Oats produced under a gluten-free purity protocol: Listing of suppliers and manufacturers
UPDATED OCTOBER 21, 2022: All suppliers of single ingredient purity protocol oats and manufacturers/brands using purity protocol oats in their single ingredient oat products in this listing have updated their information. Please keep in mind that there is no standardized definition for purity protocol oats. Please read the purity protocols for all suppliers.
Inclusion in this listing does not constitute endorsement from Gluten Free Watchdog. Information has been provided by the suppliers and manufacturers. Gluten Free Watchdog has not necessarily tested the products listed here for gluten cross contact.
This listing is provided as a convenience to those consumers who wish to purchase single ingredient oat products from suppliers/manufacturers who source oats grown under a gluten-free purity protocol. Please contact the manufacturers directly to ask about their finished product testing protocols and their handling procedures for purity protocol oats (e.g., steps taken to prevent cross-contact with wheat, barley, and rye once in the hands of the manufacturer).
SUPPLIERS: If you would like to be included in this listing, please send an email to: (info@glutenfreewatchdog.org). To be included in the listing your email must:
- Describe your purity protocol (see examples below from other suppliers).
- Provide information on your testing protocol.
MANUFACTURERS/BRANDS: If you sell single ingredient oat products and would like to be included in this listing, please send an email to: (info@glutenfreewatchdog.org). To be included in the listing your email must state:
- That all oats used in your labeled gluten-free products are purity protocol sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol*.
- The name of your oat supplier(s).
- Your supplier(s) must be included in the listing below.
*UPDATE January 4, 2023: Gluten Free Watchdog does not recommend GF Harvest as a source of gluten-free oats. This supplier has been removed from the listing. For more information, please see https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-free-watchdog-no-longer-recommends-gf-harvest-as-a-source-of-purity-protocol-oats/
NORTH AMERICAN SUPPLIERS OF PURITY PROTOCOL OATS
Avena Foods
Information updated and confirmed October 14, 2022
Company Statement:
Avena Foods was the pioneer in sourcing and processing gluten-free oat ingredients and continues its industry-leading role through its Start Clean Stay Clean Avena Purity Protocol system. Rigorous controls and testing for gluten start even before farmers plant their crop. At Avena’s Grower School, Purity Protocol requirements are explained and best farming practices are shared. Strict quality control continues throughout all farm operations, transportation and processing at Avena’s plant to ensure Avena-sourced gluten-free oat ingredients are safe for all consumers.
- Website: http://avenafoods.com/
- Oat ingredient supplier to manufacturers. Ingredients are available ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook, certified organic and conventional, non-GMO. (Extra-Fine Oat Flour, Fine Grind Oat Flour, Toasted Oat Flour, Whole Oat Flour, Quick-Cooking Oats/Baby Oats, Rolled Oats, Granola Rolled Oats, Hefty Oat Flakes, Steel Cut Oats, Oat Groats).
- GFCO-certified Avena Purity Protocol Oat Ingredients are guaranteed <5ppm of gluten, with the exception of flour <10ppm.
Purity Protocols:
- Growers attend workshops to learn the requirements for growing gluten-free oats and to share their experience.
- Selected growers are contracted in advance.
- Contracted growers use only pure pedigreed seed.
- Fields used to grow contracted gluten-free oats are:
- Required to follow specified crop rotation protocol
- Surrounded by an isolation strip
- Inspected by CFIA trained third-party inspectors
- All machinery and equipment used by contracted growers is either thoroughly cleaned or dedicated.
- Oats are checked for
- Purity (visual)
- Field cleanliness (inspection)
- Pre-cleaned Harvest sample (one to Avena office and one to third-party accredited lab)
- Cleaned sample (one to Avena office and one to third party accredited lab)
- Sampling at time of receiving (trailer inspection for cleanliness, trailer seals, and sampling for gluten per hopper)
- Oats are processed in a GFCO certified dedicated gluten-free facility.
- A lot is a day’s production. Each tote milled within that lot is sampled for gluten. If a tote fails, shoulder totes are retested.
- Finished oat ingredients are tested for Gluten using R5 ELISA methodology by a third-party accredited lab.
Montana Gluten-Free Processors
Information reconfirmed October 6, 2022
- Website: http://www.montanaglutenfree.com/shop/
- Certified by both GFCO and GFFP
- Consumer oat products include (available in both conventional and organic):
- Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix
- Gluten-Free Raw Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Oat Bran
- Gluten-Free Oat Groats
- Gluten-Free Cream of Oats
- Gluten-Free Toasted Oat Bread Mix
- Gluten-Free Waffle Pancake Mix
- Gluten-Free Toasted Oat Flour
- Gluten-Free Raw Oat Flour
- Gluten-Free Sprouted Oat Groats
- Gluten-Free Oat Malt
- Ingredient supplier to manufacturers
- Gluten-free purity protocol:
- Oats are planted only on fields that have not grown gluten grains for 4 years
- Pure gluten free seed is planted
- Fields are hand rogued to eliminate any possible contamination
- The grower is responsible for rogueing
- Each field is inspected by a Montana Gluten Free inspector prior to harvest to assure that the rogueing was thorough and the field is clean
- Oats are harvested and transported in certified clean dedicated equipment
- The combines are inspected and each grower has been trained to clean equipment
- Oats are processed in a dedicated gluten-free facility
- Redundant ELISA R5 testing is conducted before and after processing (since 2012 Montana Gluten-Free also uses the ELISA G12)
Bay State Milling – Saskatoon: Purity Protocol Oats
Information updated on October 17, 2022
- Website: https://baystatemilling.com/purity-protocol-gluten-free-oats/
- MGM Seed & Grain ULC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bay State Milling Company.
- Purity Protocol Oat products including Rolled Oats, Groats, Steel Cut, Quick Oats, Oat flour.
- B2B – supplier to manufacturers.
- Product Gluten-free status is delivered by following the Purity Protocol standard and monitored through inline sample inspections and color sorters at two different stages (Oat cleaning & Oat dehulling). This monitoring is performed with extensive Purity Protocol visual testing by trained professionals and verified by chemical testing of the finished product.
- Select growers are trained individually through one-on-one meetings for growing Purity Protocol oats.
- Saskatoon has a supplier approval program; approved suppliers are contracted in advance.
- Only pure pedigreed seed is used.
- Fields used to grow Purity Protocol Oats are:
- Required to follow specified crop rotation protocol. Producers are required to have a minimum of three years following the harvest of glutinous crops prior to seeding Purity Protocol Oats.
- Surrounded by an isolation strip.
- Inspected by trained inspectors.
- All machinery and equipment is either thoroughly cleaned or dedicated.
- Oats are processed in a dedicated gluten-free facility.
- All incoming raw oats, cleaned lots and finished product is tested using GFCO approved methodology:
- Field audit for Gluten-free Purity Protocol.
- Pre-cleaned Harvest sample testing before purchase.
- Sampling and inspection at time of receiving (trailer inspection for cleanliness, trailer seals, and sampling for gluten per hopper) following Purity Protocol.
- Visual testing every hour (at minimum) on each of two inline color sorters for glutenous grain inspection and rejection system.
- Oats are checked for purity (visual) during various steps throughout the process- receiving, cleaning, dehulling.
- Each finished product lot is tested throughout the run for gluten. This testing is done using the Romer Agra Strip Gluten G12- AOAC Lic. No. 061403 method or the R-Biopharm R5 ELISA Ridascreen Gliadin method (Art Nr. R7001 test kits – AOAC Lic. No. 120601) depending on specific customer requirements. Any lot with >5ppm gluten is held and a root cause analysis is performed.
- As verification step, every month, one lot (minimum) is selected for additional gluten testing. Every pallet/tote within that lot is tested for gluten using the R-Biopharm R5 ELISA Ridascreen Gliadin method (Art Nr. R7001 test kits – AOAC Lic. No. 120601). If any single pallet tests >5ppm gluten, the entire lot is is held and a root cause analysis is performed. At initial stage of MGM’s commissioning process, the gluten results (Purity Protocol testing, inspections & chemical testing after cleaning process) were validated by testing more than 300 samples using R-Biopharm R5 ELISA Ridascreen Gliadin method (Art Nr. R7001 test kits – AOAC Lic. No. 120601).
- Gluten testing is done by a third-party accredited lab pursuant to customer request. At the commissioning of the mill, third-party accredited labs were used to validate and verify our internal protocols and procedures. MGM participates in annual proficiency testing with third-party accredited labs.
- All gluten testing results are submitted to our certifying body for review each quarter, and we have an audit for compliance each year. All Purity Protocol finished product is guaranteed to have <5ppm gluten.
……….
This listing includes manufacturers selling single ingredient purity protocol gluten-free oat products to consumers. Please note that Montana Gluten-Free (listed above) also sells purity protocol oats directly to consumers.
GfJules
Information updated via email on October 4, 2022
- Website: https://shop.gfjules.com/collections/oats
- Sells Purity Protocol Certified Gluten-Free Oats from Gluten-Free Prairie
Gluten-Free Prairie
Information reconfirmed via email on October 18, 2022
- Website: http://glutenfreeprairie.com/
- All oat products are made using oats from Montana Gluten-Free Processors and Avena Foods
- Single ingredient product list includes:
- Gluten-Free Prairie Toasted Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Prairie Toasted Oat Flour
- Gluten-Free Prairie Groats
- All Gluten-Free Prairie products are available in bulk
Bakery on Main
Information updated and confirmed on January 6, 2023
- Website: https://bakeryonmain.com/
- All oats used in labeled gluten-free products are sourced from suppliers of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
- This supplier is Avena Foods (IMPORTANT: look for a best before date of June 2023 and later)
- Single ingredient product list containing purity protocol oats:
- Whole grain (quick oats, rolled oats, and steel cut oats)
- Whole grain organic oats (quick oats, rolled oats)
Grainful
Information reconfirmed October 5, 2022
- Website: https://www.grainful.com/
- All oats purchased for Grainful frozen meals, which are GFCO certified are sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
- This supplier is Avena
- All oats purchased for Grainful Rolled Oats, which are labeled gluten-free are sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
- This supplier is MGM Seed & Grain.Purity Protocol Oats.
- All oats purchased for our Grainful Rolled Oats – Hulless Oats, which are labeled gluten-free are sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
- This supplier is Montana Gluten-Free via Bay State Milling.
- All whole red lentils for our Grainful Whole Red Lentils, which are labeled gluten-free are sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
- This supplier is Kroeger Farms.
- Single ingredient product list containing purity protocol products (oats and lentils):
- Grainful rolled oats labeled gluten-free
- Grainful rolled oats-hulless oats labeled gluten-free
- Grainful whole red lentils labeled gluten-free
For those of you outside of North America, a possible source of purity protocol oats:
Glanbia Ireland DAC trading as Tirlán
For more information, please see https://www.tirlaningredients.com/ingredients/gluten-free-oats
Comments (103)
On November 2, 2015 Nature’s Path wrote the following to me in an email, “This is to confirm that Natures Path Foods has purchased the Country Choice brand name from Grain Millers. Grain Millers continue to be the supplier of our gluten free oats.”
Grain Millers’ oats are mechanically sorted.
I wonder if they will “keep things the same” as they were. Nature’s Path told me, in an email, that their own brand (and I guess Envirokidz, too) are on shared equipment. I have the email, but where’s the disclaimer on the packages and boxes of food. Not there!! I emailed that I cannot tolerate food on shared equipement, and they wrote back saying that I would not be able to safely eat their products. Makes me wonder about Country Choice, then.
I’m wondering if they still sort the oats mechanically today. If that’s the case, that would explain why my son and I have been sick with gluten exposure symptoms this week.
On November 12, 2015, Bob’s Red Mill wrote the following to me in an email (bottom line–BRM is using both purity protocol oats and sorted oats in their gluten-free oat products):
Dear Ms. Thompson,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. For over 30 years, Bob’s Red Mill has been committed to providing the very best in gluten free flours, cereals, baking mixes and grains for our friends on gluten free diets. For all of our gluten free products, we thoroughly batch test every product in our quality control laboratory upon delivery, during production and after packaging. We adhere to a standard of no more than 19 parts per million of gluten. Should a test show that a product exceeds that limit, it would be simply rejected and made unavailable for distribution to anyone. Every step in the production of our gluten free products is done in a separate gluten free packaging division complete with specialized machinery to make sure that our products maintain their purity. By going to these lengths, we’re able to ensure that people with wheat allergies, celiac disease and gluten intolerance can trust that our products are safe to consume.
Oats require special care to ensure that they are safely free from gluten. Bob’s Red Mill only sources from oat suppliers who are committed to practices for eliminating the presence of gluten. Our suppliers are innovative in controlling the presence of gluten by either avoiding crop rotation with gluten containing grains or using optical sorting technology to remove grain containing gluten. Regardless of our suppliers’ chosen methods for meeting our gluten free specification, we require that each lot is tested and confirmed gluten free before authorization for shipment to Bob’s Red Mill. To ensure that they stay just as gluten free as the day their seedlings sprouted from the earth, we test each batch in our quality control laboratory when they arrive from the farm, during production and once again after they are packaged in our dedicated gluten free facility.
This worries me. I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill oats before, and not had an issue. But I’m not comfortable using a mechanically sorted oat product. I truly believed they were certified gluten free oats. I will be sticking with Aveena for my oats going forward. Thank you for the work you do!!
Remember too, that certified gluten-free does not mean the oats are purity protocol.
You can actually tour Bob’s Red Mill. I live near the factory. They have dedicated half of the factory to strict gluten free milling and packaging. It is impressive.
I was just at Bob’s Red Mill this last weekend – their knowledge of and commitment to GF protocol and product is wonderful.
Yeah I agree, I support a company choosing to do their own testing. And they batch test and have done so for years. Starting this year, they’re also working with GFCO to certify it externally. But I didn’t see anything about PP Oats in the announcement, which is here: https://www.bobsredmill.com/bobs-way-gluten-free I haven’t had a problem with BRM oats so far either. I got some PP oats recently, but I go through them slowly with my low carb diet.
I have bakery on main oats expiring 4/23, are you saying they are not celiac safe?
If purity protocol oats are important to you, look for Bakery on Main oats with a best before date of June 2023 and later
It bothers me very much that they allow their oats to come so close to the limit of gluten for legal gluten free labeling. Yes, it is possible that the sample came from a spot of high gluten contamination. It is also possible that it came from a low concentration sample. I’d think they would set aaximum limit of 10 to 15 ppm or lower to protect their customers, and to protect their equipment from cross contamination.
Have you checked out the gluten-free oats at Trader Joe’s? I’d love to see a review of them.
We tested Trader Joe’s oats in 2011. Their source of oats may have changed.
I’ve gotten sick from 2 different bags of Trader Joe’s oats. Never again. Does anyone know about oats from Nuts.com? I just bought some but haven’t used them yet.
It bothers me very much that they allow their oats to come so close to the limit of gluten for legal gluten free labeling. Yes, it is possible that the sample came from a spot of high gluten contamination. It is also possible that it came from a low concentration sample. I’d think they would set aaximum limit of 10 to 15 ppm or lower to protect their customers, and to protect their equipment from cross contamination.
Note to manufacturers: If you are sourcing “gluten-free” oats from either Grain Millers or La Crosse Milling, these oats are commodity oats that have been mechanically/optically sorted.
Any update on Trader Joe’s gluten free oats?
I do not know the source of Trader Joe’s gluten-free oats.
Update on Trader Joe’s gluten-free oats: Based on a recent Fearless Flyer, Trader Joe’s gluten-free oats appear to be produced under a purity protocol. Here is the link to the information http://traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/2788. Thank you to the consumers who sent me photos and links.This community is fantastic!
I had to give away my trader joe’s GF oats a month ago because I was suddenly bloating, getting migraines, and was foggy after switching brands to these because they were cheaper. I guess you get what you pay for.
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I have been living with Celiac Disease for 23 years. These are the oats I have been using: http://www.creamhillestates.com/en_about.php They follow a purity protocol. Have you heard of them? Thank you for your work. I follow and listen to you and GlutenDude.
Hi Sandy, Yes I am very familiar with Cream Hill Estates (they are good people) but there is a reason why they are not included in the list of suppliers of oats grown under a purity protocol.
Dear Tricia,
I would like to know the reason why Cream Hill Estates oats are not included in your list. I live in Ontario Canada, have celiac disease and DH, and these are currently the only bulk oats that I can find to purchase from my local whole foods store. If there is an issue with their purity, I would like to know. Thank you.
Carrie, Cream Hill Estates has not provided me with a public statement for posting. Please contact them directly and ask whether their oats are grown under a gluten-free purity protocol or whether they are mechanically and optically sorted. Note: I have just reached out to Cream Hill again for a statement about their oats. If one is forthcoming, it will be posted.
Carrie, A statement from Cream Hill has just been posted.
Thanks so much for all the work that you do to advocate for us celiacs! I found you through @glutendude.
My pleasure, Carrie.
I appreciate your time and care sharing a such important information!
I’m not a celiac but want to provide healthier food for my family.
You helped a lot.
God bless you.
Sandy, A statement from Cream Hill has just been posted.
Thank you so much. I appreciate your work so much. It’s so important to have the facts,
You are most welcome, Sandy. Thank you for the kind words.
SO, are Bob’s Red Mill’s oatmeal oats safe?
If it is important to you that the oats you eat are grown under a gluten-free purity protocol then choose one of the brands included in the list. There is no way for a consumer to know whether the oats purchased from BRM are purity protocol or mechanically/optically sorted.
Thank you for letting us know. i had thought that Bakery on Main oats were pure, have you heard anything about them? Thank you!
I do not know the source of Bakery on Main oats. If you contact them be sure to ask if they source ALL of their oats from a supplier of oats grown under a purity protocol (if this is important to you).
Have you checked Kind gluten free granola products?
Cindy, Please contact Kind by email and ask them if they source ALL of their oats from a supplier of oats produced under a gluten-free purity protocol or if they source oats from a supplier who mechanically and optically sorts commodity oats. If you receive any information from Kind in writing, please report back.
I contacted Kind about the source of their oats (purity protocol or sorted). Here is their reply:
“All of our snacks, including those containing oats, are gluten free. We adhere to stringent guidelines and conduct regular testing to ensure our snacks contain less than 20ppm of gluten.
I hope this information helps. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any additional questions.”
When I replied with the comment that they hadn’t answered my question, this was their further response:
“While specific sourcing information is considered proprietary by nature, please know that we work closely with our oats suppliers to ensure we are holding ourselves to industry best practices – both from a sourcing and testing perspective.”
You may want to draw your own conclusions from that.
About five years ago, I ate a Kind bar on an empty stomach. Within 10 minutes I was in the bathroom with severe cramping and diarrhea. The next day I called and asked for their company lawyer. She told me those with celiac cannot and should not eat their bars as her secretary also has celiac and became very ill. I couldn’t get any information about purity protocol or cross contamination in processing.
Statement from Cream Hill Estates provided via email on March 31, 2016:
“Cream Hill Estates sources our gluten-free oats from a mill that successfully uses extensive mechanical and optical sorting to minimize the likelihood of gluten cross-contamination in their products. The mill uses both select commodity and purity protocol oats and does frequent sampling throughout the process from arrival of the oats at the mill to finished product, and we are satisfied that cleaning, sorting, sampling and testing at the mill produce gluten-content results that are well within acceptable limits for celiac disease (CD) and wheat sensitive consumers, including CD members in our own family. The mill provides us with test results for each lot number, an 1,800 pound tote bag, and we also do random independent third-party gluten testing of representative samples obtained by us from those totes. Test results from the mill and from third-party testing are always less than 10 parts per million (ppm) of gluten with the vast majority being less than 5ppm using S-ELISA and R5-ELISA test methodologies. Our products are certified gluten-free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO). Our dedicated gluten-free manufacturing and packaging facility in Montreal is also free from any of the top 8 food allergens identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the 10 priority food allergens identified by Health Canada. As a finished food supplier to consumers and an ingredient supplier to manufacturers, we guarantee the purity of our products.”
Hi Tricia, Thank you for all you do! I was just looking into Cream Hill Estates, and I’m not sure if they posted this on your website before/after they emailed you. From their wording it kind of makes it sound like the oats are pure but they double check their work via sorting and throw away anything questionable. So confusing 🙁
http://www.creamhillestates.com/en_purity_process.php
Hi Jessica, What you are reading on the website of Cream Hill Estates is outdated information. They have not updated their website since changing the source of their oats. The latest information is included in the statement provided to Gluten Free Watchdog.
That is so frustrating! Thank you for providing the correct information!
Thanks so much for all your work. Does anyone know anything about Kashi’s oat source? I have not had issues with their other g-f things, but am trying to find info about their oats, with very little luck.
Thank you for your article and work on this. We buy gluten-free oats from Azure Standard out of Oregon. I hope they are acceptable.
Do you know about Vitacost gluten free oats? They are certified by Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). Is that a reliable organization?
Sarah, You will have to contact Vitacost and ask them if they are sourcing ALL of their gluten-free oats from a supplier of purity protocol oats (if this is important to you). GFCO certifies products containing oats that are purity protocol and mechanically/optically sorted.
Hi there, any update on Bob’s red mill? They are still using a mixture which means their oats are not really gluten free? So appreciate all you do!
As far as I know, Bob’s Red Mill continues to use both purity protocol oats and mechanically/optically sorted oats in their oats labeled gluten-free.
Ok so what does that mean? Are they or aren’t they safe? So frustrating and confusing. Thanks
Yes, the situation with oats right now is very complicated and we will be writing a new post soon. Based on numerous studies, moderate amounts of oats (approximately 50 grams) NOT contaminated with wheat, barley, or rye can be added to the diets of the vast majority of individuals with celiac disease. A small percentage of people appear to have an immune response to the oat prolamin avenin. For this reason, oats should be added to a gluten-free diet in consultation with your dietitian or doctor.
Bakery On Main oats: A subscriber to GFWD asked Bakery on Main about the source of oats used in their gluten-free products. A brand and communications marketing associate responded in part (via email on May 22, 2016), “Bakery On Main’s top priority has always been to provide great tasting products that all those with Celiac Disease can trust and know are safe. We recently decided to soon begin using the mechanically sorted oats in some of our products only due to the fact that the supplier that we will be working with has been third party certified gluten free by the GFCO.” Please contact Bakery On Main for more information.
Hello,
I am looking for oatstraw tea from a gluten-free oat source.
Any recommendations?
Thanks very much,
Lori
Lori, I have never heard of tea made from oat straw. Do you have any product links?
Hi Tricia – do you have any information about Arrowhead oats? This list is fantastic, thank you so much for this hard work.
I have been using BRM GF oats for years and have no problem with any Celiac related symptoms due to contamination but I may not be as sensitive as others – I was diag in 7/05 with Celiac Disease and have followed a strict GF diet to the point of making my own bread and other goodies. The problem with GF oats is availability and cost – there are many outlets that sell the listed GF products and once in a while you can get them on sale which helps but I use BRM in all of my recipes. I’m willing to take the chance that they are safe.
Hi, do you know if whole foods bulk oats are gluten free?
Michelle, if you are referring to oats sold in bulk bins, all naturally gluten-free grains sold in bulk bins should be avoided due to the risk of cross contact. Regarding oats specifically, only oats labeled “gluten-free” should be eaten by someone with a gluten-related disorder.
I ate a bowl of Only Oats Gluten-Free oats by Avena Foods today after taking a 4-month break to see iif it was the cause of past symptoms. Well 30 mins later, I am now experiencing all the symptoms I have when I eat gluten — muscle pain and stiffness, dry eyes, achy joints…
I’m going to take a few weeks’ break and try Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats. If I get a “glutened” reaction, I may have to give up on oats entirely. 🙁
Eugenia, I am sorry to hear this. Please notify your physician. You may be among the minority of people with celiac disease who can not tolerate a protein in oats called avenin.
I have not heard about this, but have reactions when trying to eat oats so it may be indicative of what I’ve experienced. . I gave them up a couple of years ago.
Response from Kind about oats used in their products (dated July 26th, 2017) – They use a mixture of purity and cleaned oats.
“Thanks for reaching out to our customer service team about this question. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure we’re upholding ourselves to best practices when it comes to gluten free oats. A significant amount of our oats are produced under a purity protocol process while the remainder undergo sorting and lab-tested visual inspection methods. All of our oats are held to our suppliers’ specifications of <10 PPM, which is within the FDA guidelines of <20PPM."
When asked about third-party certification (dated July 28th, 2017)
" Yes, the supplier that uses laser sorting/inspection is third party certified by QAI/NSF."
Thank you so much, Al for posting this information!!
Any information on if “Purely Elizabeth” oats and granola use purity protocol oats? Thank you in advance!
Please contact Purely Elizabeth for an update. In September 2016, Shirley of gluten free easily posted the following https://www.facebook.com/gfeglutenfreeeasily/posts/10154462725014435:0
It appears from their website that Nairn’s gluten free oat products (from Scotland) are made from oats produced with a purity protocol. I have asked them via their “contact us” page to post their information here.
Thank you so much, Tricia, for providing this information. I am currently on an “oat challenge” to be able to eat oats again (assuming I pass the blood test at the conclusion), and it is important to me to eat the safest oats possible during this period to avoid skewing the results of the challenge. It would be impossible to do this without your support.
Thanks for contacting Nairn’s Oatcakes, Helen. Good luck with your oat challenge.
Thank you for all that you do! Are you familiar with Edison Grainery and their oats?
Have you seen any information for Golden Prairie Oats? Thanks!
Hi Heather, Only what is on their website.
I was very hesitant but desperately hunger yesterday and I ate a kind bar with oats…I felt sick quickly brain fog pins and needles on my tongue. Bloating, right sided cecum/liver/intestinal back pain
Hi Adrienne, If you haven’t already done so, please contact your physician.
Thank you Tricia. I am a family doctor and I did see my practitioner yesterday. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m a family doctor and I did not even realize how much of an issue there really is with oats and gluten. I avoided oats for many years after my diagnosis and it wasn’t until I had a child that I started taking some shortcuts and incorporating more of the grains I originally did not tolerate. Now I’m realizing that I think I have been reacting to enjoy life crispy grain and seed bars as well. Have you spoken with enjoy life at all about there Oat source?
Nov.6th 2018 response to my question: Do you use oats that are from a source that uses a purity protocol? I’m specifically wondering about the crispy grain and seed bars chocolate marshmallow it looks like the UPC code says 819597011623. I am a family doc & I have celiac and I would like more information about your sourcing thank you
“Yes! The gluten-free oats in our Grain & Seed Bars are sourced from farms meeting purity protocol standards. Purity protocol is currently the strictest guideline for growing & processing gluten-free oats with conformance requirements covering crop rotation, seed purity, traceability, storage and more. Furthermore, Enjoy Life requires the oat ingredients we use to test for gluten down to <5ppm (parts per million) which is less than gluten-free standards for FDA & GFCO (<20ppm & <10ppm respectively). For more information on purity protocol gluten free oats, please visit GFCO and AACC.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Stay well and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Dina Teolis| Inbound Marketing Associate
(Direct) 773-632-2193 | (Toll-Free) 888-503-6569”
Thank you for this information. It would be helpful if Enjoy Life Foods contacted us directly so that we could add them to the listing.
Nov.7th 2018 email response from forage after my question: Is the source of your oats a purity protocol source? Are the oats optically or mechanically sorted? Some celiac patients like me can not tolerate gluten free oats unless the source is a purity protocol source thank you
“Hello Adrienne,Thanks for your note. Yes, our supplier does observe the purity protocol.
I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us, I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Maude
Maude Manoukian
Chief Community Officer
FORAGER PROJECT
Seeking | Exceptional | Food
855/729.5253
foragerproject.com
instagram.com/foragerproject”
Thank you, again. This is the info needed directly from manufacturers to be included in the listing above (please encourage the manufacturers you contact to reach out to us):
MANUFACTURERS: If you would like to be included in this listing please send an email to: (tricia_s_thompson@hotmail.com). To be included in the listing your email must state:
1. That all oats used in your labeled gluten-free products are sourced from a supplier of oats produced following a gluten-free purity protocol.
2. The name of your oat supplier(s).
Now that I’m approaching the one year mark living gluten free (later this month!), I’m refocusing on organic, which I’ve maintained with moderate success all my life. (But I didn’t want to do both organic and GF all at once, that would’ve been a nightmare.) I’m delighted to find some of these suppliers offer organic oats that are grown by the purity protocol. Thank you Tricia for maintaining this list! I really missed oatmeal, and while cream of buckwheat was my go to and I still like it, it’s going to be a delight to use oats again.
Are Luna Bars using the purity protocol for their oats?
Hi Colleen, You will have to contact Luna Bar and ask. Please make sure to ask if ALL oats used in their labeled gluten-free foods are purity protocol.
A friend of mine is looking to add gluten free oats to her diet after a candida outbreak she is suffering from, was looking for Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Oats and stumbled on your site, thank you so very much for all the hard work you do Tricia, this really will and does help so many people, oat is a super food if handled properly and essential for some people, even my self, but quite difficult to find a good clean source that has not been tampered with,,,just wondering if any updates on Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats as of today feb 24 2019?
its the only one we found i think in whole foods. also when it comes to purity protocol, does this mean there is a chance the oats are actually not gluten free?
thanks so much once again
To the best of my knowledge, BRM continues to use a combination of purity protocol oats and sorted oats in their labeled gluten-free oat products. Under the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule, all oats and oat products labeled gluten-free must contain a level of gluten below 20 ppm. That said, testing for gluten grains/grain dust in oats must be extensive due to the spotty nature of cross contact with wheat, barley, and rye. This is one reason that it is best in my opinion to choose oats and oat products produced under a robust purity protocol.
thank you Tricia
last question, from all the research you have done, is there a specific company that you have found to be trustworthy?
Is there information on Quaker Gluten Free quick oats in the tall cylindrical container?
Hi Ashley, Please see https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/quaker-gluten-free-oatmeal-gluten-free-watchdog-updated-position-statement/ You can find additional articles by searching under Quaker at https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/
Hi Tricia,
I see your note that Bobo’s is only using purity protocol oats until May, 2022. Are they changing to mechanically sorted oats? Do you know Why? Will we have to watch for changes in labeling or will they still be certified gf? Thoughts on continuing to eat their products?
Thank you!
The change is due to supply chain issues, which in the case of oats is legitimate. See https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gfco-warns-the-gluten-free-community-about-oat-supply-issues-recommendations-from-gluten-free-watchdog/. Based on email correspondence, Bobo’s is hoping to find other suppliers of purity protocol oats.
The certification on the packaging for GF Harvest appears to say “certificado sin gluten,” not one of the symbols I’m more familiar with. Does GFW feel that certification is equivalent to the others? Thanks.
Hmm. Can you please take photos and send them to info@glutenfreewatchdog.org. Thank you!
Hi Tricia,
Question on Bobo’s products… they have the certified GF label, yet I know they changed their oat suppliers per your info above. Thoughts on if they are still celiac safe or do we need products that also state “gluten free oats” in their ingredients. Thank you for all you do!
Given that buckwheat is grown in rotation with wheat, are the risks similar with that crop and should buckwheat also have its own purity protocol to be safe?
Thinking of alternatives to oats when it comes to GF grains.
From GF Harvest Purity Protocol – “Gluten testing is conducted on all incoming seed stock and after processing”
Has GF Harvest disclosed if this is an ELISA test, or lateral flow?
What happened to Bakery on Main and Gluten Free Bar? Looks like there is now no source of direct-to-consumer purity protocol steel cut oats.
The listing includes manufacturers of single ingredient oat products only. Bakery on Main products with a best by date of June 2023 or later no longer contain oats from GF Harvest. Once we are able to confirm that all oats in the marketplace from Bakery on Main are from a supplier of purity protocol oats in the listing, they will be added back.
Trisha,
Thanks for all of the info on oats. Question:
How do I determine if oats in a product are purity protocol/ sourced from supplier you mention here?
Specifically wondering if;
Bob’s red mill oats and products use purity protocol oats
Made Good granola bars use pp oats
Both brands are certified gf which has been my standard, but in light of the safe and fair granola testing results I want to stick to products with purity protocol sourced oats.
Thank you
Amanda P
Hi Amanda, The only way to know is to reach out to the manufacturer and ask. Previously, we’ve maintained a listing of multi-ingredient products made using purity protocol oats but after issues with candor on the part of some manufacturers, we stopped publishing the list.
Does anyone know of a brand of oats that a regular person like me can purchase that uses one of the verified purity protocol suppliers and is not processed on the same equipment as tree nuts? Bakery on Main and Gluten Free Prairie are both processed with tree nuts. Montana Gluten Free is not, but they only have raw oats which are not working for what I need.
Answering my own question… I realized I hadn’t considered Grainful. I contacted them and they indicated they do not process the oats on the same equipment as tree nuts, so I’m going to give them a try. Thanks again for this list.
Hi Jessica, I’m happy you found a brand of oats that fits your needs.
I actually just called Avena Foods to find out how I could purchase their oats and the representative there (named Janice) said “if you’re located in the states, you can find our oats in Bob’s Red Mill. We actually sell to them so that’s where you’d be able to find them.” I don’t know how this lines up with this article but it certainly makes me feel safer buying Bob’s! (this was on 1/12/23)
Bob’s Red Mill uses both purity protocol oats and mechanically/optically sorted oats. From the website: Oats require special care to ensure that they are safely free from gluten. Bob’s Red Mill only sources from oat suppliers who are committed to practices for eliminating the presence of gluten. Our suppliers are innovative in controlling the presence of gluten through a variety of methods, including crop rotation management plans and the use of optical sorting technology. Regardless of our suppliers’ chosen methods for meeting our gluten free specification, we require that each lot is tested and confirmed gluten free before authorization for shipment to Bob’s Red Mill.
Ah, makes sense! Thank you for clarifying! This site is such a gift to those of us with serious health issues related to gluten. I cannot personally eat any oats but my kids can and I want to make sure that what’s in house is pure and safe for me to handle and cook with.