Discussion Board

Hi everyone,

I had a bowl of quinoa flakes last night. They are supposed to be gluten free. Their website says that all their quinoa products are produced in a gluten free facility. I very very rarely eat these flakes, but I happened to have some last night and this morning, I distinctly felt the twisting pains for gluten GI symptoms.

I emailed the company. Sure enough...

"Our quinoa flakes are gluten free, however they are our ONLY gluten free product that is not made in a gluten free facility, the facility also handles wheat and soy but what they do is a thorough cleaning of the room and all equipment by breaking it down and cleaning before they process our quinoa flakes. After that the flakes are sent out for testing to make sure there is no trace of gluten."

I definitely think I've had some cross-contamination. This has happened occasionally with the quinoa flakes before, but it's inconsistent and i was thrown by their statement on their website.

I am avoiding the flakes from now on. Too bad, they were a lovely occasional treat.

Oh no! I just ordered more of these from my food buying club since oats are a no-go for me now.

Thanks for sharing the info.

I just received this email from them after I emailed to say I had experienced cross-contamination symptoms:

"Just to let you know for the future, we have recently stopped using the facility for our Quinoa Flakes that also has wheat and soy and have started them in a gluten free facility as well so that ALL of our products will be manufactured in gluten free facilities. So although some product is still on the shelves right now, soon only the quinoa flakes made in our new facility will be out on the shelves.

To be safe against any minute traces give it about 6 months before purchasing the Quinoa Flakes again just to make sure you have the ones from our new facility."

This is great news for me because I really love the flakes as an occasional treat. I will feed my husband my current supply and wait to buy the new, non-contaminated ones. Sorry about the recent purchase Jamie! I have 2.5 boxes waiting to be used myself!

Take care
lfwfv

That's good to know! Thanks for sharing.

WOW! I've been eating these lately, too. Thanks for the information.

Yeah, I'm still dealing with the repercussions of that one bowl of contaminated flakes!! Cramping, urgent bathroom trips, some weakness. I HATE GLUTEN!! Ugh. Knowledge is power though.

Hope you're feeling better!

Thanks Jamie! It's starting to get better. It wasn't debilitating this time, but i definitely feel the fatigue that set in within a day of the contamination (i think it's almost gone, but I still feel a bit depleted and lethargic), and my intestines are still not completely back to normal. At least it wasn't a huge dose of gluten. I am eating lots of potatoes, fruit and veggies.

Thanks for your concern and well-wishes! It is nice to have friends on this board, even though we've never met.

lfwfv