<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
John Skerritt wrote:
 
JS> Why dont you all check with the manufacturer of Cheerios and see if
JS> they test each batch for gluten.  If they do, and the levels are OK,
JS> then there is no need to make guess about content !  If they are not
JS> OK once they are tested then we can spread the word.  The worst
JS> thing for people is uncertainty, and since many responsible
JS> companies routinely test each batch for gluten, then the minds of
JS> everyone can be put to rest, one way or the other !
 
We don't have universal agreement on this list as to the effectiveness
and reliability of gluten test kits currently available on the market.
 
For one thing, my understanding is that currently-available gluten
test kits don't detect oats.  A recent study suggests oats may be okay
for celiacs, but there have been many concerns expressed about this
study and some of us are not content to accept the study's findings just
yet.  Therefore, for those of us in the "oats are out" camp, these tests
must be combined with assurances that the product does not contain oats.
 
The next objection has to do with level-setting.  How low a level of
gluten do these tests detect?  Some of us feel that no "safe" level of
gluten consumption has been established for celiacs.  Will the test miss
low levels of gluten in a product that might cause an immune system
response in celiacs?  Those that err on the side of caution might not
find the tests to be accurate enought to suit them.
 
Finally, it does not appear that many of the US manufacturers routinely
test for gluten, anyway.  My wife and I sent letters to 600+ US
manufacturers over the summer, requesting lists of GF products.  I only
recall one instance where a company had actually tested their products
for gluten.  There may have been a few others, but the vast majority (of
those that had any information at all) relied on the product ingredients
to determine GF status.
 
With the reliability of the tests in question, and the use of these
tests sporadic in many places, we are often left with no choice but to
fall back on the old theme of checking the source of all ingredients in
a product to determine its GF status.
 
--
-- Jim Lyles
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-- Holly, Michigan, USA
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