Gluten-free claim to be removed from General Mills Cheerios sold in Canada

kareng · October 23, 2017

"October 20, 2017 (Mississauga, ON) The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has made an announcement that the words “gluten-free” will be removed from all Cheerios package sold in Canada by January 1, 2018.

The Canadian Celiac Association first objected to the claim in August 2016 and strongly recommended that people with celiac disease not consume the cereal, even though the box was labelled “gluten free”.

The announcement came in a letter addressed to a Canadian consumer who was one of many customer complaints to be filed against the products......."

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Ennis-TX · October 23, 2017

US needs to do this, we also need to have the FDA crack down on foods that say gluten free but are not, or are produced in the same facility with possible contamination. So tired of seeing "gluten free" read on the back. "Manufactured on/Packaged on equipment that handles wheat, etc."

Awol cast iron stomach · October 23, 2017

On 10/23/2017 at 1:18 AM, Ennis_TX said:

US needs to do this, we also need to have the FDA crack down on foods that say gluten free but are not, or are produced in the same facility with possible contamination. So tired of seeing "gluten free" read on the back. "Manufactured on/Packaged on equipment that handles wheat, etc."

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Agreed

Scott Adams · October 23, 2017

What new data are they basing this decision on?

Scarlettsdad · October 23, 2017

On 10/23/2017 at 10:50 PM, admin said:

What new data are they basing this decision on?

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I believe it was based on the number of customer complaints.

Scott Adams · October 23, 2017

Strange...oat intolerance is common among celiacs, and is well documented. It seems strange that they can't test boxes and find gluten, and that they would not base this decision on facts, rather than consumer complaints.

Ennis-TX · October 23, 2017

On 10/23/2017 at 11:08 PM, admin said:

Strange...oat intolerance is common among celiacs, and is well documented. It seems strange that they can't test boxes and find gluten, and that they would not base this decision on facts, rather than consumer complaints.

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Actually GFWD did a article on cheerios and General mills testing methods its is more of a lot means and not testing the boxes, there are many cases where a lot will test in 5-10ppm range and pass then who is to day a random box does not contain a hot spot? The mechanically separated process is flawed at the core, there should be no gluten containing grains to even have to separate. I think the process need to be more dedicated to 100% gluten free, from planting, harvest, to store. There are 2 oat sources for this. Where the fields have never had gluten grains, the equipment is owned by the companies not rented and only used for the oats and not other gluten grains, and the transport trucks are also dedicated....sadly they are the only companies that follow such strict procedures. (Granbia and GFHarvest)

Scott Adams · October 23, 2017

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who is to day a random box does not contain a hot spot?

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It is not up to General Mills to test every single box to prove they are safe...has anyone found such a hot spot yet? Please post it here. 5-10 ppm is gluten-free, even by Canadian standards.

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The mechanically separated process is flawed at the core

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Evidence please...making such a statement without any facts isn't helpful here.

I am happy to discuss this, but please don't make claims you can't back up. GM is making a claim that their cereals are gluten-free and safe for celiacs, so far I've not seen any evidence otherwise, but am considering offering a reward for such evidence.

Scott Adams · October 23, 2017

Oh, and how much do Granbia and GFHarvest cost, and how available are these cereals?

Ennis-TX · October 23, 2017

On 10/23/2017 at 11:29 PM, admin said:

Oh, and how much do Granbia and GFHarvest cost, and how available are these cereals?

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Granbia is wholesale only, GFHarvest you can order and they ship anywhere sales under Open Original Shared Link

On 10/23/2017 at 11:27 PM, admin said:

It is not up to General Mills to test every single box to prove they are safe...has anyone found such a hot spot yet?

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Ok it is rare...1/5 boxes seems to be a maybe.....

Lab: Bia Diagnostics (www.biadiagnostics.com)

Sample Assay/Extraction Results (ppm gluten)

Entire box homogenized first via a blender and then through a coffee grinder

Cheerios Yellow Box 1 R5/Cocktail* 7.3, < 5, 5.1

Cheerios Yellow Box 1 R5/GEB** < 5, 9.6, < 5

.....................

Cheerios Yellow Box 2 R5/Cocktail 5.5, 7.0, 5.9

Cheerios Yellow Box 2 R5/GEB < 5, < 5, < 5

.....................

Cheerios Yellow Box 3 R5/Cocktail 5.2, 5.5, < 5

Cheerios Yellow Box 3 R5/GEB < 5, 5.5, 12.1

......................

Representative sample homogenized to a fine powder

Cheerios Yellow Box 4 R5/Cocktail 6.1, < 5

Cheerios Yellow Box 4 R5/GEB < 5, < 5

......................

Cheerios Yellow Box 5 R5/Cocktail 17.8, < 5

Cheerios Yellow Box 5 R5/GEB 24.5, 9.1

Cheerios Yellow Box 5

(sample re-homogenized) R5/Cocktail < 5, < 5

.......................

Honey Nut Cheerios Box 1 R5/Cocktail < 5, < 5

Honey Nut Cheerios Box 1 R5/GEB < 5, < 5

........................

Honey Nut Cheerios Box 2 R5/Cocktail 11.2, < 5

Honey Nut Cheerios Box 2 R5/GEB < 5, 5.1

Honey Nut Cheerios Box 2

(sample re-homogenized) R5/Cocktail 12.5, < 5

.......................

Multi-Grain Cheerios Box 1 R5/Cocktail < 5, < 5

Multi-Grain Cheerios Box 2 R5/GEB < 5, 5.2

Sorry to be the jumpy rabbit, but once bitten twice shy, I recall when they first came out with gluten-free cheerios....yeah it was worse back then and that pain and trickery will not be forgiven.

Scott Adams · October 23, 2017

Yes, I've seen these and believe that these were taken during the time period that GM had an issue with a contaminated truck, and this caused them to issue a recall on batches made at a plant. If I am correct about this, that was years ago, and they have corrected that issue. What is the link for this? What time period were these tests done?

I am fairly certain you are showing old data here, that is old news that was dealt with by GM...but please share if you know.

Ennis-TX · October 23, 2017

On 10/23/2017 at 11:42 PM, admin said:

Yes, I've seen these and believe that these were taken during the time period that GM had an issue with a contaminated truck, and this caused them to issue a recall on batches made at a plant. If I am correct about this, that was years ago, and they have corrected that issue. What is the link for this? What time period were these tests done?

I am fairly certain you are showing old data here, that is old news that was dealt with by GM...but please share if you know.

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Nov 18, 2015 >.< yeah it was older, Checked some newer testing others have done and found the more recent ones under 5ppm.....so perhaps they got their act together. I still am that old dog recalling being hit and growling at them about it.

kareng · October 24, 2017

I posted this because ... I wanted us to have some info and see news reports about stuff related to Celiac/gluten free. But I haven't seen any new tests on the Cheerios. Has anyone?

ravenwoodglass · October 24, 2017

On 10/24/2017 at 12:29 AM, kareng said:

I posted this because ... I wanted us to have some info and see news reports about stuff related to Celiac/gluten free. But I haven't seen any new tests on the Cheerios. Has anyone?

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I don't have a lot of time this morning but I did locate organizations section on gluten free label regs in Canada. There may be more info on this in that section that may be helpful in knowing why they are making that change.

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kareng · October 25, 2017

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"As many of you have heard General Mills is removing the gluten-free claim from Cheerios sold in Canada. Gluten Free Watchdog reached out to General Mills to learn more about this decision and how it might impact Cheerios sold in the US. In particular, we asked about testing protocols and any changes to these protocols. These questions are motivated by our knowledge that an AOAC working group on gluten in oats was established because “Standards and methods are needed for gluten measurement specific to oats and oat products.” This project is supported by General Mills. Participating members “agreed that quantitative methods based on ELISA technology are needed for measurement of gluten in groats (after hulling); rolled oats; oat flour; extruded, cooked, finished product; and oat bran.”..."

cyclinglady · October 25, 2017

Yep, I saw this. Thanks for posting Karen! I allow “gluten-free” Cheerios in my house for my kid who does NOT have celiac disease. But hubby and I do not eat them for a variety of reasons.

When in doubt, do not eat it has been my motto ever since I questioned the safety of mayonnaise found in my roommate’s refrigerator some 30 years ago. My Dad wisely counseled me when I called home to ask “Do you think this has spoiled?” Dad replied, “Honey, is it worth a dollar to get really sick?” I went without mayonnaise that day. ?

I also looked for recent testing and found nothing. So perhaps the “power of media” is what prompted this decision. ??????

Scott Adams · October 25, 2017

Celiac.com just checked with the CDF and they still recommend them to all celiacs, as they are gluten-free and contain less than 20 ppm measurable gluten (most tests we've seen come in at under 10 ppm). We contacted GM and there are different reasons why they decided to no longer label them gluten-free in Canada, which we'll detail shortly in an article.

Hint: It has nothing to do with their safety for celiacs, and everything to do with Canada's crazy labeling regulations, which keep changing--and adding to confusion among celiacs and manufacturers. Health Canada still says GF cereals are gluten-free and safe for celiacs according to their regulations on GF products:

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cyclinglady · October 25, 2017

Looking forward to the article clearing this up!

Scott Adams · October 27, 2017

Here is our first article on this topic:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/24930/1/General-Mills-to-Remove-Gluten-Free-Label-for-Cheerios-in-Canada/Page1.html

Ennis-TX · October 31, 2017

Interesting, seems the Nima community has been testing cheerios constantly. They have some interesting results for for the past few months.

"The results? Eighty-eight percent of test results for the pea-sized sample of Cheerios were gluten-free, and for 13 percent, Nima detected gluten. All gluten found results were from Honey Nut Cheerios. As a reminder, Nima can occasionally detect below 20ppm, so the results could still have technically been “gluten-free” by FDA standards."

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I

cyclinglady · October 31, 2017

Well, the article posted by celiac.com seemed to just repeat all the press releases. Hopefully, the next article can shed more light in the subject.

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I do think that General Mills (GM) opted out due to conflicting testing requirements. It looks like they are part of a group (manufacturers, scientists, etc.) that reviews or creates testing standards (just one of many things this group does). The “oat” team was created in January and was to submit their proposal in September. Maybe GM’s decision to re-label had to do with this proposal.

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cyclinglady · October 31, 2017

On 10/25/2017 at 10:30 PM, admin said:

Celiac.com just checked with the CDF and they still recommend them to all celiacs, as they are gluten-free and contain less than 20 ppm measurable gluten (most tests we've seen come in at under 10 ppm). We contacted GM and there are different reasons why they decided to no longer label them gluten-free in Canada, which we'll detail shortly in an article.

Hint: It has nothing to do with their safety for celiacs, and everything to do with Canada's crazy labeling regulations, which keep changing--and adding to confusion among celiacs and manufacturers. Health Canada still says gluten-free cereals are gluten-free and safe for celiacs according to their regulations on gluten-free products:

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Am I not getting it? According to the link, Health Canada is just saying that any food, even cereal, is considered safe for the majority of celiacs if under 20 ppm. What does this have to do with Cherrios?

Scott Adams · October 31, 2017

On 10/31/2017 at 6:01 PM, cyclinglady said:

Well, the article posted by celiac.com seemed to just repeat all the press releases. Hopefully, the next article can shed more light in the subject.

Open Original Shared Link

I do think that General Mills (GM) opted out due to conflicting testing requirements. It looks like they are part of a group (manufacturers, scientists, etc.) that reviews or creates testing standards (just one of many things this group does). The “oat” team was created in January and was to submit their proposal in September. Maybe GM’s decision to re-label had to do with this proposal.

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You either didn't read our 1st article, or the press releases you refer to...not sure which, as it is an original article and we did interview GM about this. Here is our 2nd article:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/24929/1/Canadian-Celiac-Association-Press-Release-Draws-Pushback-from-General-Mills/Page1.html