Do I Have to Eat Products Made in Dedicated Gluten-free Facilities?

As a general rule, gluten-free replacement products (made with flour) tend to be safer if they are made in gluten-free facilities. The reason for this is that wheat flour residue can float in an environment for hours, possibly contaminating other products that are being made in the same area. If a factory has separate areas for allergen product manufacturing, this greatly reduces cross contamination problems.  

In the world of food manufacturing, if a factory is processing wheat in some form, not every product produced there is going to be contaminated with wheat. If you feel more comfortable buying only products made in factories that don’t produce wheat or other forms of gluten, you should not buy them. It’s your decision and there is not one right answer for everyone.

One of the easiest way to purchase products that are not made in factories that process wheat or gluten, is to buy whole foods such as meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables and nuts. To supplement your diet with some processed foods, buy gluten-free labeled products like crackers, cookies, bread, muffins, bagels and waffles. Keep in mind that some of these products are made in dedicated gluten-free facilities and others are not. Again, remember that a gluten-free marking on a product does not mean it’s made in a gluten-free facility. If a product is made in a gluten-free facility, it will almost always be marked as such on the package. 

My personal philosophy is to buy products from companies that I trust to do what they say they will do regarding allergens. I do not avoid any and everything made in a factory that processes wheat. What you do is up to you. It’s hard to imagine but there are still doctors in the U.S. that say things like “if you stay gluten-free most of the time you’ll be fine. Have a burger with a bun once a month if you want to”. Are these doctors uneducated in terms of celiac disease? You bet! This is not good advice for anyone, period. No one should be cavalier about staying gluten-free if they are doing so for medical reasons – no matter what their doctor tells them.    

The truth is that we are all different, no matter how much we want to think we’re all the same in terms of our gluten intolerance. Many people, but not all, know when they’ve been exposed to gluten. This allows for them to follow a protocol that others might not be able to. Someone with no symptoms might feel more comfortable choosing to consume products that are made in facilities that never allow gluten into the building. 

In the end, people should follow their own instincts, trust their bodies, and use common sense in making decisions about what products to consume and which ones to avoid. Just keep in mind that there is no ‘one size fits all’ rule when it comes to gluten-free guidelines – no matter how much we wish there were or how many people say there is.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)