CELIAC ALERT: Have 'Gluten-Free' Cheerios Made You Sick?

Update September 16, 2015 by Tricia Thompson of Gluten Free Watchdog

“Of late, there are many reports on social media of people becoming sick after eating gluten-free labeled Cheerios. In fairness, there are reasons why people might be having gastrointestinal symptoms that have nothing to do with gluten contamination. These reasons may include an increase in fiber intake due to overzealous Cheerios consumption or an inability to tolerate oats especially if this is the first time oats have been added to the diet since a diagnosis of celiac disease. Regardless, each and every report of adverse reactions to gluten-free labeled Cheerios should be taken seriously.”

“On Monday and Tuesday of this week Gluten Free Watchdog (GFWD) sent a compilation of detailed illness reports related to Cheerios consumption to the [United States] FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in Massachusetts, the Director of Food Labeling and Standards at FDA, and the Deputy Commissioner for Foods at FDA.

FDA is now aware of the situation. If you believe you became ill after eating Cheerios, FDA is asking that you contact FDA’s MEDWATCH, the Adverse Event Reporting System. You can do this online www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/index.cfm?action=reporting.home or via phone (800) 332-1088. Choose option #4 to speak to a representative.”

[In Canada, contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency 1-800-442-2342 / 1-613-225-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 08:00 to 20:00 Eastern time, Monday to Friday https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/report-a-concern/eng/1364500149016/1364500195684]

While consumers are being encouraged to contact both General Mills and FDA, reporting to the FDA may seem cumbersome to some people. Gluten Free Watchdog is compiling reports of illness from consumers who believe they have become sick after eating gluten-free Cheerios. We will be submitting this information to the FDA. The information submitted to Gluten Free Watchdog will remain private and will be provided only to FDA.”

If you believe you or a family member has become sick after eating gluten-free Cheerios, please send Gluten Free Watchdog an email that includes the following information (info@glutenfreewatchdog.org):

Contact information: name and email address
Name of product
Product photos: Gluten-free label declaration, Best By Date, Lot Number, UPC Code
Expiration or Use By Date
Lot #
Date of purchase
Weight of product
How much product was consumed
Date used
Date discontinued use
Who became sick in your family
Adverse effects
Did you contact a medical care provider about this issue
Have you been medically diagnosed with celiac disease
Have you been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity
Do you usually tolerate gluten-free oats
Is this your first time eating gluten-free oats since being diagnosed with celiac disease/gluten sensitivity

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Gluten-Free Cheerios: Updated Position Statement September 1, 2015

Oats: Gluten Free Watchdog supports the use of gluten-free oats by the celiac disease community that are produced under a purity protocol. At this time we do not in general support the use of regular commodity oats that are cleaned at the “end” of production via mechanical and/or optical sorting. We are not necessarily opposed to the use of such oats in the future if their gluten-free status can be definitively demonstrated via a rigorous testing protocol. Cheerios: Read more…

Gluten Free Watchdog Position Statement on Cheerios Take Two: July 22, 2015

Based on the totality of information provided to GFWD, it is our position at this time that individuals with celiac disease should not eat gluten-free Cheerios. Before Gluten Free Watchdog can feel comfortable with this product, General Mills must take steps to ensure that Cheerios are not contaminated with barley (apparently the most problematic grain when it comes to mechanically “cleaning” oats). General Mills must demonstrate via repeated testing of individual boxes of Cheerios using the Ridascreen Gliadin R7001 assay that boxes of Cheerios consistently and reliably test below 20 parts per million of gluten.” Read more …

Gluten-Free Cheerios: Take Three August 30, 2015

This is the latest in a series of news posts on gluten-free oats. Gluten Free Watchdog test results: We have completed testing on three individual boxes of original (yellow box) Cheerios labeled gluten-free. Test results and a full report are publicly available at www.glutenfreewatchdog.org. On the homepage, please scroll down to “Sample Product Reports” on the left hand side of the page. Putting gluten test results into context. In 2014, Gluten Free Read more…

Images of optical and mechanical sorting offered in General Mills’ promotional video

Gluten-free oat production: Purity protocol versus mechanical or optical sorting: Does it matter to you? June 17, 2015

We are in a new era of gluten-free oat production. Gone are the days when oats and oat products labeled gluten-free meant the grain was produced under a purity protocol. Single- and multi-ingredient oat products labeled gluten-free may now include “regular” oats that have undergone mechanical and/or optical sorting to remove wheat, barley, and rye grain (this is now true in both the US and Canada). Many in the gluten-free community are in the process of working through this Read more…

More thoughts on gluten-free Cheerios May 6, 2016

A growing number of manufacturers and suppliers of “gluten-free” oats are using optical and/or mechanical sorting to clean oats at the back end of production. What these manufacturers such as General Mills should keep in mind is that the celiac disease community has been advised for over 10 years to eat only those oats grown under a purity protocol. Consumers are now being asked by some manufacturers to put aside this advice. However, it is not enough for manufacturers Read more…

General Mills “Gluten-Free” Cheerios: Comment from Gluten Free Watchdog February 11, 2015

As Gluten Free Watchdog reported in February, General Mills is using a proprietary mechanical sorting process to remove wheat and barley from the oats they will use in their gluten-free Cheerios. In general, mechanical cleaning of grains separates out unwanted materials based on size, shape, and color among other attributes. Mechanical sorting/cleaning of grains is nothing Read more…

About the Gluten Free Watchdog

Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC was founded by Tricia Thompson, MS, RD to make state-of-the-art gluten-free food testing data available directly to you, the consumer. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration under the gluten-free labeling rule is NOT requiring manufacturers to test their labeled gluten-free foods for gluten contamination.

Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC tests labeled gluten-free foods. In June 2013 Gluten Free Watchdog also started testing products that appear to be free of gluten-containing ingredients but are not labeled gluten-free. All product test results are posted, regardless of findings. See the FAQ page for information on testing protocols. For more information please see Introduction to Gluten Free Watchdog. Subscribe to receive reports and test results here

See Canadian Celiac Association Supports Purity Protocol for Celiac-Safe Oats

See Unproven Technology Used to Produce ‘Gluten-Free’ Cheerios