05Dec
24May
Does FDA ever intend to take public enforcement action against manufacturers misbranding products gluten-free that list malt ingredients?
As of May 23, 2022, FDA has not taken any public enforcement action on misbranded products labeled gluten-free yet listing malt, malt extract, malt syrup, or malt vinegar in the ingredients (all made from barley unless another source is declared, such as corn malt). On February 23, 2022, Gluten Free Watchdog sent a letter to Susan Mayne, PhD, Director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The letter stated in part: "We are deeply concerned that the gluten-free labeling rule...
17May
Audio Message from Gluten Free Watchdog Asking You to Comment on FDA’s Draft Guidance on Evaluating the Public Health Importance of Food Allergens
Please take 3 minutes to listen to my message and then head over to the docket and comment. https://youtu.be/c9IDEdDUGbY Comment here https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FDA-2021-N-0553-0005 Use any or all of the text from Gluten Free Watchdog's comment available here https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CommentGlutenFreeWatchdogFDA-2021-N-0553-0005.pdf
25Oct
Grainful Purity Protocol Gluten-Free Lentils
Disclaimer: Gluten Free Watchdog provided feedback and encouragement to Grainful on their journey to bring purity protocol lentils to market. We are excited to see their efforts finally come to fruition. Gluten Free Watchdog does not formally endorse products. We recently purchased two, three-pound bags of Grainful Purity Protocol Whole Red Lentils from Amazon. We sorted one bag looking for errant grain and sent the other bag to Bia Diagnostics for testing. We did not find any foreign material and the lentils did not...
19Mar
Dear Beloved Gluten Free Watchdog Community
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 what...
06Feb
General Mills Proposed Gluten Friendly Line
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 the...
03Sep
When a regulatory agency (USDA) actually enforces the gluten-free labeling rule and recalls a product containing wheat-based soy sauce
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 established...
31Jul
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 the...
18Jul
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-free...
06Dec