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    Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    By Jefferson Adams •

    General Mills Looks to Patent Gluten-free Oats

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 08/17/2016 - Cereal-maker General Mills is looking to patent method and system for manufacturing gluten-free oats.

    The application for patent protection covers numerous mechanical separation processes on a variety of grains, including oat grains and gluten-containing grains, using, among other things, width grading steps, multiple length grading steps, aspirating steps and a potential de-bearding step.

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    Federal labeling regulations require products labeled 'gluten-free' to have gluten levels below 20 ppm. The process allow the production of oat grains with gluten levels below 20 parts per million, and optimally at 10 ppm.

    The resulting oats are gluten-free oats and suitable for use in a variety of gluten-free oat food products, including cereal and granola products, according to the patent US 2016/0207048 A1, filed on July 21st 2016.

    Mechanical separation techniques, such as these covered by the patent application, have the potential to be highly efficient and economical. The patent does not mention more expensive optical systems.

    Oats are naturally gluten-free, but, according to the patent, "oats cultivated in North America, Europe and other parts of the world commonly are contaminated by gluten-containing grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale."

    Contamination can result from rotating grains on the same crop land, and from harvesting, transporting, storing and merchandising.

    General Mills experienced problems with wheat contamination of gluten-free products last year, when they were forced to recall an estimated 1.8 million boxes of gluten-free Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios at its Lodi, Calif., plant. The product was contaminated with gluten. However, the company has maintained that the gluten contamination was due to an employee processing error, not any defect in their grain sorting equipment covered under the patent protection.

    Stay tuned to find out if General Mills receives their patent, and if their process has a significant impact on the quality, availability and cost of gluten-free oats.


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    Guest admin
    You can´t trust them or any company that part of the Dark Act, they pay Billions of dollars to not have to label their product ingredients, thanks to Obama!! Only buy certified Organic, Non GMO. Cheerios is Cancer in a box!

    Ok, so Obama is involved in some conspiracy to do what???

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    Guest Kathleen Lilly

    Guest Kathleen Lilly

    Posted

    I'm against the patent too. All that they're doing is using a process to remove most of the gluten (not all) to get it within the legal limit. If you eat enough of it, your body will likely feel the exposure. So dumb. And then someone will actually grow oats that are gluten free, and they'll come asking for some of the profits. Just avoid Cheerios and anything General Mills, or better yet just go grain free and save yourself the hassle.

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    Guest Dee
    Just because your label says "Simply Gluten free" does not mean that your cereal IS "GLUTEN FREE" ! IT IS NOT GLUTEN FREE!!!!

    I have called General Mills and had long discussion about this issue. It has to say "CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE" !

     

    This whole fiasco is creating problems for everyone who is gluten-free. I would advise to taken it off shelves in supermarkets and other stores. And it should not be on the market, period! If they cannot find reliable, efficient and effective methods to produce this cereal as Gluten free, then TAKE IT OFF THE MARKET. Let the manufacturers who produce gluten free foods, then we would not have contamination, thus, susceptibility leading to death! General Mills should really think about what they are doing! Then do not produce Cheerios "gluten-free!" Let the gluten free manufacturers make gluten free foods; they know what they are doing!!

    I agree Valerie. I also called them. I got stung by this and threw them out.

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    Guest Carie

    I bought Cheerios for the first time last week, hoping that GM had worked out the kinks in their gluten-free process. Unfortunately my son had immediate GI reaction after eating it. We won´t be bringing it back into our house again. Very disappointed.

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    Guest Donna

    A lot of contamination takes place in the truck that hauls the grains. Does General Mills use a separate truck for their oats?I think not!

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    Guest admin
    A lot of contamination takes place in the truck that hauls the grains. Does General Mills use a separate truck for their oats?I think not!

    They've spent millions on an optical sorting machine...we believe that sorting is done at the plant where production occurs.

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     

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