General Mills to Remove Gluten-Free Label for Cheerios in Canada

I already don't trust Cheerios to be gluten free based on their actions in the US. I won't buy them.

Very interesting. I recently tried the gluten-free Cheerios for the second time. The first time I clearly had a gluten reaction and was not planning to try again. Then I heard about the mistake that General Mills had and decided to try them again in the future. I don't eat a lot of cereal but Cheerios was one of my favorites. When the pumpkin spice flavored ones came out, I figured it was time. I only ate about 10 pieces. My throats felt a little scratchy as I ate them (I have a wheat allergy and Celiac disease). I thought I was imagining it. An hour or so later, I had the familiar sharp pains in my stomach. It did not develop into full blown reaction with diarrhea, but I did not feel well the rest of the day, but that is typical for me with CC.. No more Cheerios for me.

This makes me mad. I have celiac and it's hard enough reading every label as it is. Unfortunately I did get sick.... vomiting, diarrhea and severe pain and bloating for 3 days.and taking off work. Never thought that a product that carried the "gluten free" label was actually not. Does General Mills know how much damage is done to our bodies by eating gluten?. How is it possible that a huge food company like General Mills miss this with all the "testing" that is supposed to go through. Blows my mind and I would love to have them experience the symptoms we celiacs and wheat allergies feels. Maybe that will open their eyes. A simple article and apology is a start. They need.to get serious about this and take educating of this issue to all levels of testing. Unfortunately I will never eat their product again...trust in this matter is gone and I won't take the risk. Having to be tied to your bed and toilet for days. is not something I would look forward to.... I´ll stick with true gluten-free foods. But thanks for taking the time.

I can eat oats from dedicated fields and plants just fine but I've had issues every time I've tried the so called gluten-free Cheerios.

This article is the clearest explanation of the labeling decision in Canada that I have read -- Thank you. I have two children with celiac disease who eat Cheerios all the time. They have never had a gluten reaction to them, and their tTG levels remain low. We usually have Honey Nut Cheerios, original (yellow box) Cheerios, and a flavored kind of Cheerios such as pumpkin spice, fruity, or strawberry.

There must be reactions to non-gluten substances in Cheerios. Tests that verify less than 20 ppm gluten are simple, easy, and straight forward. So some other substance in oats or in Cheerios processing must be a factor.

"So, only the Canadian label will change. Cheerios will remain the same. On either side of the border, people with celiac disease can continue to enjoy Cheerios with confidence."... Can we though? They're not changing anything about their manufacturing processes, and whether something is gluten-free doesn't seem to magically change when you cross a national border. A lot of people with celiac disease have complained that Cheerios have made them sick (including basically every comment so far).

There must be reactions to non-gluten substances in Cheerios. Tests that verify less than 20 ppm gluten are simple, easy, and straight forward. So some other substance in oats or in Cheerios processing must be a factor.

Oat intolerance (avenin) is fairly common among celiacs, and is could explain why some people feel sick after eating them. High fiber is another possibility.

Great article, and actual factual (excuse the pun). It's nice to see that there are still some media-types with the rare capability of being a truth journalist. My wife is Gluten-Intolerant and has been diagnosed as "highly susceptible to have Celiac disease" (over 33X the norm for Celiac potential). After gluten-free responded to the issues they had in the early days of their gluten-free endeavor, we carefully dipped our toes into the Cheerios pond. We have not experienced any of the symptoms my wife encounters when eating something that has had minute amounts of wheat products in them. The only thing I can say is that some people probably react differently when they are in the grey area between fully Celiac and those who are gluten intolerant but not fully attacked by Celiac disease. We are not professionals in the research and science related to Celiac. It seems, to our laymen's mind, to come down to personal choice. I applaud those who do not wish to dip their toes for fear of an attack, and I also applaud those who know where the line is to be drawn for their body despite the method they use to determine where the line is. Thanks for this excellent article.

"So, only the Canadian label will change. Cheerios will remain the same. On either side of the border, people with celiac disease can continue to enjoy Cheerios with confidence."... Can we though? They're not changing anything about their manufacturing processes, and whether something is gluten-free doesn't seem to magically change when you cross a national border. A lot of people with celiac disease have complained that Cheerios have made them sick (including basically every comment so far).

The FDA just conducted tests of major gluten-free products and found 99.5% compliance, with only one product testing above 20 ppm gluten. The FDA noted that the product was recalled and the manufacturer has since fixed the problem. Since Cheerios were likely part of their tests, and since there has been no recent recall of any General Mills product, it stands to reason that Cheerios tested gluten-free. Moreover, the FDA announcement provides strong evidence that American manufacturers are in compliance with gluten-free labeling standards. Basically, if it's an American product that says "gluten-free" on the label, consumers can have a very strong confidence that the product meets FDA standards for gluten-free products. That means that Cheerios sold in Canada will also meet the FDA standard, regardless of the lack of a gluten-free label.

I already don't trust Cheerios to be gluten free based on their actions in the US. I won't buy them.

What "actions" are you referring to?