Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Trader Joe's Forced To Change Gluten Labeling


Knock Knock

Who's There?

Trader Joe's 

  Trader Joe's Who?

Leadership Woes

For many years Trader Joe's have claimed to be at the forefront of gluten labeling. But we all know that's a joke because their labeling is the laughing stock of the gluten-free industry. Why? They have been labeling g+ products for years that albeit may have no gluten ingredients, but admit these products are strongly believed to have all sorts of cross contamination concerns and tell shoppers on a strict gluten free lifestyle to avoid them! Hmm, that's a mixed message, isn't it?! That makes no sense Trader Joe's team.  In reality, this signifies that gluten-free food is being polluted with other gluten containing foods from either supplier, manufacturer or preparation, but their staff has been promoting is as a legitimate gluten-free product in the marketplace and Trader Joe's doesn't seem to care.  The heart wrench is that those innocent people with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergies, and a variety of lifestyles that find gluten to be damaging to their health have been lied to.  This is a big deal and their lack of respect below could be interpreted that they don't care. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Top 10 Gluten-Free Misconceptions


False Gluten-Free Statements From Actual People


  1. Cross contamination only effects people with Celiac Disease
  2. I eat Gluten-Free by only avoiding bread, pasta and pastries
  3. Eating at family or friends kitchens is not a big deal
  4. Most restaurant have a safe Gluten-Free menu
  5. Eating gluten once in a while is okay
  6. Gluten-Free labels are trustworthy
  7. Gluten-Free Will Cure Everything
  8. Corn chips are Gluten-free
  9. All wine is Gluten-free
  10. Healthy = Gluten-free

Why are these false and why are these dangerous you may ask? Simply because you can't say anything you want about anything without proving it. Don't we learn this as kids? Gluten-Free signifies that all inherent ingredients, manufacturing and preparation areas are all gluten-free and verified to be <20 ppm or much less of gluten contamination per FDA (and common sense). Most products in the world are "contaminated" on some level by other foods, it happens, by machines, people, or accidentally so you cannot trust everything until proven safe, and that goes for everyone, not just someone with Celiac Disease. 


In our society, restaurants and brands have been doing whatever they want with very little regulation. Consumers trust professionals, but it's their own fault to have been doing so. Are these professionals naive or are they simply lying to make profits effecting innocent people's health? We can't let this happen we all need to stand up for health safety. Good thing is that finally those opinions are starting to change! The FDA gluten-free guidelines go in effect in August 2014 and we'll all be watching closely  to see if brands and restaurants make changes to their existing offerings.