The term "gluten-free" is often confused with "wheat-free" by both manufacturers and individuals with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance. This misunderstanding leads to serious autoimmune system responses that damage the villi of the upper small intestines. While wheat-free food is gluten-free, gluten-free foods must also be clean of rye, barley, and contaminated oats.
Gluten-free Diet Foods – How Manufacturers Define Gluten-free
The definition of gluten-free diet foods depends on who is being asked. When an individual with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, telephones a manufacturer to ask about the gluten status of a particular product, the company representative will answer based on their interpretation of what gluten-free is.
Company representatives are not always well informed. Many confuse wheat-free with gluten-free. If the celiac simply asks whether a particular product is gluten-free or not, a "yes" answer could mean:
- Product is wheat-free. (There could be rye, barley, or contaminated oats in the product.)
- Product is free of rye, barley, and contaminated oats, but contains a small bit of wheat or barley extract, wheat germ oil, or wheat starch that is less than 20 parts per million.
- Product contains a wheat product the gluten was taken out of.
- No gluten ingredients were added by the manufacturer. (They cannot assure the caller that all ingredients purchased elsewhere are gluten-free.)
- There are no gluten ingredients in the product. (All ingredients purchased elsewhere have been investigated by the company and found to be totally gluten-free.)
- Total gluten ingredients in the product are not higher than 20 parts per million.
- There are no gluten ingredients, but contamination during processing is possible.
- There are no gluten ingredients, and there is no possibility of contamination during processing.
Manufacturing Cross Contamination Practices
When an individual with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, asks a company representative by email or telephone about the gluten status of a product, most representatives do not think about cross contamination possibilities. Just because a product has all gluten-free ingredients, that doesn’t make it safe for a celiac to consume. The manufacturer needs to take particular steps to avoid cross contamination of machinery from prior gluten foods.
The length to which a manufacturer is willing to go determines the safety of the product. Some of these methods are:
- thoroughly clean the lines, then run the gluten-free product
- thoroughly clean the lines, then run the gluten-free product – but throw the first couple of batches away
- hand pack gluten-free products
- test products for the presence of gluten
- process products in a gluten-free facility
- ignore the issue as long as there are no complaints or reports of contamination
To Find Wheat-free, Gluten-free Foods, Ask More Questions
To an individual with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, the definition of gluten-free and the extent the individual needs to go to avoid cross contamination and gluten residue is an individual matter. For some, it takes a larger amount of gluten to set off an immune system response than for others.
Those who are less sensitive might be okay with products that test beneath the current gluten-free standard of 20 parts per million. For these individuals, products with tiny bits of wheat extract, wheat germ oil, wheat starch, unverified gluten ingredients, or a very small amount of cross contamination slightly above undetectable levels might not initiate an immune system response, depending upon the amount of product consumed daily.
For those who are more gluten sensitive, however, it is essential to ask company representatives more questions than just whether or not a product is gluten-free. For the extra sensitive, wheat or cross contamination in any amount might be too much.
Safe Gluten-free Diet Foods – Wheat-free, Gluten-free
Wheat-free and gluten-free is not the same thing. While all wheat-free food is gluten-free, a gluten-free diet also requires the celiac to refrain from eating rye, barley, and contaminated oats. This needs to be clearly understood by the individual with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, so that adequate questions can be placed to company representatives regarding their definition of gluten-free foods and cross contamination practices.
References:
Celiac Sprue Association, csaceliacs.org, “Treatment of Celiac Disease” (accessed July 13, 2010)
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House (NDDIC), digestive.niddk.nih.gov, “Celiac Disease” (accessed July 10, 2010)
Food Consumer Organization, foodconsumer.org, “Celiac Disease on the Rise: What You Need to Know” (accessed July 10, 2010)
Vickie Ewell - Vickie has worked with autistic individuals for 9 years. She has celiac disease and specializes in gfcf living.
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