<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I just got off the phone with Pamela's and they said even though the oats are made my them that the other cookies should be OK. I made it very clear and she said they wash everything before they make the regular(GF) ones. so if you are really super super sensitive and don't trust them to clean it thoroughly enough you might not want to eat them but otherwise it's ok. just don't eat the ones in the bright green box if you can't eat oat Gluten (most celiacs). if you are wheat-free only, chow down! here are some notes on the controversy of OATS: everyone is different- here's one example: From what I have gathered, oats don't contain gluten, but they are often cross-contaminated somewhere between field and market shelf. The pediatric GI specialist we've seen did not resolve the conflict for us. He just said that oats (pure) don't contain gluten, but acknowledged that it is difficult at this point to find a reliable source that protects against cross- contamination. I've eaten McCann's Irish Oats with no apparent reaction. To complicate matters, I am gluten-intolerant, but tested negative for celiac. I stay as GF as possible though, because I usually react quite clearly to very minor indiscretions. ////// I work in a health food store that carries that line. It's my department. I do not carry that line because of the oats. They have always had that cookie but because it's confusing I don't carry it. I met Pamela and she is a celiac so I am confused as to why she would carry that in her line of cookies. ////// those cookies have been around for at least a couple of years. A while ago someone posted something about the production practices at Pamela's. If I remember right, they run the oatmeal cookies last, at the end of the day, so there shouldn't be a problem (I checked- it's true) ////// A recent study indicated that oats may be free of proteins toxic to celiacs. The study involved oats that were deemed to be free of wheat contamination ////// My 3yr old daughter was diagnosed with CD on Dec 10, 1998. Her pediatric GI and her nutritionist have both told us (my wife and I) that oats are OK and do not contain gluten. I am no expert but I have cited two research papers that make oats look safe. There is a research paper on the topic titled `Absence of oats toxicity in adult coeliac disease' at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7068/1300 Here are the final 3 paragraphs: This study shows the safety of adding oats to the gluten-free diet of 10 patients with coeliac disease. Seven of the patients have continued to take the same quantity of oats for more than 12 months without adverse effect. These findings are in agreement with a recently published study.2 In that study, however, the authors stated that they excluded coeliac patients with "severe" disease. No such policy was adopted in our study, and two of our patients were subsequently shown to be exquisitely sensitive when given a gluten micro-challenge. A third patient was also shown to be very sensitive to trace quantities of gluten taken inadvertently. Activation of the immune system by cereal protein is likely to be centrally involved in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease,3 and evidence of immunological stimulation is a sensitive marker of disease activation. Such evidence includes lymphocyte infiltration of the surface epithelium4 and the production of antibodies to endomysium and gliadin. Oats challenge caused no change in these parameters whereas in the patients given a gluten microchallenge, abnormalities were observed. Our results suggest that oats cereal is neither toxic nor immunogenic in coeliac disease. This has important implications for the coeliac population since the inclusion of oats would substantially improve the fibre and nutrient content of their gluten-free diet.5 The knowledge that oats are not toxic may help to define the toxic moiety in other cereals. The paper cited above cites a 1995 paper titled `A comparison of diets with and without oats in adults with celiac disease.' at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin post/Entrez/query?db=m&form=6&uid=7675045&Dopt=r This paper says: BACKGROUND. Wheat, rye, and barley damage the small-intestinal mucosa of patients with celiac disease; maize and rice are harmless. The effects of a diet containing oats are uncertain. METHODS. In a randomized trial, we compared the effects of gluten-free diets without oats and with oats (with a goal of 50 to 70 g per day from three sources: two types of wheat-starch flour mixed with an equal amount of oats, muesli containing 60 percent oats, and rolled-oat breakfast cereal). Fifty-two adults with celiac disease in remission were followed for 6 months and 40 with newly diagnosed disease for 12 months. Endoscopy with duodenal biopsy was performed at the beginning and end of the study. RESULTS. The mean (+/- SD) oat intake in the oat group was 49.9 +/- 14.7 g per day at 6 months for patients in remission and 46.6 +/- 13.3 g per day at 12 months for patients with newly diagnosed disease. The oat and control groups did not differ significantly in nutritional status, symptoms, or laboratory measures. Patients in remission, regardless of diet, did not have worsening architecture of the duodenal villi or increased mononuclear-cell infiltration. All the patients with new diagnoses were in remission at one year, except for one in the control group. Six patients in the oat groups and five in the control group withdrew from the study. CONCLUSIONS. Moderate amounts of oats can be included in a gluten-free diet for most adult patients with celiac disease without adverse effects. ///// I personally would not want to risk getting sick. I find it strange that there are celiacs out there who would go through this test. I feel bad for the control group-wheat starch! a lot of people are looking for a magic pill or some other magical grain but I feel we just have to dace the facts. if you are an adult and feel ok when you eat them- go ahead. please think twice before you put your children on them. -Aimee