04
Jan
2023
03
May
2021
Gluten Free Watchdog’s Gratitude List for Celiac Disease Awareness Month 2021
In celebration of Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we will be adding to this gratitude list daily. May 1, 2021 First up… Feeding Gluten-Free, a National Celiac Association initiative. There is no greater work than helping to provide gluten-free food to those in our community experiencing food insecurity. Please help if you can. Thank you. https://nationalceliac.org/giving-gluten-free/ May 2 Next up… Gluten-free small businesses. They need community support more than ever. If at all possible, find one to frequent. Third Coast...
08
Mar
2021
Gluten Free Watchdog’s updated position statement on Cheerios
This position statement may not be reposted without the express written permission of Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC. ***Note: What follows is the opinion of Gluten Free Watchdog. Whether or not you choose to eat Cheerios is your personal decision and you do not owe anyone an explanation. Please make decisions based on the totality of information available to you, including the position of Gluten Free Watchdog, the statement at the end of this post from General Mills, and Gluten Free Watchdog’s...
08
Mar
2021
Oats are complicated! Updated Position Statement on Oats from Gluten Free Watchdog
This statement may not be reposted without the express written permission of Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC This post was updated on October 24, 2022. ***Note: What follows is the opinion of Gluten Free Watchdog. If you tolerate oats, whether you choose to eat mechanically/optically sorted oats or only purity protocol oats is your decision. You do not owe anyone an explanation. Please make decisions based on all available information.*** BOTTOM LINE Gluten Free Watchdog… Is supportive of purity protocol gluten-free oats supplied by Avena Foods,...
30
Oct
2018
Why mechanically and optically sorted “gluten-free” oats continue to keep me up at night
If you are new to the gluten-free diet and are unfamiliar with the cross contact issues associated with oats and the differences between purity protocol and mechanically/optically sorted oats, please see the following articles before reading this post https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet-qa-part-1/ and https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet-qa-part-2/ Many labeled gluten-free foods contain oats supplied by providers of mechanically and optically sorted oats. Recently a consumer reached out to me regarding the labeling on a gluten-free snack bar containing oats. The label read, “"Contains ... wheat**...
16
Oct
2018
Updated Testing Protocol from General Mills for Labeled Gluten-Free Cheerios
General Mills uses standard oats that have been mechanically and optically sorted to remove wheat, barley, and rye in their labeled gluten-free Cheerios. Finished product testing (As reported to Gluten Free Watchdog and confirmed October 12, 2018) General Mills is producing gluten-free Cheerios using what they term “validated gluten-free flour.” General Mills determines gluten-free status of a “lot” of oat flour via a lot mean. Further, General Mills determines gluten-free status of a “lot” of gluten-free Cheerios via a lot mean. In both cases, General...
19
Jun
2018
Oats and the Gluten-Free Diet: Q&A Part 2
Two weeks ago I posted on social media asking you to send me your questions on oats—anything that was on your mind. I did this because the situation with oats and the gluten-free diet is one of the most complicated issues I write about–something I've been doing for about 21 years. Because you sent in so many questions, they are being answered in groups. This is the second Q&A post on oats. Some of your questions may have been slightly modified...
12
Jun
2018
Oats and the Gluten-Free Diet: Q&A Part 1
Last week I posted on social media asking you to send me your questions on oats—anything that was on your mind because as I stated, “The situation with oats and the gluten-free diet is one of the most complicated issues I write about--something I've been doing for about 15 years.” I've actually been writing about oats for so long that I forgot just how long. My first article on oats was published in the scientific literature in 1997—21 years ago versus...
07
Jun
2018
It isn’t just oats that have gluten cross contact issues
We've known for well over a decade that standard oats are highly likely to arrive at a mill from the farm containing errant wheat, barley, and rye grain. But we also have a problem with errant gluten-containing grain showing up in other naturally gluten-free grains, seeds, and legumes, including millet grain and dried lentils. This is happening in products labeled “gluten-free” as well as those labeled “certified gluten-free.” And it doesn't matter if the food manufacturing plant is dedicated gluten-free. Why?...
30
May
2017