Cheerios, Chex and Nearly One Hundred Other Top Gluten-Free Cereal Brands

I see that MaltoMeal label is not on the list.  They also make the large size bag cereals.  There are 2 of them that our Meijer stores carry: Crispy Rice and the Fruity Rice are labeled as gluten free. I like to make rice crispy squares and the plain ones are also low in sugar.

14 hours ago, Guest Naomi said:

As a point of clarification, Canada has required that General Mills remove the gluten free claim from its Canadian packaging - with which it did comply. In Canada, Cheerios are not considered gluten free or safe for celiacs. 
On the other hand, in Canada we still have gluten free Brown Rice Krispies from Kellogg’s and they’re fantastic! If you can get them you should!! 

But this is because Canada changed their laws to protect their oat industry, not because Cheerios contain more than 20ppm of gluten. Soon after Cheerios put "gluten-free" on their boxes, Canada changed their laws and lowered the level of gluten allowed, but ONLY in products made with oats. All other non-oat products still only had to be below 20ppm.

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Under that Canadian testing requirement, oat products with gluten levels above 5 ppm, but under 20 ppm are considered "Investigative," a status under which the agency "notifies the regulated party of the result." 

They grow a lot of oats in Canada, and General Mill's technology was a direct threat to the "pure oat" growers up there, who managed to get a special law just for them. Here is the article we wrote on this:

GM's current patent indicates that they will likely get their boxes to be below 10ppm, and thus will be able to put "gluten-free" back on the Canadian boxes.

On 1/6/2021 at 8:00 AM, Guest Dear Scott Adams, said:

Dear Scott Adams, 

I am confused after reading your article on gluten free cereals. What I am specifically confused with is the information stating General Mills cereal is safe for people with celiac disease. To be very clear, you are saying Cheerio’s are safe to eat for people with celiac disease?

I am aware the company General Mills states on the box it is gluten free but I have heard that further research on how the food ingredients are harvested actually causes cross contamination of gluten making the products NOT gluten free. Can you please clarify? 

I am very concerned with the information stated in your article since it is coming from a celiac disease website.

Thank you, 

Melissa B

Hi Melissa, 

Cheerios states it tests to only 10-13 ppm but some boxes have been independently tested at over 20ppm. If you are sensitive, you should avoid cheerios. I react to it with stomach cramping, intestinal disturbance and diarrhea. I am also concerned with celiac.com reporting this cereal as gluten free. Canada does not allow it to be labeled gluten free. Also. . . .

REMOVED COPYRIGHTED CONTENT.

I'm just avoiding it, there are other options.

Be well!

AnnetteD

What about Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies? i thought they were safe? I like their texture better than Chex

On the cereal brands not specifically labeled "Gluten Free," check the ingredient list for things like "malt flavoring" which would be made from gluten containing grains. And even at that, because these particular cereals are made from grains that may become mixed with gluten containing grains inadvertently in the growing, transporting, storage and processing phases of production, they may be cross-contaminated enough with gluten to generate an inflammatory reaction, particularly in more sensitive celiacs. Having said that, a number of our forum participants have stated they got "glutened" from boxed cereals that indeed were labeled gluten free.

Thanks. In other news, for months i have been making my own granola with just gluten-free oats, butter, honey, brown sugar and salt mixed together and toasted. It’s delicious!

47 minutes ago, JenniK said:

Thanks. In other news, for months i have been making my own granola with just gluten-free oats, butter, honey, brown sugar and salt mixed together and toasted. It’s delicious!

Just be aware that 10% of Celiacs react to oat protein the same way they do the gluten in wheat, barely and rye.

On 2/16/2021 at 1:45 PM, AnnetteD said:

Hi Melissa, 

Cheerios states it tests to only 10-13 ppm but some boxes have been independently tested at over 20ppm. If you are sensitive, you should avoid cheerios. I react to it with stomach cramping, intestinal disturbance and diarrhea. I am also concerned with celiac.com reporting this cereal as gluten free. Canada does not allow it to be labeled gluten free. Also. . . .

REMOVED COPYRIGHTED CONTENT.

I'm just avoiding it, there are other options.

Be well!

AnnetteD

 

 

Please back up your claims with links to these "independent" tests. 

On 1/6/2021 at 11:45 AM, Tucson member said:

I am trying to consume very little added sugar.  Breakfast sugars are so high in sugars whether it is called cane sugar, syrup, glucose or other "-ose" sugars.  They are all bad for my health.  I would like there to be much fewer sugars in at least some of the cereals that are gluten-free.  I can add my own fruit.

Cascadian Farm has a coconut cashew granola that is sweetened only with fruit.  It’s not certified gluten-free, but the only grains in it are organic oats and rice flour.  Really good flavor! Not sure if celiacs can eat it, though. You’d have to contact cascadian farms. 

Cheerios are NOT gluten free. I believed the label on the package. Big mistake. I ate one bowl yesterday, 8/30/2021, and had a severe reaction to gluten. More than 24 hours later I am still sick. Nasty brain fog, nausea, diarrhea, sore joints, headache–the works. Cheerios may be safe for the “gluten-free by choice” crowd, but not for people like me who have celiac disease. I am not one of the 10% of celiacs who cannot tolerate oats. I often enjoy gluten-free oatmeal. 

It sounds like you have oat intolerance, which about 9% of celiacs have. Cheerios cereals marked "gluten-free" are indeed gluten-free.

On 8/31/2021 at 12:43 PM, Scott Adams said:

It sounds like you have oat intolerance, which about 9% of celiacs have. Cheerios cereals marked "gluten-free" are indeed gluten-free.

I thought I had celiac but testing showed I have Igg antibodies to YEAST. Unless you are tested for IggASCA antibodies, you will feel like its celiac. The food industry is inundating us with yeast--it increases protein, is "natural", and is an MSG substitute that makes foods addictive. 

The "natural flavor" in these cereals usually means yeast, many are gmo. Also it could also mean other really gross non vegan things. Just google "natural flavor". Yeast is even being injected into meat in the form of "broth". As someone now facinf serious gi surgery and precancer, take this yeast antibody thing seriously. There is a blood test called Igg ASCA.  Gluten may only be part of it. And be careful what you wish for--more protein likely means more yeast--yeast modified to provide more protein better flavor, yeast our bodies see as unnatural invaders.  Stick with eggs and oatmeal or if you must corn chex which dont need natural flavor i guess cuz they are full of RoundUp.

On 1/5/2021 at 9:35 AM, trents said:

Are you a vegan? If not, scramble and egg or two to go along with the cereal.