FW: Fraudulent Gluten free products need immediate recall

[Guest guest]

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