Whole Foods Market Removes Mislabeled Gluten Free Products from Stores

Whole Foods Market Removes Mislabeled Gluten-Free Products from Stores Nationwide

On December 30, 2008 natural foods giant Whole Foods Market announced that it has removed three breaded meat products mislabeled as gluten-free from stores nationwide.

The decision came over a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation found that the 3 Wellshire Kids brand products sold exclusively at Whole Foods Markets were found to contain gluten in amounts from 116 to 2,200 parts per million (ppm), far exceeding the current FDA proposed levels of 20 parts per million for gluten free product labeling.

The products removed from Whole Foods Market stores include Wellshire Kids brand:

• Dinosaur Shapes Chicken Bites
  
• Chicken Corn Dogs
  
• Beef Corn Dogs

The same products are also sold under the brand name "Garrett County" at health food stores nationwide. Wellshire Farms is a family-owned business in Swedesboro, New Jersey.

According to Chicago Tribune reporter Sam Roe, "at least two children with wheat allergies (were) treated at hospitals after eating the chicken bites." This incident underscores the need for a ruling by the FDA on a definition of "gluten free" to standardize gluten free labeling for the myriad of gluten free products coming to market annually.

Whole Foods Market says it will create its' own "strict gluten-free definition and monitor products" to prevent another incident like the three mislabeled Wellshire Kids brand products caused.

The FDA Role in Gluten Free Labeling

After three years of deliberating on how and when to rule on a definition for the term "gluten-free" for voluntary use in food labeling, in August, 2008, the FDA failed to meet its' announced date for a ruling on proposed gluten free labeling.

Currently there is no technology available to detect gluten in foods to a level of zero. According to the FDA, 20 ppm is the proposed limit for allowable levels of gluten in products labeled gluten free based on " available analytic methods." "Data from peer-reviewed scientific literature demonstrate that current analytic technology can reliably and consistently detect gluten in wheat, rye, and barley at levels of 20 ppm in a variety of food matrices."

What does this mean to those of us on gluten free diets? Hundred of products that are labeled "gluten-free" really aren't gluten free at all.

How to Avoid Gluten in Manufactured Foods

1. Avoid purchasing manufactured products labeled "gluten free" until official criteria is in place for safer labeling of gluten free products.
   
   Manufacturers acquire ingredients for their products from many sources, domestically and globally. The FDA inspects less than 1% of products imported to the United States. News reports of contaminated products that find their way into pet and human foods have, sadly become the norm. Today it is more vital than ever to know the sources of our foods.

   By avoiding manufactured foods, in favor of homemade foods prepared with naturally gluten free ingredients, you remove the risks of gluten exposure associated with manufactured products, with long ingredients lists.
   
   

2. Purchase products that have the Gluten Free Certification logo on packaging, showing that product ingredients are tested for gluten levels.
   
   While manufacturers and consumers await the overdue FDA ruling on the definition of "gluten-free," The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America® (GIG), a non-profit support organization has founded the Gluten Free Certification Organization.

   According to GIG®, the "Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) provides an independent service to supervise gluten-free food production according to a consistent, defined, science-based standard that is confirmed by field inspections, in order to achieve heightened consumer confidence and safety." Products that earn Gluten-Free Certification by the GFCO contain less than 10 parts per million (ppm), half the gluten levels that the FDA has proposed as levels allowable in foods labeled "gluten-free."

   When you purchase foods that have the GFCO logo, you know you are buying products that have been tested for gluten levels, products that have been analyzed to have less than 10 ppm gluten.

3. Make homemade gluten free dishes from ingredients that are naturally gluten free. Read What is Gluten Free Cooking? to learn more about adding naturally gluten free foods to your diet.
   
   Sources:
   
   Whole Foods pulls 'gluten-free' products from shelves after Tribune story, Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune Reporter, Chicagotribune.com, Dec. 31, 2008