Are Gluten-Free Cheerios Really Unsafe for Celiacs?

What's irresponsible is the "innocent until proven guilty" perspective taken in this article. It does a great disservice to celiacs who need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that a product is completely safe for them before using it. The use it, see if you react, and then we'll discuss it approach is just as bad as: if it were really dangerous, people would be reporting it. It doesn't work that way. Hubby reacted to these gluten-free Cheerios, and the box was NOT from the re-called batch. He didn't see the point in reporting it, so your logic doesn't hold up. Me? I chose not to go anywhere near the stuff because of the way they test. I'm a super-sensitive celiac who reacts to levels far lower than 20 ppm. I already have several autoimmune diseases, so to me, it's simply not worth the risk of getting more.

Although it is a timely topic, the more important point is developing celiac in the first place. I have the genetics for celiac but did not develop it until my late 50's. I ate many wheat products with no problem, but when I ate Cheerios (regular) and Ritz, I developed a particular GI reaction. I subsequently developed the same reaction to all gluten products. As a result of Cheerios and Ritz, my immune system now reacts to all of them. It is interesting that Meg (prior post) eats Cheerios regularly and that her daughter developed celiac. Her daughter probably ate Cheerio's often, following Mom, and got the disease early. I bet a lot of people with celiac were Cheerios and Nabisco fans. Maybe it's some additive, might have something to do with why they are having problems with their gluten-free variety.

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.

David you may be like me, even <5ppm can affect you.

Avenin, the glutenous protein in oats can cause similar reactions that celiacs experience when exposed to gluten. Not sure if it's just a sensitivity in me or a true allergy (rare), but I avoid oats - gluten free or otherwise.

I have been eating gluten-free Cheerios since they came out and have never had a problem.

Although it is a timely topic, the more important point is developing celiac in the first place. I have the genetics for celiac but did not develop it until my late 50's. I ate many wheat products with no problem, but when I ate Cheerios (regular) and Ritz, I developed a particular GI reaction. I subsequently developed the same reaction to all gluten products. As a result of Cheerios and Ritz, my immune system now reacts to all of them. It is interesting that Meg (prior post) eats Cheerios regularly and that her daughter developed celiac. Her daughter probably ate Cheerio's often, following Mom, and got the disease early. I bet a lot of people with celiac were Cheerios and Nabisco fans. Maybe it's some additive, might have something to do with why they are having problems with their gluten-free variety.

A small percentage of celiacs are also avenin intolerant, which is protein found in oats, but it is considered a separate food intolerance that isn't part of celiac disease.

Why would you say that it is irresponsible for someone to think General Mills is using a faulty system? What IS irresponsible is taking gluten-filled oats, trying to remove the gluten, then not providing sufficient testing on their products. Cheerios are a "gluten removed" food. What is also irresponsible is how General Mills handled the recall - ignoring comments from sick Celiacs and claiming that they were sick because of the high fiber content. They also refuse to answer questions outside of their general statement about the recall. Nothing that General Mills is doing is responsible. You said in a comment above that this article is in response to what Samantha said on CBS - have you ever been on the news? They largely control and edit what you say for time constraints. There is always more to the story than what is briefly said in a news program.

For decades celiacs have been safely eating gluten-removed foods (think Codex Alimentarius wheat starch products in Europe), and many are now safely drinking gluten-removed beer.

WOW, is someone in bed with General Mills? Did someone become the official spokesman for General Mills? If they get an independent third party to make their product "Certified Gluten Free" and I'd eat it, until then I am staying away. Maybe you can pass this along to them, since it appears you have a close relationship with General Mills.

No need to inject conspiracy theories here Rick, we have no connection with General Mills, and have reported both positive and negative stories about their company.

To solve this problem dealing with General Mills and their tainted catastrophic ordeal with "Simply 'Gluten-free' Cheerios", I would highly recommend GM to remove all Gluten-free Cheerios off the shelf, and furthermore, take them off the market! GM is committing a dis-service to a large segment of the population that is "gluten free" . I will never touch or eat another box of GM gluten free products ,ever again! This is unheard of and disgusting as if you are promoting health and safety of our country's citizens! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!!!!!

We are not ashamed to bring this important topic in front of you to discuss, and nor should we be.

Your article is flawed. After the recall of the contaminated boxes ~ the FDA did indeed test 30 some odd boxes of the gluten-free Cheerios and found that the levels of gluten was different in every box, including over the 20ppm limit. These were NOT part of the recall from the other incident, this is actually a second recall. There has been no report of why these are contaminated and what they are doing to fix it: Open Original Shared Link As well, Gluten Free Watch Dog has also had much correspondence with General Mills, done testing and reported that they are not safe: Open Original Shared Link So ~ in saying that this is because the CCA 'heard stories' is not remotely accurate. There is evidence that these products are not gluten free, there are many reports of people being sick. Your article is 100% inaccurate. Sensationalism ~ sad.

You are spreading misinformation. The FDA link you include, and your claim that the 30 boxes tested were NOT part of the voluntary recall is incorrect--all lot number in the link you post are part of their voluntary recall due to accidental wheat contamination: Open Original Shared Link

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.

Certified gluten-free products have also tested positive for gluten.

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.

General Mills has created and patented the technology to do this mechanical separation: https://www.celiac.com/articles/24461/1/General-Mills-Looks-to-Patent-Gluten-free-Oats/Page1.html