<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Marian

Your message to the Listserv was forwarded to me for comment, since the
Gluten Free Certification Org., a program of GIG certifies Crunchmaster
crackers.

 

I would like to respond to your question: "Can a food be certified gf if
it's manufactured in a possibly contaminated plant?"

First the statement on the package is a Voluntary Advisory Statement,
allowed on packaging by the FDA. Its purpose was originally to help persons
with IgE allergies (the type that can be immediately deadly) to make choices
about food products they purchase. 

 

Currently the FDA is in the process of reviewing the use of advisory
statements. They have held one public meeting so far, gathering information
on how manufacturers and consumers are using these statements. Their primary
focus has been the IgE-allergic consumer. They are also talking to and
interested in how the gluten intolerant consumer uses these statements.

 

As way of background information:

FALCPA - the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act covers the
top 8 allergens in food. But it does not address the potential for cross
contamination from sources outside the food, such as airborne dust.

 

Voluntary Advisory Labels were designed to cover cross contamination from
sources outside of the actual food product. Over time, these statements
became a means of manufacturers to provide a means of "protection" for them,
not the consumer. Some manufacturers will add these labels to all packages
to protect themselves from lawsuits. Others are doing the 'right thing' by
letting consumers know that it is not a dedicated facility. However, because
you don't know why the company is making this statement, the information is
not always useful to the consumer. What is not disclosed to the consumer in
these statements is if this means separate rooms for production, separate
buildings, separate lines or if a shared line, what their process is for
cleaning and verifying that the line is safe for gluten-free production. So
many factors impact the safety of food production. 

 

As for Crunchmasters and their GF certification. As part of the GF
certification process highly qualified, third-party auditors go into
manufacturing plants on a regular basis. As part of the audit, the auditor
reviews all the manufacturing process, including looking at possible
cross-contamination issues. Equipment, lines, ingredients and products are
tested. All processes must meet stringent qualifications that are twice as
strict as the proposed FDA standards, before they can be certified. These
products test well below the standard of 10 ppm set by GFCO. 

 

Marian, if you feel that the product you consumed is contaminated, I invite
you to send the rest of the package to GIG. We will send it to a lab as part
of our quality control program in GFCO. This is a routine part of the GFCO
program- 1) regular plant audits; 2) manufacturers test products,
ingredients and equipment on site; 3) GFCO sends products from "consumer
point of sale" to labs for testing.

 

If you have further questions about the Gluten Free Certification
Organization please visit www.GFCO.org <http://www.gfco.org/>  or contact
[log in to unmask]

 

 

Cynthia Kupper, RD, Executive Director                                

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America                           

31214 - 124 Ave SE, Auburn WA 98092

P: 253-833-6655, ext. 104; F: 253-833-6675

 <http://www.gluten.net/> www.GLUTEN.net;    <http://www.gfco.org/>
www.GFCO.org;    <http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/>
www.GlutenFreeRestaurants.org                         

 

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I just bought Crunchmaster Rice crackers in a six-pack from Costco.  The
outside box states that it's gluten free, but the individual packs advise
that they are made in a plant that uses wheat.  Can a food be certified gf
if it's manufactured in a possibly contaminated plant?  Has anyone eaten
these crackers with no ill effects?  I got very sick the evening I ate them,
but I figured it was a flu bug.  I emailed the company, and I'll pass along
their response.

      

      Regards,

      

      Marian

      Portland, OR

 


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