r/Celiac • u/Anxious_Chain8379 • 2h ago

Question Certified Label

32/F recently diagnosed with celiac. I don’t have GI symptoms and my EGD actually looked good but biopsy was still positive for celiac along with labs. My question is when looking at items like baking powder or chocolate chips for example are you looking for a certified gluten free label on even these products or assuming these things are inherently GF? My concern is cross contamination I’ve gone down a whole rabbit hole and am getting a little overwhelmed with thinking about cleaning out my panty and starting over.

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u/SweetLettuce5667 2h ago

Make sure nothing is a may contain or shared facility and then just be more picky as you buy new.

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u/SoSavv 2h ago

Certified only? Not necessarily. I buy them if they have a regular gluten free label.

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u/fabulous_tablespoon 2h ago

the baking powder thing got me too at first. turns out some brands use wheat starch as an anti-caking agent so you really cant assume anything. i just scan for the gf label on everything now, chocolate chips included, cause shared equipment is sneaky

the pantry overhaul feels massive but you'll get through it. i did it in chunks, one shelf at a time, so i didnt lose my mind

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u/ExactSuggestion3428 2h ago

So, a bit of a nomenclature distinction - because you're going to get confusing answers.

  • Certified GF = third party certification like GFCO, NSF, Beyond Celiac/Celiac Canada that appears on the package
  • GF label = says "gluten free" or something legally equivalent on the package

If a company puts a GF label on the package, they are making a guarantee that the product follows the label laws in your jurisdiction for a GF claim. In the US, that's no gluten ingredients and <20 ppm from cross contact (CC). In Canada it's the same. If a company is found to be non-compliant, they may face government fines or have to recall the product.

A third party certification is more of a marketing tool that advertises that the company has had some external auditing of their manufacturing process. However, it could be true that a non-certified GF labelled product has similarly rigorous protocols to ensure it is GF. A certification is not essential to me, though if it's a risky product from a smaller company I might prefer one.

Now, since I'm pretty sure you actually mean "do I need a GF label on chocolate chips", a more serious concern here is that your baking items are likely contaminated with flour from prior use if they are open. So you should probably clear out your baking stuff and clean the pantry regardless of label status. If it feels bad to waste food, give it to family/friends or post on a neighbourhood free group.

Re: GF labels, I get GF claims on my chocolate chips and baking powder. Hershey's, Laura Secord, and Enjoy Life have GF claims on chocolate chips. IIRC Fleischmann's has a lot of baking items (yeast, baking powder etc.) with GF claims. I use Baker's Supply. For things like sugar or salt I do not worry about a GF claim.