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From:
Linda Mccarty <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 20 Apr 2001 13:29:19 -0400
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

MY QUESTION:  I bought some food today that states that it is gluten-
free.  Under the ingredients it says modified wheat starch with an *
next to it.  The * note says "The gluten free wheat starch used in this
product complies with Codex Alimentarius".  I have never heard of this.
I was just wondering if anyone else has heard of this and if they think
it is "safe".


SUMMARY:

In Europe the flour has to meet certain standards to determine if it is
gluten free after the gluten is removed. That is what the Codex refers to.
It is supposed to be truly GF. I ate products in England that had wheat
starch in with no problems. They follow the Codex.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *  *

Quote from one of the booklets issued by the Coeliac Society in the UK to
all their members -

"Specially manufactured wheat starch which complies wiith the International
Gluten-free Standard (Codex Alimentarius) can safely be included in the
gluten-free diet. Wheat starch of this purity is expensive and it is
commonly used in products specially manufactured for Coeliacs, to provide
palatable and acceptable bread and flour substitutes."

I myself have been using a GF bread-mix here in the UK for three years now
which contains that wheat starch, and it's given me no problems.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I would not eat it. I have never heard of this and I think it is some
fancy name to get you to think it is GF.  In the USA wheat starch is a
NO NO.  Remember: Just because a product says it is gluten free, does
not make it gluten free. In the USA there are no regulations on this.
(From Linda:  This product is actually made in the UK)

*  *  *  *  *  *   *   *   *   *   *   *  *

wouldn't go near it with a TWENTY foot pole....scary!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Check these:  http://www.fao.org/  and  http://www.codexalimentarius.net/
Also, do a www.google.com search on codex alimentarius and you will find a
lot of alternative nutrition sites that, of course, don't like the United
Nations very much.

None of this directly concerns wheat starch, of course, but at least you'll
know who you're dealing with.

Pure wheat starch (a carbohydrate) is not the same thing as gluten (a
protein).  The safety question concerns purity or processing and possibility
of contamination.  In some countries (most or all of Europe) purity is
considered high enough to be safe while in others (USA) there seems to be
more doubt.  _Probably_ if a manufacturer asserts his source is GF, and
labels his product GF, then he has reason to believe in its safety.  GF
vendors that poison customers with non-GF products don't stay in business
long.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Wheat Starch discussion has become so tedious that I usually do not
bother to read email with it in the subject line! Some European
countries allow wheat starch in a GF diet, US celiac organizations do
not. I am not a medical expert. My choice is not to take chances. I
guess that is a personal one.  If you are struggling with bouts of
reactions, and confused about what is causing them, then you would
probably choose to be very conservative about what you eat so you do not
take chances. If you are going along well on your GF diet, you might
want to try the European way. I personally have found that no oatmeal,
no wheat starch, and no vinegar distilled from grains, is a diet that
works for me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

this is the acceptable levels answer in the UK.  We are heading there this
summer and I asked exactly the same question.  What the heck is this?  The
UK Coeliac Society is a terrific source of info. It's apparently l part
wheat starch in 2 million parts of okay stuff!  The say it's fine for
celiacs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Found this online at http://www.celiac.com/forbiden.html#Forbidden_List At
bottom of entry, item #4.

4.  Most celiac organizations in the USA and Canada do not believe that
wheat starch is safe for celiacs. In Europe, however, Codex Alimentarius
Quality wheat starch is considered acceptable in the celiac diet by most
doctors and celiac organizations. This is a higher quality of wheat starch
than is generally available in the USA or Canada.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sure. This is the international standard used to define what is safe and
what is not. Codex wheat starch is widely available in Europe and has been
used by millions of celiacs there for decades with no ill effects. Remember,
gluten as the cause of celiac disease was discovered in Europe. They know a
hell of a lot more about it than Americans (especially CSA!) do.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The info refers to the European Standards which allows wheat starch.  I
don't use anything with it in, but I know many others feel if it is ok
for the Europeans, it is ok for us.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Try this website for a complete explanation of codex alimentarius:
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/

I wonder if the product comes from the UK. They do have an ostensibly gluten
free wheat starch there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

You will get replies which split by which country the answer is sent from.

Codex Alimentarius is a World Health Organization set of food standards.
In this they set standards for (among many other things) the maximum
amount of gluten/gliadins allowed in a specially purified form of wheat
starch - which is what you have just found in the packet.

In the States and several other places around the World, the feeling is
that this should not be used.  Every coeliac gets enough accidental and
tiny intakes without deliberately and knowingly ingesting any more - a
perfectly valid approach.

In the UK and much of Europe a different attitude is taken. We say that
the tiny amounts give problems in a vanishingly small number of people
(who are usually allergic, not just coeliac).  Why should the others not
have the (considerable) advantages of the wheat starch (it makes MUCH
better bread).  My wife, the family coeliac, uses this type of flour
nearly all the time now.  I have calculated that she does not get more
than 15 mg (milligrams!!) of gluten/gliadin per day from this source.
She certainly gets no problems with this and shows neither clinical
(including endoscopy) nor blood test signs of any reaction at all.  In
my view it is her right to make this choice herself.

However there are a number of "saved" coeliacs on this list who will
tell you that it has been "proved" to cause cancer.  One of them kindly
wrote and called me a "murderer" for letting my wife use it!!  In fact,
all available evidence shows that it gives no increase in the incidence
of small bowel lymphoma over a COMPLETELY GF diet.  I know, I've been
researching it for a LONG time now, to be sure that my wife is not
putting herself at risk.  Eating a non-GF diet when you are a coeliac
DOES give a significant increased probability of this disease (although
the incidence is still small).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Linda, If I remember correctly Codex Alimentarius is a European based
organization that sets dietary safety guidelines for gluten sensitive
individuals.  Some European celiac societies consider wheat starch as a
safe.  I personally choose to avoid it.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I think it might be better tolerated if you are just starting the diet and
your body has not adjust to zero tolerance.  Trying to add it back in after
you have removed ALL gluten would probably cause big problems.  Nothing to
say that it wouldn't cause problems later.  Problem is that there is not
followup monitoring to find out.

I must say that I tried a piece of something made with wheat starch once, I
couldn't believe how much different the texture was--very similar to 'real
food'.  Very scary--did it only take that little gluten to change the
texture, or is there that much difference between the starch in corn &
wheat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Codex is used as a standard mostly in Europe, I believe. Many celiacs in
Europe and the UK regularly use this wheat starch, which has been specially
processed to remove all or almost all of the gluten proteins, and they say
that they have no symptoms from it and no damage to their intestines on
repeat biopsies. They also say it greatly improves the flavor of baked
products.

I haven't tried it myself, partly because I'm too chicken and partly because
I haven't run across any products containing it in my local stores here in
the USA. Some products containing it are available by mail order.

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