Gluten Free Watchdog Now Testing Restaurant Menu Items for Gluten

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 […]

Call to Action: Help Us Determine the Current Status of Facial Misbranding of Gluten-Free Foods on Store Shelves

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 […]

Gluten Levels in Medication: FOIA Request

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 […]

Allergen advisory statements for wheat do NOT appear to be useful predictors of the potential for quantifiable gluten in database reviews

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 […]

“May Contain” Statements for Wheat on Foods Labeled Gluten-Free NOT Useful Predictors for Gluten

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 […]

Update on Edison Grainery French Green Lentils

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 […]

Gluten Detective: Consumer Test Kits for Detecting Gluten in Stool and Urine

Posted January 10, 2018

Note: Gluten Free Watchdog purchased the tests shown in the photo from Glutenostics. All conversations with Glutenostics have been “on the record.”

There are two new consumer tests for monitoring gluten intake on the market from Glutenostics—Gluten Detective stool test and Gluten Detective urine test. According to the manufacturer these tests can be used to monitor “major transgressions” related to gluten intake (urine test) and “total weekly gluten consumption” (stool test). What follows is information about […]

Gluten Free Watchdog Holiday Gift Subscriptions

Every holiday season we receive requests for gift subscriptions. We are offering six-month subscriptions to the Watchdog plan for $35. This allows subscribers access to new reports and 3 months of history. For a listing of products tested in the past 3 months, please see the “product report” page and look under the heading “recent reports.”

Gift subscriptions can be purchased by check or through PayPal. You will be sent a pdf of the gift subscription that will include the […]

A Smiling Child with Celiac Disease and Her Delightful Book Warms the Heart

Katie Scarlett Pryor is a young lady with celiac disease who has written a series of books—The Princess Katie Books. I purchased her latest book entitled, Princess Katie and the Sweet Shop and loved it. The story is about a young girl who is sad because she can no longer eat her favorite bakeshop sweets after being told she has celiac disease. Her sadness doesn’t last long because she decides to learn how to make gluten-free sweets and open […]