On March 26, 2018 the article, “When foods contain both a gluten-free claim and an allergen advisory statement for wheat: should consumers be concerned?” by Tricia Thompson, Amy Keller, and Trisha B. Lyons was published online ahead of print by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The authors quantified data on products obtained by the Gluten-Free Watchdog. All products in this review were labeled “gluten-free.” It is important to understand the distinction between “Contains” and “May contain” statements.
To read the full text article, click here
Click here for a one-page summary.
Trisha B. Lyons, RDN, LD
MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Yes, I find the labeling confusing and now I know not to rely on it. Here’s a question: If the product has a “may contain” or “manufactured in a facility” statement for something other than wheat (milk, peanuts, etc) is that product less likely to test >20ppm? I wonder if a manufacturer would add wheat in the statement if it was a possibility. In other words, am I safer consuming a product with no statement or a product with a statement that doesn’t include wheat?
Excellent question, Diane! Neither of our papers analyzed this data but it is an intriguing question. Since there is no regulation whatsoever over allergen advisory statements and since they are listed voluntarily, there is simply no telling which factors are considered by manufacturers when they’re deciding whether to include “may contain” allergens on product packaging! That being said, it stands to reason one might find some peace of mind when reading a package with a “may contain” warning which lists allergens such as egg and milk but not wheat. I am not aware of any data which supports this, however.