7/7/07 Celiacs learn very quickly to read every ingredients label every time. We hope to find words like “made in a totally gluten free environment” but very often we are disappointed to read things like “made in a facility that processes wheat”. What does that phrase mean?

  Unfortunately, there are at least two possible answers:

The words could be a valid warning published by a knowledgeable dietician who has our bests interests at heart

OR

it could be a wording prescribed by the manufacturer’s legal department to avoid any possibility of a law suit. We see warnings like these when we pick up a coffee cup and see the words “the contents of this cup may be hot”. We see this attitude in action every time we think about McDonald’s refusal to label its fries gluten free even the level of gluten is either non-existent or so low that it is undetectable by the finest instruments.

  To make things even more complicated, the answer may the same for all companies in all situations and with all products.

  So what do we do? Like you, I face that question every time I read an ingredients label and find that the product may or may not be gluten free. Normally, I answer questions on this site. But in this case, all I can do is open up a dialog. Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment at the bottom of this article or by sending me an e-mail at gfceliac@gmail.com.