Re: FW: Fraudulent Gluten free products need immediate recall

November 24, 2008

, I just received the EXACT same email from them. It seems like they are more concerned about what the USDA says then their own customers. How does one get through to them? I think that is the worst response to a letter I have ever received.

~CrystalOn Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 12:38 PM, D Darcy <ddarcy@...> wrote:

Hi all,

I wrote to Wellshire Farms to express my thoughts on their so-called GF products, and here is the response I received. They clearly have no understanding of the customers to whom they hope to sell their products. Clearly they can't be trusted again.

I'd love to have the contact information for Whole Foods if anyone can forward that along, thanks.

From: Info (Wellshire Farms) [mailto:info@...] Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 6:28 AMddarcy@...Subject: Re: Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate recall

:

There have been some questions about the status and production of our Wellshire and Garrett County gluten free Dino Bites as a result of a recent article printed in the Chicago Tribune. Our understanding after speaking with the author is that this article relates solely to reactions from children with anaphylaxis, that is, with severe reactions to any level of allergens.We have not discontinued making this product, but we are in the process of improving its formulation. Our products are governed by the USDA and its regulations, not the FDA's regulations. We are in complete compliance with the USDA regulations. However, in light of a new FDA proposal under consideration to re-define " gluten-free " to a lower level of gluten parts per million (ppm) in the product than is currently allowed under FDA regulated foods, we are also working on our products conforming to their definition of " gluten-free. " As the FDA considers setting a new regulation, this does not affect our legal obligation to comply with USDA regulations, which specifically govern the food products we produce. Our effort to reduce permitted gluten content is a proactive improvement of our product to meet our customer's needs, and an effort to comply with the strictest standards.Our Wellshire products are tested at a level of 200 ppm or less, which is equivalent to 99.98% gluten free. The FDA is now considering a new proposal that would reduce the amount of gluten to be 20 ppm or to 99.998% gluten free. This will be difficult to achieve as wheat and other grains can become cross contaminated from growth in the fields, or milling in the combines. It becomes very, very difficult if not impossible to control.The FDA interprets the definition of gluten free to concern the level or amount of gluten in the product; thereby recognizing that there is still a contaminate of gluten in the product. The USDA bases the gluten free claim on the identity of the ingredients listed in the product, that is prohibiting the use of ingredients that contain gluten, such as wheat, barley, or rye.It may take a month more to fully complete the transition of the Wellshire products, but the Dino Bites will be returning to store shelves as soon as possible. This new Dino Bite will be a better tasting product, suitable for child and adult palates alike.Wellshire is committed to improving the quality of our products. We apologize for any inconvenience this confusion between the USDA and FDA regulations may have caused our customers.Thank you.Louis B. Colameco, IIIPresident

----- Original Message -----

From: D Darcy

info@...

Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 4:43 PM

Subject: Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate recall

Hello Wellshire Farms, I have a daughter with celiac disease. We had been buying your products, unaware that they could in fact be the cause of her still recurring stomach aches. It is horribly fraudulent to sell products labeled as gluten-free which in fact contain over 100 to over 1000 ppm of gluten.

This article in the Chicago Tribune is what brought this to my attention. TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/5roj9nThe article states that you have not recalled the products which remain on store shelves, despite repeated test results which show a high level of gluten in your " gluten-free " products. This is appalling and reprehensible. Clearly we can no longer trust your company to do the right thing where allergen-free foods are concerned. You will have to work hard to regain a good reputation among the celiac community. This article has been circulated to the many email lists of celiac patients, each of which contain 1000s of members.

I hope you will realize the serious error in your decision not to recall these foods, and finally take action before more children suffer.

Sincerely, Darcy ddarcy@... 1032 Harker Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

November 25, 2008

IMHO - this company sounds very educated and informed and is

complying with the only standards they are required to comply with.

I do not believe there is any threshold for defining and labeling

something as Gluten Free.

Also IMHO - it is much better to get a response like this (edcuated

and informed) than one that basically says " we don't know if our

products are GF and aren't going to find out either " . To me, that's

a piece of work and a company that would never get my business.

>

> > Hi all,

> > I wrote to Wellshire Farms to express my thoughts on their so-

called GF

> > products, and here is the response I received. They clearly have

no

> > understanding of the customers to whom they hope to sell their

products.

> > Clearly they can't be trusted again.

> >

> > I'd love to have the contact information for Whole Foods if

anyone can

> > forward that along, thanks.

> >

> > ------------------------------

> > *From:* Info (Wellshire Farms) [mailto:info@...]

> > *Sent:* Monday, November 24, 2008 6:28 AM

> > *To:* ddarcy@...

> > *Subject:* Re: Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate

recall

> >

> > :

> >

> > There have been some questions about the status and production of

our

> > Wellshire and Garrett County gluten free Dino Bites as a result

of a recent

> >

> > article printed in the Chicago Tribune. Our understanding after

speaking

> > with the author is that this article relates solely to reactions

from

> > children with anaphylaxis, that is, with severe reactions to any

level of

> > allergens.

> >

> > We have not discontinued making this product, but we are in the

process of

> > improving its formulation. Our products are governed by the USDA

and its

> > regulations, not the FDA's regulations. We are in complete

compliance with

> >

> > the USDA regulations. However, in light of a new FDA proposal

under

> > consideration to re-define " gluten-free " to a lower level of

gluten parts

> > per million (ppm) in the product than is currently allowed under

FDA

> > regulated foods, we are also working on our products conforming

to their

> > definition of " gluten-free. " As the FDA considers setting a new

> > regulation,

> > this does not affect our legal obligation to comply with USDA

regulations,

> > which specifically govern the food products we produce. Our

effort to

> > reduce permitted gluten content is a proactive improvement of our

product

> > to

> > meet our customer's needs, and an effort to comply with the

strictest

> > standards.

> >

> > Our Wellshire products are tested at a level of 200 ppm or less,

which is

> > equivalent to 99.98% gluten free. The FDA is now considering a

new

> > proposal

> > that would reduce the amount of gluten to be 20 ppm or to 99.998%

gluten

> > free. This will be difficult to achieve as wheat and other

grains can

> > become cross contaminated from growth in the fields, or milling

in the

> > combines. It becomes very, very difficult if not impossible to

control.

> >

> > The FDA interprets the definition of gluten free to concern the

level or

> > amount of gluten in the product; thereby recognizing that there

is still a

> > contaminate of gluten in the product. The USDA bases the gluten

free claim

> > on the identity of the ingredients listed in the product, that is

> > prohibiting the use of ingredients that contain gluten, such as

wheat,

> > barley, or rye.

> >

> > It may take a month more to fully complete the transition of the

Wellshire

> > products, but the Dino Bites will be returning to store shelves

as soon as

> > possible. This new Dino Bite will be a better tasting product,

suitable

> > for

> > child and adult palates alike.

> >

> > Wellshire is committed to improving the quality of our products.

We

> > apologize for any inconvenience this confusion between the USDA

and FDA

> > regulations may have caused our customers.

> >

> > Thank you.

> >

> > Louis B. Colameco, III

> >

> > President

> >

> > ----- Original Message -----

> > *From:* D Darcy <ddarcy@...>

> > *To:* info@...

> > *Sent:* Friday, November 21, 2008 4:43 PM

> > *Subject:* Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate recall

> >

> > Hello Wellshire Farms,

> > I have a daughter with celiac disease. We had been buying your

products,

> > unaware that they could in fact be the cause of her still

recurring stomach

> > aches. It is horribly fraudulent to sell products labeled as

gluten-free

> > which in fact contain over 100 to over 1000 ppm of gluten.

> >

> > This article in the Chicago Tribune is what brought this to my

attention.

> > TinyURL: *http://tinyurl.com/5roj9n* <http://tinyurl.com/5roj9n>

> >

> > The article states that you have not recalled the products which

remain on

> > store shelves, despite repeated test results which show a high

level of

> > gluten in your " gluten-free " products. This is appalling and

reprehensible.

> > Clearly we can no longer trust your company to do the right thing

where

> > allergen-free foods are concerned. You will have to work hard to

regain a

> > good reputation among the celiac community. This article has been

circulated

> > to the many email lists of celiac patients, each of which contain

1000s of

> > members.

> >

> > I hope you will realize the serious error in your decision not to

recall

> > these foods, and finally take action before more children suffer.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Darcy

> > ddarcy@...

> > 1032 Harker Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

> >

>

November 26, 2008

Please don't misinterpret this as advocating to purchase the

product. I saw that they halted production of three of their

products until the manufacturer can guarantee their batter is gluten

free. And no, they didn't recall the existing products on the

shelves. However, testing indicated a huge variance in results, some

acceptable, some not (if you use the 200 ppm standard). When

confronted with the two consumer complaints, they halted production.

I was really directing my comment at the fact that they are aware

that there is a debate and discrepancy regarding what it means to

be " gluten free " . There has been debate for quite some time about

what it means to be GF and the measurable amount of gluten (200 vs

20). Even European states don't have standards and one article I

found stated that products will almost certainly contain gluten even

if they are labeled as GF.

http://www.celiac.com/articles/206/1/Codex-Alimentarius-Explained---

European-Gluten-Free-Standards-by-Frederik-Willem-Janssen/Page1.html

Now I wouldn't knowingly purchase a product that has gluten in it

(which is why I won't use McCann's Oats), but that doesn't mean that

they can't label their product as GF in Europe (not saying McCann's

does).

The real fault for this situation lies in the fact that the FDA has

been too slow to move on setting labeling standards for gluten.

> >

> > > Hi all,

> > > I wrote to Wellshire Farms to express my thoughts on their so-

> called GF

> > > products, and here is the response I received. They clearly

have

> no

> > > understanding of the customers to whom they hope to sell their

> products.

> > > Clearly they can't be trusted again.

> > >

> > > I'd love to have the contact information for Whole Foods if

> anyone can

> > > forward that along, thanks.

> > >

> > > ------------------------------

> > > *From:* Info (Wellshire Farms) [mailto:info@]

> > > *Sent:* Monday, November 24, 2008 6:28 AM

> > > *To:* ddarcy@

> > > *Subject:* Re: Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate

> recall

> > >

> > > :

> > >

> > > There have been some questions about the status and production

of

> our

> > > Wellshire and Garrett County gluten free Dino Bites as a result

> of a recent

> > >

> > > article printed in the Chicago Tribune. Our understanding after

> speaking

> > > with the author is that this article relates solely to

reactions

> from

> > > children with anaphylaxis, that is, with severe reactions to

any

> level of

> > > allergens.

> > >

> > > We have not discontinued making this product, but we are in the

> process of

> > > improving its formulation. Our products are governed by the

USDA

> and its

> > > regulations, not the FDA's regulations. We are in complete

> compliance with

> > >

> > > the USDA regulations. However, in light of a new FDA proposal

> under

> > > consideration to re-define " gluten-free " to a lower level of

> gluten parts

> > > per million (ppm) in the product than is currently allowed

under

> FDA

> > > regulated foods, we are also working on our products conforming

> to their

> > > definition of " gluten-free. " As the FDA considers setting a new

> > > regulation,

> > > this does not affect our legal obligation to comply with USDA

> regulations,

> > > which specifically govern the food products we produce. Our

> effort to

> > > reduce permitted gluten content is a proactive improvement of

our

> product

> > > to

> > > meet our customer's needs, and an effort to comply with the

> strictest

> > > standards.

> > >

> > > Our Wellshire products are tested at a level of 200 ppm or

less,

> which is

> > > equivalent to 99.98% gluten free. The FDA is now considering a

> new

> > > proposal

> > > that would reduce the amount of gluten to be 20 ppm or to

99.998%

> gluten

> > > free. This will be difficult to achieve as wheat and other

> grains can

> > > become cross contaminated from growth in the fields, or milling

> in the

> > > combines. It becomes very, very difficult if not impossible to

> control.

> > >

> > > The FDA interprets the definition of gluten free to concern the

> level or

> > > amount of gluten in the product; thereby recognizing that there

> is still a

> > > contaminate of gluten in the product. The USDA bases the gluten

> free claim

> > > on the identity of the ingredients listed in the product, that

is

> > > prohibiting the use of ingredients that contain gluten, such as

> wheat,

> > > barley, or rye.

> > >

> > > It may take a month more to fully complete the transition of

the

> Wellshire

> > > products, but the Dino Bites will be returning to store shelves

> as soon as

> > > possible. This new Dino Bite will be a better tasting product,

> suitable

> > > for

> > > child and adult palates alike.

> > >

> > > Wellshire is committed to improving the quality of our

products.

> We

> > > apologize for any inconvenience this confusion between the USDA

> and FDA

> > > regulations may have caused our customers.

> > >

> > > Thank you.

> > >

> > > Louis B. Colameco, III

> > >

> > > President

> > >

> > > ----- Original Message -----

> > > *From:* D Darcy <ddarcy@>

> > > *To:* info@

> > > *Sent:* Friday, November 21, 2008 4:43 PM

> > > *Subject:* Fraudulent " Gluten free " products need immediate

recall

> > >

> > > Hello Wellshire Farms,

> > > I have a daughter with celiac disease. We had been buying your

> products,

> > > unaware that they could in fact be the cause of her still

> recurring stomach

> > > aches. It is horribly fraudulent to sell products labeled as

> gluten-free

> > > which in fact contain over 100 to over 1000 ppm of gluten.

> > >

> > > This article in the Chicago Tribune is what brought this to my

> attention.

> > > TinyURL: *http://tinyurl. <http://tinyurl.com/5roj9n*>

com/5roj9n*

> <http://tinyurl. <http://tinyurl.com/5roj9n> com/5roj9n>

> > >

> > > The article states that you have not recalled the products

which

> remain on

> > > store shelves, despite repeated test results which show a high

> level of

> > > gluten in your " gluten-free " products. This is appalling and

> reprehensible.

> > > Clearly we can no longer trust your company to do the right

thing

> where

> > > allergen-free foods are concerned. You will have to work hard

to

> regain a

> > > good reputation among the celiac community. This article has

been

> circulated

> > > to the many email lists of celiac patients, each of which

contain

> 1000s of

> > > members.

> > >

> > > I hope you will realize the serious error in your decision not

to

> recall

> > > these foods, and finally take action before more children

suffer.

> > >

> > > Sincerely,

> > > Darcy

> > > ddarcy@

> > > 1032 Harker Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

> > >

> >

>

November 26, 2008

While I am as annoyed as any of you with Wellshire, I think we should do our best to educate them instead of just excoriating them. If we write informative emails and letters to them, instead of just irate ones, we may be able to bring them back to being a good GF company. If we just stay with bashing them, nothing gets better.

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