Not All Allergy-Free Products are Necessarily Allergy-Free

Yes, you read that correctly.   Despite that fact that many food allergies can potentially be life threatening, it appears that not all foods labeled allergy-free are actually allergy-free!

According to a recent investigation by the Chicago Tribune, it looks like manufacturer’s are either mislabeling their products or not understanding the importance of accurate labeling:

The Tribune investigation revealed that the government rarely inspects food to find problems and doesn’t punish companies that repeatedly violate labeling laws.

In disclosing ingredients, labels must clearly identify major allergens such as peanuts, milk, eggs and wheat. Millions of parents, teachers and baby-sitters scrutinize these labels to ensure that they are not giving children unsafe food.

But an alarming number of products sold as allergen-free actually contain harmful amounts, the Tribune found.

Many of the problems occur with foods marketed to children–candy, cookies, cakes and ice cream. Iconic childhood favorites such as Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Frosted Flakes, Jello-O and Campbell’s Spaghettios have been recalled for hidden allergens in recent years.

So, how does this relate to Celiacs?  Our friend Alison of Sure Foods Living took the time to break it down for us:

• Products labeled as gluten-free actually had high levels of gluten (specifically, some products made by Wellshire Farms)
• About five products a week are recalled because of hidden allergens
• Recalls are voluntary, meaning that even if a company knows there is an allergen present, no one can force them to take it off the shelves
• Nearly half of the allergy-related recalls in the last 10 years were not announced to the public
• There is no standard rule for what gluten-free means

Have you found that you sometimes have problems with foods labeled as gluten free?