Are Gluten-Free Cheerios Really Unsafe for Celiacs?

I stay away from wheat and gluten because it gives me diarrhea, joint aches, weight and energy loss. After a couple of weeks of eating "gluten free" cheerios (2-3 bowls per day), I developed diarrhea, joint aches, cramps and energy loss. My cereal was from several different boxes and different stores. I got off the Cheerios and those symptoms are gone.

Wow, I am just wondering if you managed to talk with Samantha Maloney to verify your own accusations against her. You seem to be accusing her of the same thing that you're doing. And if she is wrong then I would think General Mills are the people who should be coming out with a statement such as this, if in fact she's totally wrong. Knowing that they recalled so much of their own product leads anyone to think that they must take extra precaution if you want to eat their cereal. As we all know, nothing is infallible. Being an extremely sensitive celiac there is no way I'd eat anything from a company that also has wheat in their manufacturing facilities. I've been the recipient of cross-contamination far too often. I say good on Samantha Maloney for warning people of the possibilities. You have to remember, many people are new to this diagnosis and have no idea what is good for them and what isn't.

I eat them almost every day and so does my celiac daughter. YES, I actually got sick on the recalled ones. I actually looked up the box number online and was shocked because I couldn't figure out what glutened me and was thrilled with their corporate responsibility for the error. NO we haven't gotten sick since. I firmly applaud General Mills for the advances they have made and will continue to enthusiastically endorse their products.

Wow, I am just wondering if you managed to talk with Samantha Maloney to verify your own accusations against her. You seem to be accusing her of the same thing that you're doing. And if she is wrong then I would think General Mills are the people who should be coming out with a statement such as this, if in fact she's totally wrong. Knowing that they recalled so much of their own product leads anyone to think that they must take extra precaution if you want to eat their cereal. As we all know, nothing is infallible. Being an extremely sensitive celiac there is no way I'd eat anything from a company that also has wheat in their manufacturing facilities. I've been the recipient of cross-contamination far too often. I say good on Samantha Maloney for warning people of the possibilities. You have to remember, many people are new to this diagnosis and have no idea what is good for them and what isn't.

We are reporting on what Samantha told a major news outlet--CBS. If you were to just go by people's stories about what is safe and what isn't for a celiac diet, your diet would be severely limited. That is though, your choice to make. A major celiac support organization, however, has a higher responsibility to its members, and should require much more evidence to make such claims.

gluten-free Cheerios are FANTASTIC - and they have never made me sick. I was diagnosed in 2007 and have been gluten free ever since. I have been cross contaminated so I would readily recognize it if it occurred after eating Cheerios.

Less than 20 ppm is NOT gluten-free. I affirmed this years ago, by binging on allegedly "gluten-free" [not!] Chex when they first came out a few years ago, which incited a severe skin reaction. [i have DH, and consider myself a canary in the coal mine of gluten contamination.] I called in the FDA to test , but with their limited resources they were unfortunately unable to detect traces of gluten below 20 ppm. But, the evidence was clear: empirically, Chex was not "safe" for me. The symptoms were unmistakable, and directly related to the ingestion of Chex. I have never purchased another box, and refuse to trust General Mills "gluten-free" product line. Once bitten, twice shy. Caveat Emptor!

The issue with Cheerios is the mechanical sorting of the oats. That process still has some gluten remaining... it's not a uniform process so some boxes could have more gluten than other boxes. It's not just General Mills using mechanical sorting of oats... many companies use mechanical sorting- that is what should concern people with celiac. No one has to label if their oats were mechanically sorted either. It's important for people with celiac to consume oats from a dedicated oat field.

I did get really sick when I first ate Cheerios.The company admitted to a problem. I contacted the company and they gave me coupons for more boxes, which I used for the Food Shelf as I didn't trust them. I was apprehensive, but finally ate Cheerios again. Since then, I have eaten Cheerios (without milk as I'm dairy free) many times and I've been fine. I'm celiac and very sensitive to gluten and I share Honey Nut Cheerios with my husband and I am fine.

If one credible highly gluten sensitive person gets sick in a way that they only get sick from gluten, and then they stop eating the product and they get better, that proves that the product is not really gluten free, and it should not be consumed by highly gluten sensitive people. It is not enough proof to make an accusation against the company. So, warning people is good. Believing that there is no doubt that the product is not gluten free is also good. But, accusing the company is premature. Not because there is not enough proof, but because the proof is not the type that the public will accept as proof. Eating the product and keeping the box for testing is not being cautious, because keeping the box does not stop you from getting sick.

You make some very good points. As a person with celiac, it is easy to feel the world is always against you, and to stay in a permanent defensive crouch. But when corporate America finds it in their interests to produce gluten-free food, then we really must honor that. I would assume they are as safe as they say they are -- until there is evidence to prove otherwise.

I eat them almost every day and so does my celiac daughter. YES, I actually got sick on the recalled ones. I actually looked up the box number online and was shocked because I couldn't figure out what glutened me and was thrilled with their corporate responsibility for the error. NO we haven't gotten sick since. I firmly applaud General Mills for the advances they have made and will continue to enthusiastically endorse their products.

I can finally eat Lucky Charms again! My once favorite cereal and now my new favorite cereal. I agree with Meg, General Mills is doing their best to get a product to market that we most of us can eat in a responsible way. There must be a difference for some people when a food is certified gluten free verses just labeled as such.

I LOVE the new Cheerios. THANK YOU General Mills. I missed Cheerios so much. I am EXTREMELY sensitive to gluten....EXTREMELY and Cheerios doesn't bother me at all. I am so VERY grateful.