Gluten-Free not really gluten free?

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What's scary is that gluten-free doesn't mean gluten-free>>>>

Store pulls 'gluten-free' items that had the allergen

By Sam Roe

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - Whole Foods Market said yesterday that it had pulled three

popular " gluten-free " products because the items actually contained

the substance.

> The grocery chain, acting in response to a Chicago Tribune

investigation and mounting consumer pressure, also said it would

devise a strict definition of " gluten-free " for products sold in its

stores and begin monitoring the items so that such problems did not

recur.

> The Tribune reported last month that its testing showed three

Wellshire Kids brand " gluten-free " products sold exclusively at Whole

Foods - Dinosaur Shapes Chicken Bites, Chicken Corn Dogs and Beef

Corn Dogs - contained between 116 and 2,200 parts per million (ppm)

of gluten.

> While the federal legal definition of " gluten-free " is imprecise,

most experts view " gluten-free " as containing less than 20 ppm.

> Gluten - a protein of wheat, rye or barley - can cause allergic

reactions for those with wheat allergies and severe abdominal pain

for those with celiac disease.

> After the Tribune's report, Whole Foods initially balked at

removing the products, saying it was the supplier's responsibility to

ensure that the items were safe and legal.

> But in subsequent days, Whole Foods received about 20 consumer

complaints or inquiries, including from people who thought " gluten-

free " meant zero gluten, company spokeswoman Libba Letton said.

> The chain, based in Austin, Texas, pulled the products nationwide

but could not say how many items or how many of its 279 stores were

affected.

> " Listening to what our customers had to say, in addition to looking

at the facts, we decided we just needed to go ahead and pull the

products, " Letton said.

> The gluten-free market has boomed in recent years as stores have

sought to attract customers allergic to wheat, those with celiac

disease, and parents of autistic children who believe that a gluten-

free diet can reduce symptoms.

> Whole Foods, for instance, offers store tours of its gluten-free

products and operates a dedicated " Gluten-Free Bakehouse " in North

Carolina.

> The chain said it began pulling the three products about a month

after the Tribune's Nov. 21 report. They were made by Wellshire

Farms, based in Swedesboro, Gloucester County, whose founder, Louis

Colameco, said the family-owned company stopped making the items in

June after discovering that the batter coating the food contained

gluten.

> Still, Wellshire Farms continued to ship the products already in

stock to Whole Foods, and the retailer continued to sell them.

> Colameco said he was disappointed that Whole Foods decided to pull

the products. " But they're the customer, " he said. " What are you

going to say? "

> He said that his firm had found a new batter supplier that could

guarantee less than 20 ppm of gluten and that the new products should

be back on shelves in a couple of months. Before distributing them,

he said, Wellshire will conduct gluten tests throughout the

production process.

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