CeliacChicks

Gluten-Free Food Fraud Update #2

The Chicago Tribune reports that Whole Foods finally listened to complaining customers and removed three popular "gluten-free" products from its shelves due to high gluten content.

The news gets even better. Whole Foods is now going to create a "strict definition of gluten-free" for products sold in their stores along with monitoring the items to make sure they continue to comply with the given standard.

Now that is good customer service and responsibility!

On the other hand, you might want to read the comments from Louis Colameco, the owner of Wellshire Farms.

Oh, and keep an eye out for Wellshire Farms other brand name, Garrett County, that sells "gluten-free" chicken dogs, beef dogs, and chicken bites. The recent Tribune tests showed gluten levels as high as 2000ppm. Nice. 

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Related articles:
Gluten-Free Food Fraud Update
Chicago Tribune Busts Gluten-Free Food Fraud

Chicago Tribune Busts Gluten-Free Food Fraud

Do you eat Wellshire Farm's "gluten-free" products?

Did you read this article?

Children At Risk In Food Roulette

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I don't even know what to say.  I noticed that on the Wellshire Farm's website they still label their Chicken Bites for kids as "gluten-free". Uh, if kids are already being hospitalized over these, what is it going to take before they do something about their mislabeled products? Oh, and just for kicks check out this page about their "quality control" complete with a thank you letter from a mom gushing about how she "doesn't have to worry" due to their allergen database.

I checked in with Sam Roe, the reporter at the Chicago Tribune that wrote the article, hoping to find out that Wellshire Farms had tried to redeem their company name in some way. Perhaps that is why I procrastinated when it came to publishing this. Roe told me that yesterday they claimed to have "posted something on their website", but nothing has been seen. The products that are tainted are still being sold at Whole Foods. I could only find the Chicken Bites on the website. Did they remove the Chicken Corn Dogs and Beef Corn Dogs? And if so, why those and not the Chicken Bites too?

Maybe there is a positive side to this story? Maybe the timing for this story to break was perfect. You see, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) just entered into its 2nd phase, so hopefully this scandal will help to prove how important proper labeling and accurate testing is for products labeled as gluten-free. 

I'm going to choose to be mindful of all of the companies that I really do trust and that have a great long-standing reputation within our community. If anything, I think this article leaves me with even more appreciation for the companies that really live up to the responsibility to be honest when they say their products are gluten-free. Some people still have standards!

BTW- If you still are a little foggy about FALCPA, Nancy Lapin wrote an extensive and easy to understand article about it and what it entails on About.com.

Anything you'd like to say?

Would you like to email Wellshire Farms and explain to them why proper labeling is important to you? Here's their email:Info@WellshireFarms.com 

Gluten-Free Baking Class At The New York Culinary Institute Of America

Want to take a gluten-free cooking class at the CIA?

There was an article about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet in yesterday's Daily News that featured Chef Coppedge, the author of Gluten-Free Baking With The Culinary Institute Of America: 150 Flavorful Recipes From The World's Premier Culinary College.

Click here to read the article:

Flour Power! Learning To Bake Gluten-Free Breads And Cookies

Here's an excerpt from the article with info about the baking class:

On a recent Saturday, he held his first gluten-free baking class based upon his new book. (The class will be repeated December 13. For information, call the CIA's Continuing Education offices at (800) 888-7850, or visit www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts.

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Newsday Article: Man Swims Off Alcatraz For Sister With Celiac Disease

Did you see this?! It has been the week of amazing super human athletes in Celiac Disease World!

David Milkes swam the Alcatraz Challenge to raise awareness about celiac disease for his sister, Sharon Milkes. That is so sweet!

Mountain Man ran the NYC marathon for me. I'll have to test his love and ask, "...but would you swim to shore from Alcatraz?" Gotta keep him on his toes.

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Celiac Disease Article In The New York Times

The title of this article didn't mention celiac disease by name, but maybe that intrigued people.  A Debilitating Disease That Is Often Unknown focused on two extreme athletes that despite intense training had less than stellar performances. Celiac disease turned out to be the culprit behind their physical limitations and the gluten-free diet helped them to not only heal, but reach their goals.

(If Mimi Winsberg's name sounds familiar to you, it may be because she has been mentioned on CeliacChicks before.)

In my opinion, this article was excellent because it may have caught the attention of people that may not have read about celiac disease if it were in the title of the article, and the nearly bionic people featured may have helped to dispute any preconceived notions others may have that we are a just a bunch of hypochondriac's or alternative diet junkies. If anything, I'm wondering if people who are athletic in any way, may start a gluten-free diet to see if it helps with their performance. Hopefully, a few will be diagnosed along the way.

What did you think about this article?

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