News

Public FDA meeting on recalls: Register to attend virtually

The Food and Drug Administration is holding a public meeting, Modernizing Recalls of FDA-Regulated Commodities on September 29, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada). You can register to attend the listening session virtually at https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-announces-public-meeting-modernize-recalls-fda-regulated-commodities Adam Rapp, pro-bono counsel to Gluten Free Watchdog will be presenting on our experiences. We have been advised that our presentation has been slotted between 11 am and noon (eastern time). Hope to "see" you there!

When the NIMA Partners gluten sensor result appears at odds with the visual reading of the LFD test strip

September 6, 2023 In the experimental work undertaken for our study, Consumer-Led Investigation into Potential Issues That Arise When Testing Dairy Matrixes for Gluten with the NIMA Sensor* we observed a possible disconnect between the result reported by the NIMA sensor and an interpretation of the LFD strip result when assessed by eye (e.g., regardless of sensor reading--smile, gluten found, no test result--the three LFD test strips in the photo look very similar). For more information, please see the study link...

Cargill recall of soy flour products: Additional information received from Gluten Free Watchdog FDA FOIA request

August 31, 2023 Brief background: On March 30, 2023, Cargill issued a voluntary recall for soy flour and textured soy flour products manufactured between October 5, 2022, and March 29, 2023, after receiving test results with levels of gluten between 20 ppm and 50 ppm. The source of gluten is believed to be from agricultural co-mingling with rye that was planted as a cover crop. The soy flour is not sold directly to consumers. What we learned from the FOIA materials: Cargill learned of the...

Testing dairy foods for gluten using a Nima sensor? Familiarize yourself with the potential issues

For immediate release August 25, 2023: Consumer-Led Investigation into Potential Issues That Arise When Testing Dairy Matrixes for Gluten with the NIMA Sensor published in the Journal of AOAC International by Tricia Thompson, Adrian Rogers, and Johnna Perry. To read the abstract and for a link to the full free text of this article (click on the pdf icon) please see https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jaoacint/qsad092/7238205?login=false. Highlights Slight variations in weight and volume of test materials can result in false positive results when testing dairy matrixes (such as...

Wheat Starch in Gluten-Free Foods in 2023: An Update from Gluten Free Watchdog

Bottom Line: Avoid wheat starch-containing foods NOT labeled gluten-free. It is your decision whether or not to eat labeled gluten-free foods containing wheat starch. In the opinion of Gluten Free Watchdog, wheat starch used in gluten-free products should be tested with both the sandwich and competitive R5 ELISAs unless it can be confirmed with the supplier that hydrolytic enzymes are NOT used in the production of water washed wheat starch. Read on for the reasons why. Please see the manufacturer listing below. Considerations: Do not eat wheat...

Thank You to Thomas Grace & the Bia Diagnostics Team from Gluten Free Watchdog

Gluten Free Watchdog was born a little over 12 years ago. This endeavor came to fruition because of the encouragement of Thomas Grace, CEO at Bia Diagnostics. We had recently completed a study on gluten cross contact in naturally gluten-free grains. While I had access to labs for testing, I wanted to make state-of-the-art gluten testing accessible and understandable to interested consumers with celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders. Thom's positive reaction when I told him what I hoped to...

Sample scripts for contacting members of Congress asking them to support the ADINA Act–A bill requiring drug labels to disclose ingredients made from allergens or gluten

This bill was introduced with bipartisan support in the House. We are hopeful that it gains traction. If you would like to reach out to your members of Congress asking them to support this bill, you can find your representatives at https://www.house.gov/representatives and your senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm. For more information on this bill, please see the post at https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/a-bipartisan-bill-to-require-major-food-allergens-and-gluten-to-be-identified-in-medications/ Phone Script Example (please personalize) Hello, my name is ____________________________, and I’m one of your constituents from __________________________.  I’m calling to ask ____________________________________ to support the ADINA...

A bipartisan bill to require major food allergens and gluten to be identified in medications

A bipartisan bill (H.R.4263) to require allergen labeling in medications was introduced in the House by Representatives Dean Phillips (D-MN-3), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Representative Michael Lawler (R-NY-17), Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) on June 21. This bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) (S.2079). Gluten Free Watchdog is proud to endorse this bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the label of a drug intended for human use to identify each...

Gluten-Free Claim Removed from KA-ME Hong Kong Express Rice Noodles

In May 2022, Gluten Free Watchdog (GFWD) reported KA-ME Hong Kong Express Rice Noodles to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) via the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS). At the time, product packaging included a gluten-free claim yet barley amylase was declared in the ingredients list. In February 2023, GFWD submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with FDA to find out what action was taken on our complaint. One of the...

Recall Update: New information on the recall of Cargill soy flour due to gluten cross contact

Gluten Free Watchdog has been in contact with Cargill about the recall of millions of pounds of Cargill soy flour. In brief, Cargill provided the following information: Out of an abundance of caution, Cargill issued a voluntary recall for Prolia® soy flour and Prosante® textured soy flour products manufactured between October 5, 2022, and March 29, 2023, after receiving limited test results with gluten above 20 ppm.  The gluten found in the testing was between 20 ppm and 50 ppm. Information available to...