I have been reading lately about gluten found in so called "gluten-free" products. This is a concern to all of us living gluten free. The Gluten Free Indy website has a couple articles on this issue. One is an article from a study done is Europe. You can find information about that on their website as well as information on cross contamination.
The concern here in the US is that we have no regulations to determine if a product is gluten free. A manufacturer can claim a product is gluten free as long as there are not gluten containing ingredients in the product. What about contamination? That is where it's helpful to talk or email the manufacturer to see how the product is made and what precautions they take.
Recently, there was a series of posts on the Delphi forum board where a product was labeled as gluten-free was used by someone and they kept not feeling well. Independent testing of this product revealed that it in fact did contain gluten. Which brings me to the next way to tell if a product is gluten free.....testing the product yourself.
I was visiting the forum at the Gluten Free Indy site several weeks back, and one of the members had purchased the Ez Gluten test strips. Here is a link to a brochure explaining the process and prices. They are test strips that when placed in a solution of food, will tell you how much gluten is in a product. This lady tested several foods and was sharing her results with the group. I have not purchase these yet, but would like to. They are a little pricey, but it sure would have been handy last week when I wasn't sure about the sausage. Beyond contacting the manufacturer or seeing gluten free on the label, this is a way to know exactly what is in a product. Just wish they were cheaper.
