“I was recently in a store where they were giving out samples of a GF certified product and it was made of oatmeal….what is the scoop on oats being gluten free or not?” In theory, oats are gluten free. The problem occurs that most oats are contaminated because they have been grown on farms that also grow and process wheat, barley, or rye. Some farms use special procedures that result in oats that are safe for us.

When a products is certified “gluten free” by a laboratory, the food is tested in a laboratory and found to contain less that XX parts-per-million of gluten. I use the X’s because some labs certify products containing 20 parts-per-million, others require 10 parts-per-million, and the strictest laboratories require less than 5 parts-per-million. For more information, click here to read my recent article about oats.

This article was a response to a question sent to me by a member of America’a gluten free community. I’d be happy to address your questions. E-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com.

Published 8/21/10