Is Harvest Farms Organic Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce gluten free?

[barbie01]

I'm a celiac and I have learned that I can't have an item with even the wrong certification because I have flare outs. I bought harvest farms organic Roasted Garlic sauce and it says gluten free but I don't know if I can have it. Has any other celiac had it and been good?

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, Barbie01!

I'm not sure how long you have been a celiac or what your knowledge base is so I apologize if I am coming across as condescending. But as the term "Gluten Free" is used in the food industry according to FDA regulations, it does not mean the same as "no gluten." The term "gluten free" can be used on a food product label as long as there are no more than 20ppm of gluten per serving. Years ago, the FDA established 20ppm as the celiac reaction threshold of gluten concentration that would be safe for most celiacs consuming nothing but gluten free food products during the course of a day. However, there are some celiacs that are more sensitive than most and will still react to 20ppm levels.

There are two certifying organizations that use the term "Certified Gluten Free" which means the food product has been tested and confirmed to contain no more than 10ppm or 5ppm, depending on the particular organization's standard. So, the term Certified Gluten Free implies a stricter standard than "Gluten Free."

Sorry, I realize I didn't really answer your question about Harvest Farms Organic Roasted Garlic Sauce but maybe what I have shared will clear up some confusion about terminology for you.

Edited March 9, 2022 by trents

[Scott Adams]

Can you share its ingredients? It sounds like it would be naturally gluten-free, and would likely have no gluten in it. Garlic can upset some people's stomach, and cause IBS-like symptoms, but garlic is gluten-free.

[barbie01]

On 3/8/2022 at 10:49 PM, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, Barbie01!

I'm not sure how long you have been a celiac or what your knowledge base is so I apologize if I am coming across as condescending. But as the term "Gluten Free" is used in the food industry according to FDA regulations, it does not mean the same as "no gluten." The term "gluten free" can be used on a food product label as long as there are no more than 20ppm of gluten per serving. Years ago, the FDA established 20ppm as the celiac reaction threshold of gluten concentration that would be safe for most celiacs consuming nothing but gluten free food products during the course of a day. However, there are some celiacs that are more sensitive than most and will still react to 20ppm levels.

There are two certifying organizations that use the term "Certified Gluten Free" which means the food product has been tested and confirmed to contain no more than 10ppm or 5ppm, depending on the particular organization's standard. So, the term Certified Gluten Free implies a stricter standard than "Gluten Free."

Sorry, I realize I didn't really answer your question about Harvest Farms Organic Roasted Garlic Sauce but maybe what I have shared will clear up some confusion about terminology for you.

I actually didn't know the terminology thank you! I've been a celiac for almost 3 years now, and all I've understood is that as long as the facility makes no products with gluten I'm safe. My doctor is trying to get me to not eat even 20 ppm because I still had symptoms and so I went completely natural for a month, and now, that 20ppm make me have really bad flare outs. Also just an update I ended up trying the sauce and risking it because it costs 6 dollars for a small jar and most of the time the all organic stuff is safe.(not in all cases) I didn't get sick and the lasagna I made with it was delicious, but thank you so much for clearing that up I never understood because my doctor was new and he didn't entirely get everything about not eating gluten either.

 

[barbie01]

On 3/9/2022 at 4:21 PM, Scott Adams said:

Can you share its ingredients? It sounds like it would be naturally gluten-free, and would likely have no gluten in it. Garlic can upset some people's stomach, and cause IBS-like symptoms, but garlic is gluten-free.

I don't have the jar anymore I risked it and ate because all the ingredients were organic, and it all turned out well! I got a bit acid reflux due to the tomato and having a flare out a few weeks ago, but no bad results. The lasagna was delicious and so was the sauce.

[Scott Adams]

16 hours ago, barbie01 said:

My doctor is trying to get me to not eat even 20 ppm because I still had symptoms and so I went completely natural for a month, and now, that 20ppm make me have really bad flare outs.

I just want to mention that there is a misconception about the Gluten-Free labeling laws, and foods are not fortified with gluten up to 20 ppm, so most foods that have “gluten-free” on their labels will usually have no detectable gluten in them, and are normally tested and monitored for gluten during production to avoid a possible product recall and lawsuit. Some of them may test in the 5-19ppm range at some point, but I used to often deal with food manufacturers when I owned The Gluten-Free Mall, and if higher levels were ever detected the company was usually working hard to find and eliminate the source of contamination to avoid legal issues.

”Certified Gluten-Free” products use even stricter guidelines such as 10ppm, so you may want to look for these going forward.

[barbie01]

On 3/12/2022 at 1:59 PM, Scott Adams said:

I just want to mention that there is a misconception about the Gluten-Free labeling laws, and foods are not fortified with gluten up to 20 ppm, so most foods that have “gluten-free” on their labels will usually have no detectable gluten in them, and are normally tested and monitored for gluten during production to avoid a possible product recall and lawsuit. Some of them may test in the 5-19ppm range at some point, but I used to often deal with food manufacturers when I owned The Gluten-Free Mall, and if higher levels were ever detected the company was usually working hard to find and eliminate the source of contamination to avoid legal issues.

”Certified Gluten-Free” products use even stricter guidelines such as 10ppm, so you may want to look for these going forward.

Okay thank you!