, this is what I do to combat this feeling… I make […]
Luna LemonZest and Blueberry Mash-Ups Bar
Over the past couple months Gluten Free Watchdog has received numerous queries about a new Luna bar flavor. The ingredients include wheat syrup. The product label includes a “Contains wheat” statement. And the following wording is included on packaging: “The wheat has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for gluten-free foods.”
So what gives?
This product is in compliance with the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule.
How […]
UPDATE February 12, 2020: Thank you so much to everyone who emailed and posted comments. Comments were sent to General Mills today.
Their response: “Thank you for sharing this information. I will be forwarding it on to the team that is working on the concept. I think it is also important for you to know that based on all of the feedback we received from the gluten free community, we removed the images from our website as we reevaluate […]
On August 30, 2019, the United States Department of
Agriculture announced the recall of Heatherfield
Foods Inc. pork sausage products due to misbranding. The sausage is labeled
gluten-free yet contains wheat. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-088-2019-release?permalink=35A47FAFA869093A250D7843C3A55B6D5ADD2BFB5919576B6453B59930E6CE26
Why is this
recall particularly significant?
It took
place because of a consumer complaint received by USDA.Based on
consumer photographs sent to Gluten Free Watchdog, the source of wheat in the
sausage is soy sauce.USDA
doesn’t have an agency defined gluten-free labeling rule. Instead
they require manufacturers under their labeling jurisdiction to adhere to the gluten-free
labeling rule […]
After
years of good intentions, Gluten Free Watchdog has started testing menu items
represented as gluten-free.
What is being tested? Early testing is focusing on nationwide chain restaurants that state in writing and verbally that their menu items marked gluten-free are appropriate for folks with celiac disease.
What is the protocol for collecting samples and sending them to the lab? Subscribers to Gluten Free Watchdog are facilitating this testing. Volunteers are purchasing the same menu item from chain restaurant locations across […]
Please help us assess the current labeling status of gluten-free foods previously reported to FDA for facial misbranding (i.e., food is labeled gluten-free but lists an ingredient not allowed under the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule).
The next time you are shopping for food, please check store shelves for the products listed below. In the relatively recent past these products have included a gluten-free claim on their packaging and named in the ingredients list an ingredient not allowed under FDA’s […]
It has been three years since I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FDA asking for testing data from an FDA funded study on the gluten levels in medications. FDA has yet to process my request.
Bottom line: FDA has concluded that medications are unlikely to contain more than 0.5 mg of gluten per unit dose (see Gluten in Drug Products Proposed Guidance available at https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-in-drug-products-proposed-guidance-please-comment/). This conclusion may in fact be accurate BUT it is […]
For Immediate Release April 4, 2018
Allergen advisory statements for wheat do NOT appear to be useful predictors of the potential for quantifiable gluten in database reviews 1,2
A pdf of this release is available at FINAL EJCNAAS2018PressReleaseApril4
In the U.S., allergen advisory statements are voluntary and are not currently defined by any federal regulation. The FDA continues to state that allergen advisory statements must be truthful and not misleading. Precautionary labeling may include language such as, “May contain wheat,” “Processed in a […]
On March 26, 2018 the article, “When foods contain both a gluten-free claim and an allergen advisory statement for wheat: should consumers be concerned?” by Tricia Thompson, Amy Keller, and Trisha B. Lyons was published online ahead of print by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
To view a one-page summary of the article (see photo below), click 2018 AAS FINAL one-pager
NOTE: The viewing and printing quality of the pdf at the above link is much better than clicking on the […]
February 26, 2018
The bad news: Yet another consumer contacted Gluten Free Watchdog about errant grain in Edison Grainery French green lentils.
The potential good news: Based on email correspondence between the consumer and Edison Grainery, they have just this month started using an optical sorter.
Gluten Free Watchdog sent an email to Edison Grainery to:
Confirm that they are using an optical sorter
Ask the best by date consumers should look for to ensure they are purchasing/receiving lentils that have gone […]
