Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper Concern
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May 13 2011

Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper Concern

When I got up this morning, I had an email from Dom at General Mills regarding the Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper mixes.  I wanted to make sure that I shared this email with our readers as soon as I could so that there would be as little as confusion as possible.  Here is the information that I received:

Hey Kim,

I wanted to write and let you know about a change in our gluten-free Hamburger Helper offering.  Essentially, our three Helpers items, Hamburger Helper Cheesy Hashbrown, Asian Helper Chicken Fried Rice and Asian Helper Beef Fried Rice will soon no longer be gluten free.  This is due to a change in manufacturing facilities, and although gluten will not be used as an ingredient in any of the three products, we will no longer be able to guarantee that they will be free from cross-contamination.

Logistically, at the shelf, we are making efforts to minimize overlap and confusion.  You may, however find both gluten-free and gluten containing product on the shelf at the same time while the new product works its way through the distribution system. Our recommendation (which of course you don’t need to be reminded of) is to read the information on the ingredient list. The callout “May Contain Wheat“ will communicate which product has the potential of containing gluten.

While this decision is necessary for the Helpers line of product, it doesn’t change, in any way, General Mills’ overall commitment to the gluten-free community which goes all the way to the top of our organization.   We’ll begin communicating this change at CDF conference on Saturday and via our GlutenFreely Facebook page and Twitter stream shortly thereafter.  We understand that keeping track of ingredient changes in products is one of the greatest challenges in living gluten freely, and would like to request your help to communicate this change to your readers to maximize awareness and keep the gluten free community informed.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you whatsoever.

Thanks,

Dom

Kudos to General Mills for making sure the gluten-free community is notified & aware.    If you are concerned about any product mentioned above that is currently in your pantry, just read the label.  As Dom mentioned, there may be both the Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper and the “May Contain Wheat” version on the shelves at the same time.

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Article Written by:

Kimberly Bouldin is a gluten-free wife, runner & blogger with two children in Columbus, Ohio. After her celiac diagnosis in 2006, she has made it her mission to embrace an entirely new approach to nutrition in a gluten-free world, exploring options that run the gamut from "made from scratch" homemade bread to sampling and reviewing the gluten-free prepared foods that are continuously being introduced to the market. While navigating the waters of becoming gluten-free, Kim shares her experiences and passes along valuable product reviews in addition to helping other moms of celiac kids develop healthy menus that are kid-friendly and palatable. Kimberly is a valuable resource for those who are newly diagnosed, as well as for the more seasoned gluten-free veterans. Follow @KBouldin on Twitter

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  • Susan

    Well this is irksome news. And so much for them trying to meet the expectations of the gluten free community. If they do this mess, I may no longer be purchasing this line of products. I’m allergic to wheat and just can’t chance it.

    • http://glutenfreeislife.com/ Kimberly Bouldin

      Susan,

      I absolutely understand your concern. I do think that it says something that they are making an effort to the the word out so that there is no confusion and no one ends up getting sick or having an allergic reaction.

      Kim

  • http://www.glutenfreepromotions.com Tiffany Janes

    This is such disappointing news. Even though I could only use the Cheesy Hashbrowns since the other two options contain MSG, I liked having the option of using something quick and easy every so often. One of the best things about these mixes was the low price of them.

  • http://www.glutenfreemusings.com Anne Steib

    I hope they don’t do this to their Chex cereal!

    Though, I agree, this is pretty disappointing news.