Made in factory that also handles . .

[LilacPrincess]

Is this just manufacturers covering their arse?

Do you guys eat thing that have this on the label?

[Mia1057]

Personally I don't but I am what might be called a purist no codex wheat, nothing from the free from aisle, if it's not naturally gluten free and reasonably low calorie I don't eat it. I have been glutened too often by seemingly gluten free products

[Hidden]

LilacPrincess, i was wondering the same thing, i eat wotsits occasionally and im fine with them, i had hula hoops the other day and was really ill? both packets say Made in factory that also handles gluten etc, so im not sure, i am finding that i am buying more and more naturally gluten free foods rather than going to the free from aisle, although im not as good as you Mia 1057, also i noticed that alot of the cadbury chocolate now says made in a factory etc which im pretty sure it never used to say that before, plus some of them actually contain traces of wheat etc now also?

x

[Hidden]

I think that we have to be careful with this, because yes they are covering themselves by being honest. But look at eating in a cafe or restaurant they handle wheat and gluten in close proximity. Also look at supermarket conveyor belts how gluten free are they? And how many of you share a kitchen with non coeliac so you could say the same about your own kitchen.

Also Doves Farm gluten flours their flour mills are all in the same building and because they want the gf market they have their products tested to see that they are within codex.

So I think that we have to use common sense and I don't think that there's a definitive answer.

[Hidden]

This is really interesting to me because I have been eating everything from the FreeFrom aisle and still get niggles, not ill like before though thankfully!

[Lynxcat in reply to Hidden]

I believe that the supermarket free from range are allowed to include ingredients agreed within Codex Alimentarius Commission which have set the bar at 20ppm gluten. So unless it states that it is made from ingredients that do not naturally contain gluten then potentially you may be ingesting items that contain up to this current Codex allowed amount in this country. The same applies when items on the shelves say 'Gluten free' it doesn't mean that they are free from gluten as they are allowed to say gluten free as long as they are following the Codex ruling of up to 20ppm. In Australia and New Zealand they have brought down the limit to between 0 and 5ppm.

[meanioni]

I would urge caution - the problem is with wording like this is can have many meanings:

a) Their could be several processes taking place in the same building in which case there is a small risk of airborne cross-contamination; risk to a coeliac comparatively low, depending upon the risk of airborne contaminants (wet processes less likely to cause issues than powders/flours which will get airborne)

b) They use the same equipment (mixers, machines, etc) for both safe and gluten-containing foods. Whilst they may clean the machine in between, you are relying on their diligence in cleaning them in this respect (and in some cases it is not possible to complete remove all traces due to the complexity of machines). Risk to coeliacs quite high. I know this to have been a factor in at least one reaction I had with chocolate - when I wrote to the supplier they admitted they used the same machines for allergen-containing choc as for choc which according to the label was alright to eat (apart from "being made in the same factory......", etc) At least they were honest!

The problem is you can't tell from the label if it is an a) or a b) type situation

For some years I dabbled with foods that had this on the label but then noticed an unpredictable reaction on occasions.

Having now researched the condition more thoroughly and realising that even low levels of gluten cause damage, I avoid them. Gut damage can lead to leaky gut which can increase the risk of food particles entering the blood-stream which can cause a new food allergy. Also no-one really knows the long term effects of low level gluten consumption.

I already have enough food intolerances/allergies so just not prepared to take the risk.

[Hidden in reply to meanioni]

Hi Meanioni, you make some very valid points here and I went to buy some poppy seeds in Sainsbury's the other day and the allergy advice said ''because of the packaging methods not suitable for people with nut allergies or those on a gluten free diet'' So these are obviously a no no for us but then you have labels like this:

Branded Product: Free To Enjoy Honey Nut Flakes, 375g.

Produced by Kallo Food Ltd.

Sugar: Red (33.9g per 100g)

Contains: Nuts

May Contain: Nut, Soya, Sesame Seed & Wheat traces

Free From: Gluten

@ £2.45

So what is their gluten free status, maybe contaminated? very confusing and aimed at coeliac.

[Apricot in reply to meanioni]

Am wearing professional hat again...the pointy one..its clean on this morning...

Not all companys use the same equipment for gf as wheated.

Here..the gf has own isolated areas, different equipment, segregated tools...clearly identifiable as being gf (all red ones), even separate staff.

Extraction system means that the atmosphere is cleaner inside the bakery than outside. Filtered water etc...Very very particular...and so it should be.

Bakery has also gone nutfree...no Snickers bars allowed...and my eating slivered almonds...also a no-no. The goods needing nuts in recipes...are made in a separate plant..away from main bakery site.

Total committment to what is required...that is the culture and ethos around here..

Any questions...always pleased to help if I can...

Apricot

[meanioni in reply to Apricot]

Hi Apricot

I was generalising, which is always a dangerous thing to do And there are a number of organisation like yourselves which are very committed and all power to your elbow say I!

Sadly many are not. I've written letters to a number of organisations about this and it is amazing to see some of the replies (like Shipphams, owners of Old El Paso range who basically were not interested and more or less said "you don't have to eat it...."....)

One of the things I am aiming to do with Think Free is identify those organisations who are committed and make it easier for food-related illness sufferers to know when they are not undertaking a food version of Russian Roulette....

C

[Lexy]

Hi LilacPrincess - I guess it's down to how sensitive you are, or how gluten-free you want to be. I found that Dove's farm flours don't sit well with me at all so I won't touch them. Similarly, any crisps that claim to have 'no gluten containing ingredients' but if the packaging says 'factory also handles wheat' etc then I don't touch. I have Dermatitis Herpetiformis so I get the itching and the blisters and subsequent scarring which lasts for weeks/months, on top of the lovely stomach/bowel issues, so for me it's just not worth it. I gather there are plenty of others who seem not to react to products with these 'factory also handles wheat' etc warnings. I think it comes down to personal choice and sensitivity! Good luck!

[violetkathy in reply to Lexy]

My daughter cooked Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago. She made gf yorkshire puddings and thickened the meat juices with gf flour. I ended up having a very severe reaction; mouth, lips, eyes and nose swelling and severe itching which drove me insane. it lasted for days an d bowel problems as well :(. The flour she used was Doves Plain Flour. I just can't tolerate gluten even if it is in miniscule amounts. I won't be using Doves flour and I try to stick to naturally gf food but it does get boring, doesn't it? It's not worth going through the pain of being contaminated though. Nigella makes some nice cakes with ground almonds so I make those for a treat and I just go without gf bread. I can't tolerate oats either and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm sensitive to corn/maize as well.

[1stgls]

hi Lexy i agree with you

but also can I point out to "Mommyof 3" Hula Hoops state that they contain "milk, WHEAT and may contain gluten and mustard" I thought wheat and gluten was the same thing.

My personal feelings are that a lot of manufacturors are aware that even the tiniest of gluten is awful for some, while others can tolerate more and they are giving us a choice---I am not spectacularly sensitive and there may be something I could tolerate but miss out on if it was stated on the pack that it was a full blown gluten containing item.

I can eat GF oats but some of you cannot because they contain a chemical which is very close to gluten

It must be a very difficult thing to quantify gluten which may have "floated" in from another part of the factory causing cross contamination.

So as someone else said eat things that have not been messed about by man

[Hidden in reply to 1stgls]

WOW thank you, that explains why i was ill then hey! after all this time of reading labels im not sure quite how i missed that, oh well at least it explains it, thank you

Paula

[zoombie]

I have tried a number of gf chocolate rice cakes - never again! Although they state they are gf, something in them makes my DH flare up badly - its the chocolate so they are off the menu! Heading towards the nothing from the free-form aisle solution. I do use the Doves Flours with great success no pain no DH!

[Lexy in reply to zoombie]

Wow, I find that is SO interesting zoombie! I have tried Doves gf flours repeatedly (with several months in between) and EACH time I get a reaction - and yes, it's DH I've got. Weird weird weird! I guess it truly is down to the individual level of sensitivity. I'm just entering my 2nd year of being gf and whereas last year I couldn't tolerate corn/maize flour I'm now finding I cope better with it, but I think soya flour doesn't sit well with me at all...I know xanthan gum still causes a reaction so I don't use that either. Still not convinced about millet grains either - but then it could be the producer/packager not being stringent and issues of cross-contamination...

[1stgls]

Mommyof3 dont beat yourself up about the lack of label reading in this case (apart from the fact it made you ill ) you may have already have checked, and eaten with no consequence, a flavour that did in fact not contain gluten/wheat. That is why --in the "olden days" we could eat Walkers ready salted crisps but not their flavoured variety.