Archive for Current Affairs
Whole Foods’ Reaction to Tribune Story
In a recent post, I mentioned a Chicago Tribune article that focused on food products mislabeled as gluten-free. The article honed in on the brand Wellshire Farms and its supposedly gluten-free Wellshire Kids products, sold only at Whole Foods Market stores.
Wellshire Kids’ line of chicken bites and corn dogs are marketed as being gluten-free but, when tested, were found to have between 116 and 2,200 parts per million of gluten. This amount of gluten is unacceptable in a product labeled “gluten-free,” and even the smallest amount of gluten is enough to cause great harm to the celiac.
I was pleased to read the Tribune’s follow-up to the story last week. After the article was published, Whole Foods made no attempt to remove the tainted products from their shelves, “saying it was the supplier’s responsibility to ensure the items were safe and legal.” Yet, after numerous customer complaints, Whole Foods pulled the products in question from the shelves.
While some customers thought Whole Foods should have removed the products sooner, I’m glad they did in the end. It shows that gluten-free labeling is, indeed, a hot topic and one gaining the attention it needs. That’s good news for those with intolerances and for those of us sympathetic to the issue.
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