In February 2015 Cheerios came out with a press release stating they were making certain flavors of Cheerios Gluten Free by using a “proprietary process” to clean the oats so they meet the FDA requirements
of 20PPM or less. When I read the press release I was more than a little skeptical. When a marketing team from General Mills emailed me, I asked tons of questions and was still skeptical. Then I went to General Mill to see how they are making the oats safe and my view changed.
I tend to be a “I don’t believe it till I see it” kind of person. Unless someone I trust provides me with the information I want see it for myself.
For some completely unknown reason to me on Tuesday May 5, 2015 I had the opportunity to sit in a day long forum with 2 other Gluten Free bloggers, 1 Gluten Free magazine editor and 2 registered dietitians at General Mills headquarters in Minnesota. Also in the room were Jim Murphy the President of Big G Cereals, Chad Hollowaty the Project Manager for Gluten Free Cheerios, the marketing team, the PR team, the R&D team, the testing team, the mill team, and Phil Zietlow who started the whole Gluten Free Cheerios process 5 1/2 years ago.
Chad and Phil
Let me pause right now – I WAS NOT PAID TO BE THERE AND I’M NOT BEING PAID BY GENERAL MILLS TO TALK ABOUT THE CHEERIOS. I am sharing with you what I saw, my experience and my opinion. Feel free to use your own judgement on the Cheerios. I gain nothing either way.
So now that is clear let’s move on.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Why would a multi-billion dollar corporation care about making their top cereal brands Gluten Free?
The answer is Joyce. You see Joyce is Phil Zietlow’s daughter-in-law and she is Gluten Sensitive. Five and a half years ago Phil learned Joyce could not eat Cheerios without getting sick. As a side note Phil is the THE PERSON who invented Honey Nut Cheerios. Phil grabbed a few people from the mill and R&D to figure out how to make Cheerios Gluten Free. Phil and his team spent ten’s of millions of dollars to figure out a way to make the Cheerios safe for Joyce. Once the team created Gluten Free Cheerios Joyce got one of the first boxes and so did Lyle, a Celiac, who works in the mill on the project.
Why did it take 5 1/2 years to make the oats test below the FDA standard?
Take the test below, can you spot the different grains in this photo?
Don’t cheat
Keep looking…
Ok here is the answer
To put this in perspective 1 lb of oats equals 1 box of cereal or 15,000 pieces of oats. Industry standard for oats is to have 2% of something else in them. If you aren’t Gluten Free having barley, rye, or wheat mixed in the oats isn’t a problem, but if you are GF that 2% will make you sick. Now to meet the FDA 20ppm standard you can only have…. ONE non-oat grain in amongst the 15,000 pieces. That’s right only 1!
The goal for this project was to make Cheerios a safe product for someone with Celiac Disease to consume. They were not willing to release the product until they were 100% sure it was safe and that they could consistently make it safe.
Gluten Free Testing
General Mills’ goal is to only have half of a non-oat grain in that pound and they are repeatedly meeting that standard, ie 9-12ppm. If you doubt this, I met Steve House who works for Medallian Labs who runs all the tests. He has a team working 24 hours a day to keep up with the testing. I saw the lab, I saw the tests, and I saw the team. They are using the R5 Elisa test which is the industry standard. They test the oats throughout the entire process to ensure they are meeting their internal ppm goal, half of a non-oat grain per pound.
The nuts and bolt of this is: multiple samples are taken of the oats when they arrive at the mill, they are tested. The oats are cleaned/sorted, multiple samples are taken and tested. At this point none of the oats proceed unless they meet the standards. Once that batch passes, it is sorted again and tested again. If it passes the oats move over to the grinding mill. The oats are ground into flour, multiple samples are taken and tested. If approved they are released to the cereal plant and made into Cheerios. Every hour a box is pulled from the line, multiple samples are taken and tested.
Fridley Mill
When they say “cleaned and sorted” no water or chemicals of any sort are used. The cleaning and sorting is all done mechanically in a brand new building at Fridley Mill. We were the first group of non-General Mills employees to tour the building EVER. We climbed from the 8th floor down to the 1st floor of the cleaning house. I saw the machines, I saw the oats, I saw the non-oats being removed, and I saw the finished oats.
Oh and I looked like this while I did it:
Now let’s address your questions:
1. Are they using certified Gluten Free oats – No, there are not enough certified GF oats in the world. If General Mills did use certified oats the entire supply of ALL certified GF oats would be used up in a week. This is why their process of sorting and cleaning is necessary.
2. Are they using a dedicated Gluten Free facility? – Yes. The cleaning house is a dedicated facility, the grinding mill is dedicated, the train cars are dedicated, the cereal plant is dedicated and the packaging is dedicated.
3. What about GMO’s? – Yellow Box Cheerios is already non-GMO and will remain that way. The other flavors do contain GMO’s. The oats are non-GMO, the GMO’s come in from the other ingredients involved in the flavored Cheerios. At this time there is no plan to change this. So if GMO’s are a concern for you, stick to the yellow box.
4. General Mills is just trying to take advantage of the Gluten Free trend? – The President of Big G cereals said they do not spend this kind of money on a trend. They are also NOT increasing the price and they are NOT reducing the size of the contents of the box. The move to Gluten Free Cheerios is a long term play.
5. Are the Cheerios ingredients going to change? – Four of the five cereals will stay the same, multi-grain was the only product that needed to be changed to remove Gluten grains.
6. When will they be on the shelves? – In July the first boxes with the Gluten Free seal will leave the cereal plants. The goal is by mid-September to have all the old product off the store shelves and the new product on the shelf. Do not buy a box of Cheerios unless it has this seal on it.
7. What flavors will be Gluten Free? – Yellow Box, Honey Nut, Frosted, Apple Cinnamon and Multi-grain
Some Interesting Facts
Honey Nut Cheerios is the #1 selling cereal in the US.
Once the 5 flavors of Cheerios hit the market, 30% of all General Mills cereals will be Gluten Free and 10% of cereals on store shelves in the US will be Gluten Free.
General Mills was so committed to this project that they broke ground on the cleaning house before the team even had the process 100% complete. The leadership trusted the team to figure it and make it safe.
The cleaning house, all 8 stories, was built in 8 days. The interior took longer but the exterior only took 8 days.
General Mills already produces over 800 Gluten Free products.
The technology used to sort and clean the oats is all over 50 years old. The way in which they are used is the change that makes the difference.
Opening the Curtain
General Mills let us in, “opened the curtain” as they called it because of YOU. The Gluten Free community did not want to take General Mills on their word that the “propriety process” was safe. General Mills has never given full access to anyone regarding their products. The doors are open for the Gluten Free community to see how it is done. They want us to trust that these products are safe for Celiacs to consume, because they created them for Celiacs. Here is what they have to say about Gluten Free Cheerios.
The common themes that I saw while at General Mills were: trust, empathy and dedication. General Mills trusted that their team could figure out this huge problem of making oats safe for Celiacs. The leadership and project team had empathy for all of us that can’t enjoy Cheerios. And finally dedication. A major company doesn’t spend this much capital, man power, real estate, and time to create a product unless it really matters to them. Jim Murphy said it is a balance between business and service.
So now, what you all want to know:
Are Gluten Free Cheerios Safe?
Yes. As a Celiac and a mom of Gluten Sensitive children we will eat the Cheerios. Me, for the first time in over 5 years and the kids for the first time ever.
If I had not met the people, seen the process, and seen the testing method I would still be skeptical. Now that I’ve seen all those things, I will be eating them.
You can just take my word for it or do your own research, read other blogs, read the marketing pieces, and decide what is the best decision for you.
Much Gluten Free Love,
Pam
Warning: I wrote this post as a way to help the Gluten Free community. If you do not agree with General Mills or me, I understand but there is no need to get ugly about it. Let’s encourage one another on our Gluten Free journey, not tear one another done. And if you write a mean comment I will delete it because my mom reads this blog.
UPDATE 10-5-2015
Cheerios has just voluntarily recalled some Cheerios and Honey Nut with certain Better is Used by dates.
READ THIS TO MAKE SURE THE CHEERIOS YOU ARE EATING ARE SAFE!
Can’t wait for this cereal to hit the shelves. Thank you General Mills !!!!!!
Excellent, thanks for the information, can’t wait to try them!
Thank you for all of this great information! You have set my mind at ease. My family hasn’t had Cheerios in 4 years. We can’t wait to try them again.
Thanks you! Enjoy a bowl! Can’t wait for mine
GREAT article. Love all that Cheerios is doing for the gluten-free community. Any way you can pass along the interest for a similar tour/education for their peanut/nut cross contamination procedures for those of us with food allergies?
Great question. I can ask about the nut cross contamination, not sure.
That would be awesome, Pam. Thank you. Feel free to pass along my contact info.
so I get to make Cherrio treats again??? My son and I have missed Cherrio treats so much. He would eat them for breakfast when I couldn’t get him to eat anything else. I add peanut butter to the marshmallow mixture before adding the Cherrios. That way he had protein for breakfast too.
I used Cherrios to help train my dogs too. So they will be happy mom is eating Cherrios again.
So excited right now. Can the first case of Cherrios be sent to my Publix store?
Enjoy your treats! They sound yummy. If I had any say over distribution I would get you some!
Pam, thanks for your thorough information and constant advocacy for the celiac community. Go Phoenix!
Woot Elon! You are welcome!
So far, yours is the most complete explanation of what you saw and how this all works. Thanks for that. I cannot wait to eat Cheerios again. This is big!
Thank you, I tried super hard to get all the details together for you guys!
I got teary eyed reading this. I grew up loving Cheerios and cannot wait to pass that love to my new little girl!
I hope you both love them!
I still don’t get how they are gluten free if they use regular oats?
Great question – oats are naturally Gluten Free. It is the cross contamination that is the concern. General Mills has solved this problem so the cereal tests below 20 ppm.
Reading this made me a little teary eyed. It breaks my heart a little every time we are at the store and my four year old points to different cereal boxes and asks if they are gluten free and more often than not I must tell him no. It will be nice to be able to add a few more yeses. Thank you for going to GM and for giving us the opprtunity to make an informed decision.
I totally understand the mom frustration in the cereal isle! I’m excited too. Hope your little guys likes the O’s!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Cheerios were my favorite cereal before being diagnosed. They were my “go to” breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. I have missed them and can’t wait to have them back. So looking forward to a huge bowl with brown sugar and a banana.
Excited for you to enjoy your first bowl in a few months!
I. Can. Not. Wait!
My family is overjoyed that cherrios are safe! Thank you for writing about your visit. Sharing it all over the internets.
You are welcome Brianna! Much GF love!
Love it! Especially your warning about mom reads this. Thanks for the insight into Cheerios process….kudos to them too:-)
I am so excited to hear this! Thank you for researching the whole process they go through. I miss Cheerios and am thrilled General Mills is making the move to make them gluten free!
Thanks, enjoy them!
I am so happy to hear that you had a good experience! It’s incredible to see a company taking such major strides to let more people enjoy their product. Multigrain cheerios were my go-to cereal choice in college so especially excited to see them on the list 🙂 Thanks for sharing this, Pam
Welcome Jenni! Enjoy the mulitgrain
Thank you Pam for bringing this to light. I used to be a Cheerios fan, before I found out I was Gluten intolerant. Now my husband eats them and I just stay away. But once these hit the market, you can be sure I will be on that band wagon. Question though, I realize the facility is in the US, but I think they supply to all of North America. We are in Canada. Will the launch date be the same? I certainly hope so! Take care, keep writing (because I love it) and love the reference to your Mom – she would be proud of you.
Cananda will get the same products but no GF label due to Health Canada’s rules.
Do you know why, or how we will be able to distinguish which ones are safe?
The 5 safe Cereal boxes will have the Gluten Free seal I have pictured in the article.
Even in Canada? I just wanted to confirm since you stated in the previous comment that we won’t get the gluten free seal because of Health Canada’s rules.
Do you know if the flavors that are marked gluten free are going to be made on a separate line from those flavors that aren’t marked gluten free?
Yes, all 5 Gluten Free flavors will be made on Dedicated Gluten Free lines.
It sounds like you had an amazing day at GM! Do you know if the gf Cheerios will be in shelves in Canada at the same timelines as the US?
Just a note on the picture of the grains, the wheat is labelled as a barley, and the barley is labelled as a wheat.
Here is the deal with Cananda – you will get the same product but no GF label due to Health Canada. Gen Mills is working with them on it.
Oh My Goodness….I am now soooo excited! I loved Cherrios products and was sad when I couldn’t eat them anymore. I will be sooo glad those little O’s of deliciousness back in my house and in my tummy. Thanks Pam for all of this, you are the best! And a big thanks to General Mills!!!!
Welcome!
Excellent post Pam! Glad that you got to go up there and give us “real scoop”.
The photo of the barley and wheat hiding in the oats is an awesome visual. I’ve never seen the three grains displayed this way before. Very cool!
Thanks Jeff! It was a great experience
Hi Pam. My father-in-law forwarded me your blog. 🙂 Thank you so much for writing this post. I am very thrilled with this change for Cheerios as I love them especially the Honey Nut. I cannot wait for it to hit the stores but yes, I did get the box marked #1 🙂 Take care! Will be regular reader of your blog.
Welcome Joyce! Way to find the Gluten!
Thank you so much! I have been anxious about this move by GM, but knowing that a true celiac was in the plant and observed the process, wrote about it, and now knowing the history behind WHY GM decided to go gluten-free helps so very much!! Kudos to GM for opening their doors and their hearts! And, thank you, Pam, for your very thorough article — your mom should be quite pleased!
Thanks! Am honored to be able to share the info with you!
Great in depth article. Can’t wait to enjoy those little O’s again! Nice to see a huge corporation like General Mills invest in such an undertaking for those of us that are GF!
Thanks! It was nice to see and experience
I should not be crying happy tears over cereal. But I miss Cheerios that much! My kids are laughing at me, and I still can’t stop crying. Oh, THANK YOU General Mills! 🙂
You are adorable! It’s totally ok to cry!
Pam, so glad you got to check this out for us. I trust your opinion and just might have to pick up a yellow GMO free box. Probably would not have said that before your post. Wish they could take BHT & BHA out too. I would buy more of their cereals if they would. Thanks for your commitment to the gluten free community. And thank you General Mills!
Vicki,
Glad I could help. Enjoy your Yellow Box!
Thank you so much for doing this research and posting it. I recently made the dumb mistake of letting my child eat a non-wheat but non certified gf cereal. He threw up for a week. Learned the hard way I had to research every thing. Now you’ve given me 5 cereals I can trust – can’t wait for July! And huge thanks to the empathetic folks at General Mills.
Oh, that is so exciting! Well written, I like your critique and honesty about the process. Sounds like it was an informative trip, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Krupa
Yay! Love Cheerios and have been missing them! Nice in-depth article. Thank you!
This is a highly informative blog post! Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to try out the GF Cheerios in July.
Great article! Thanks for sharing. My mom and I (we’re both Celiac) are now even more excited to be able to enjoy a classic favorite again! Also, I wonder if with this proprietary process, the company will be looking to make Lucky Charms gluten free next. LOL!
Wink wink – me too!
Thank you so much for putting this info together! I’m super psyched that my 9 year old can have cheerios again for the first time in 5 years 🙂 love, love, love this!!!
oh I cannot wait. I will not only be eating Cheerios (so missed eating them) but plan on grinding them up and using them as “bread crumbs” in my turkey and hamburgers. Thank you GM for undetstanding that there is a large market that they lost due to Gluten issues. Now you are giving those myself included a product we can not only eat but also trust that we will not get sick. Again I say thank you thank you. So looking forward to seeing them in the stores. I hope the local stores agree to shelve them.
Happy along with you
Thank you! I have tears in my eyes as I finish reading. This has been a rough journey for me as a mom upon learning my oldest has Celiac Disease. This gives me more hope and faith that WE are being heard and that big business does care. I find it remarkable that they spent that much money & time to re-create a great product into one that even more people can enjoy. What a great pre-Mother’s Day present! Thank you for sharing.
So glad this brings you joy!
Very informative! I’m just sensitive to gluten, so I can’t wait to try the new product!
hi,
can you possibly clarify: if it’s not gf certified oats, are the oats still gf? are the fields growing them safe? how are they keeping out the cross-contamination in growing?
thanks!
The oats used by GM are not certified GF, there are not enough GF oats in the world to make Cheerios. This is why GM made the Cleaning house to get rid of the barley and wheat in the oats that are harvested. Oats on their own are GF, it all comes down to how they are grown, harvested and transported that causes the problems. GM uses the Cleaning House to get rid of the Gluten so the oats test below the FDA required 20 PPM.
Thanks so much for the article! It is reassuring to read all of this information and the connections that some of the people in charge have to gluten issues. However, my favorite part was the warning. It really made me laugh.
Thanks! Want to help people remember I’m a real person with a mom who cares 😉
Thanks for your research, can’t wait to buy cheerios again:)
Thank you for this informative article. I had joyfully read about the new GF Cheerios & had decided to take the risk to eat them just because I miss them from my life. A lifelong fan of Cheerios, they are the cereal I miss the most…for breakfast, for baking treats, for crunchy ice cream toppings, and any other way I could think to use their oatey tastiness. ( we even used Cheerios to help our boys for “target practice” in potty training! Probably not a usage General Mills wants to advertise!). But now your article clearly explains their process and I feel my safety is the best I could ask. I am living with a non-celiac spouse & probably run higher risks of cross-contamination accidents in my own home! Thank you for aiding my understanding! Cheerios party in July! Yeah!
I was diagnosed Celiac 9 months ago and was SO excited to read it will be safe for me to have Cheerios again soon! Also, thank you for the detail. I learn new things every day!
I am a 20 year employee of General Mills. I have been a proud employee of a good company that values it’s employees and does sincerely care about the food we produce. Thank you for taking the time to get “behind the curtain” and let us show you what the companies values really are.
It was an honor!
Thank you
I cannot wait to get the Cheerios for my daughter – the rest of the family still eats Cheerios but now it will be a great breakfast alternative for her as well. I am especially appreciative that General Mills says they will NOT raise the price. Some gluten-free versions of common products are so expensive…..
I am a food scientist with GM and I am not a celiac. Reading your blog and all the comments (Hype, Karin, Erin, Christy and more) reminded me how important it is to feel the joy and pain of people to develop great products! And I loved your “warning” 🙂
I’ve missed Cheerios for 11 years now. Thanks to the GM management and engineers who are making this happen.
I seriously almost cried when I read through this. I have missed Cheerios more than any other food in the past 8 years and no other cereal can compare!!!! Thank you!!
Katie – It’s ok to have happy tears!
Thank you for taking the time to explore and share about this – I am happy to be able to have this food that is often used in the classroom as a craft item available to my child now. We aren’t big cereal eaters, however after the celiac diagnosis we started noticing how often food is used in the social setting for other things than just eating – games, art, etc…now my son has another option that is safe for him. Thank you for this post and for GM taking the time to do it right for all of us who either have CD or a loved one with CD.
Thank you for the detailed information, as it helped me decide that GF Cheerios will not be right for me. I am a very sensitive celiac and 9-12ppm is definitely enough to trigger symptoms for me.
Again, I appreciate the post, because this information was not available elsewhere. We all make different decisions for our disease and am glad to be better informed after reading this.
I’m glad the information was helpful for you.
You (and General Mills really) have no idea just how unabashedly happy and excited you have made me.
I used to love eating the original, Honey Nut, and Frosted Cheerios as a kid, and after developing a gluten sensitivity a couple years ago, I was incredibly disheartened to find out that I could not eat Cheerios anymore.
Well little did I know that not only was General Mills working on gluten free products from the likes of their Betty Crocker brand (which makes me so unabashedly happy to be able to use their cake and brownie mixes without worry), but also CHEERIOS!
Seriously, this is such a great piece of news that they took their time, got it exactly right, and are trotting it out now (a tad slower than I’d like, but still). I cannot wait to stroll down that cereal aisle, confidently pick up a box of my favorite Cheerios, and know, just like the Betty Crocker GF Brownie Mix, that I am getting a product that is safe to eat for celiacs and those with gluten sensitivities (like myself) alike.
My daughter has severe wheat allergy with anaphylaxis. I’m thinking these would not be safe for her as she cannot have any wheat or oats. Any thoughts?
If her allergy is strong to wheat I would be very cautious. GM does say there is a half of a grain of wheat or barley per box. For a Celiac that is ok because it is below 20ppm, but for someone with anaphylaxis to wheat I would be concerned.
As a mom – I’d err on the side of caution and pour her a bowl of Chex.
Thank you! I agree, but it helps to get some advice 🙂
Hi Pam,
Thanks for your in depth recap. I have been waiting to comment until the Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC report came out on Cheerios after her visit there and independent testing.
I posted the comment below on my FB page thereafter, with the link to the Watchdog report (provided below). I am concerned with the test results from her independent review.
Again I would question why GM (and other large companies making both gluten and gluten free products) do not seek independent GF certifications. If they are concerned with the community response, this seems like the absolute easiest course of action, unless they are concerned that their products actually can’t consistently meet the less than 10ppm standard set by GFCO. I’m curious as to whether they gave you an answer to this question.
Most comments to my earlier post indicated folks were going to steer clear of Cheerios based on this info. I agree with you, however, that it is absolutely up to the individual how they want to proceed and if they want to buy this product for their family. No judgment.
“I know many of you continue to have questions about the gluten-free safety of the new General Mills oat-based cereals, including Cheerios and Lucky Charms (recently announced by GM as going gluten-free later this year). I respect the opinion of the Gluten Free Watchdog, which has just completed their preliminary, independent review of protocols at the Cheerios plant.
Rather than using certified GF oats grown under a purity protocol (GF seeds grown on dedicated fields, using approved harvesting, transport & packing equipment, and screened for potential contamination on site), GM is using regular oats that they mechanically screen for barley, rye and wheat at their facility.
Excerpted from her review, Gluten Free Watchdog concludes:
“Gluten Free Watchdog continues to support the use of gluten-free oats by the celiac disease community that are produced under a gluten-free purity protocol*. The oats used in gluten-free Cheerios are not currently grown under a purity protocol; they are “cleaned” via mechanical sorting. At this time we do not in general support the use of regular commodity oats that are cleaned via mechanical and/or optical sorting to be “gluten-free” after arriving at the mill.
…
“Based on extraction values shared with me I am not fully confident that every box of Yellow Box Cheerios from the 88 lots produced at the time of my visit to General Mills contains a level of gluten less than 20 parts per million.”
https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-free-cheerios-take-two/“
Jules,
Thanks for you comments. I have read Tricia’s posts. I met the same people she did, saw the same tests she was shown, and saw the same facility she did. I trust that General Mills is making a safe cereal for Celiacs. We have enjoyed our 3rd box of Honey Nut Cheerios with no problem.
Sense my visit I have received more tests results from General Mills showing:
“We have 34 days of Original Cheerios production across our 4 Cheerios plants. Each of those run days has at least 12 samples that we pull.
· The mean ppm of those samples is 7.
· 30 days had an average < 10ppm · 2 days = 11ppm; 2 days = 12ppm Furthermore, we have some data on some of the other flavors (that run less frequently due to size of business) · Multi-Grain Cheerios: 2 run days across 2 plants o Mean <5ppm · Apple Cinnamon Cheerios: 1 run day across 1 plant o Mean <5ppm" The cereal tests well below the 20ppm. Everyone needs to decide what is best for them. We will continue to enjoy the Gluten Free Cheerios.
I also disagree with the safety assessment. A “mean” ppm of gluten means that statistically there will be boxes that are way above the 20ppm allowed by the FDA. I have celiac disease and this is a risk I will not accept.
It is a risk that no celiac patient should accept. Why should we? Why is it considered ok to evaluate safety based on a “mean”? Why should our health be subjected to a statistic by a big corporation who is too arrogant to have their “sorting process” be certified by a third-party organization?
I agree that the mean ppm method is the issue here. Many of the boxes are probably within a safe range (leading to no reaction), but not knowing when you are going to get one of the high ppm levels is the risk that is not good for a celiac’s health. For me, it is knowing something could have gluten in it, but eating it anyway! I take more care than that, as do many families.
I have tried the Honey Nut Cheerios and I got sick. Maybe I’ll try the plain ones. Has anyone else with Celiac gotten sick trying the new Cheerios?
Sad to hear it didn’t go well for you. We just finished our 3rd box and we are all good 🙂
My daughter had her first bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios today. She has felt sick all day.
Sorry she got sick 🙁 No fun!
I actually ate a big bowl of the GF yellow box Cheerios this morning for the first time, and they made me so sick! I haven’t been gluten sick in over 2 1/2 years! I am extremely careful, so I know it was the Cheerios. My best friend’s daughter has severe Celiac’s Disease and they made her extremely sick also. I guess they’re not safe for everyone…
I ate a bowl of honey nut and became very ill. I contacted Cheerios and the Celiac Fountain in which I was informed I was allergic to something else in the cereal. Funny how nothing else in my diet has changed and yet those 2 companies think they know my body better than I do. I was made to feel like a complete fool. I will be contacting the FDA as well.
Are they available in the ROI? .
Right now they are only Gluten Free and safe in the USA. Hopefully soon!
I just found the plain ones last night! To say my son was beyond happy would be an understatement. He ate three bowls. And had a HUGE smile on his face.
WOOHOO! Out kiddos too! We just finished our 3rd box!
In response to Wendie, my daughter ate the new Honey Nut Cheerios and she got sick too.
Hope she recovers quickly!
Us too, my celiac son was excited to have the honey nut, however, his asthma flared right up. I knew it was too good to be true. Cheerios is not GF afterall.
Sorry it isn’t work for you guys:(
I cannot wait to eat cheerios again. Thanks
Just found the Yellow Box today! So excited!!
Sadly, just tried the Honey Nut one today for 1st time and despite not getting the negative gastro related reactions, I did get all the rest. Itching, instant fatigue coma, brain fog, confusion, migraine and wicked grumpy. All are normal instant reactions to cc and then I get the gastrointestinal reactions when the cc is really bad.
So sorry!
I have 6 kids + myself who eat gluten free because of celiac disease
It’s been over 14 years since I have had Cheerios and a first for most of my kids thank you so much!!!!we tried them they were as I remembered Amazing!!! My kids loved them Thank you so much. It’s nice to have another choice!! Thank you, more than you could ever know!!!
SO SO happy for all of you! It is amazing how it makes you feel normal to be able to eat Cheerios!
Well I tried them and once again it is a pleasure to eat them. I have mine with silk almond light milk maybe that might help people also?
I feel really sick but will try it one more time to make sure this is what is causing it
It might be good for others so don’t judge it before trying it out
I tried for 3 days. It didn’t work for me. I think I reacted to the non certified oats. It wasn’t an immediate gluten reaction, but a slow timer reaction. Every day I continued to eat them I wanted to sleep all day. I had some ataxia. I just felt like I had a sinus infection coming on. Which is what gluten does a few days after initial reaction. Hope others are able to eat normal cheerios.
I am so grateful to you and to General Mills! My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac’s 5 years ago, and I cannot tell you how excited we were to grab a box of gf Multi-Grain Cheerios over the weekend! She loves them! No adverse reactions – happy, happy dance here! My childhood favorite cereal is back in the house!
I had the Honey Nut for the first time today and got sick as well.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease nearly 25 years ago and have managed my diet well to avoid gluten, certainly in the last 20 years at minimum. I bought g-f Cheerios and ate them 2 days ago, and had a definite reaction of brain fog, body fatigue, intestinal cramps (severe). Contrast this with no reaction to eating Cinnamon Chex and certified g-f oats (Bob’s Red Mill). No more Cheerios for me!
I have eaten these with no problems yet. I use light almond milk don’t know if this helps
The type of gluten-free milk you use, dairy or non-dairy, does not matter if the cereal is gluten free.
I had an extreme digestive reaction I do not recommend these for sensitive people.
My husband has always loved cheerios. When he was officially diagnosed with celiacs (we pretty much already knew) that was one of the things he missed the most. When we heard they were going gluten free we was so happy especially since I’m pregnant and if this little guy gets his dads celiac’s he’ll be able to enjoy cheerios with his father still.
Thank you for this posting. It has been wonderful to see a blog on this subject that allows for discussion in the comments. I have a few concerns.
I was very excited about the cheerios coming out. Myself (celiac and with DH) and my celiac boyfriend both tried them and got sick. I had the worst reaction I have had in years. We do not have issues with oats.
Personally, I do not believe these cereals are safe for celiacs. This is largely due to the large number of people (looks like about half from what I have gathered?) who have gotten sick from them. I think there is a reason why a certification is important for celiac families, as the FDA guideline of 20ppm is much higher than the certified products. I understand that people have had success with these in terms of not feeling ill, but I do know that sometimes celiacs and those with DH will have intestinal damage from small amounts of gluten, while on the outside they may not notice a reaction. In the short term, they may feel ok, but still have health problems because of their immune systems. It will be interesting to see whether people have bad or good test results from scopes after eating these cheerios for a while.
I think these products could possibly be safer for people who have gluten sensitivities or other health issues related to gluten that are not celiacs? I am not sure. I would love to be able to eat them because I have missed them the past 7 years, but I just do not think that the FDA guideline of 20ppm cuts it.
If I see a “certified gluten free” label on these products in the future, I will reconsider.
thank you for your thoughtful reply. While I posted that we have not have a problem, you’re reply certainly makes me want to think a little more. 🙂
I am very sorry for all those that find that they can not eat these. So far, we have been absolutely fine, and we are pretty sensitive. Almost makes me wonder if there was a batch that got out or if there is something else?
Anyway, just wanted to let people know that not everyone is reacting. We have been eating the honey nut and the regular. have not been able to find the other flavors yet.
We are the same. 6 boxes in and none of us have had a problem.
Read glutenfreewatchdog’s review. Some of the test samples were not safe for celiacs. I have celiac, and I’ve been ill the past two weeks. The only thing in my diet that has changed is that I started eating the new gluten free cheerios. And I’ve been eating a LOT of them. They’re so delicious! However, my illness times perfectly with my eating cheerios. This, combined with gluten free watchdog’s review makes me question them.
I appreciated your post four months ago and looked forward to the cheerios coming out, specifically the apple cinnamon ones. I ate one bowl and had the worst gluten reaction I’ve had in years. bummer. No cheerios for me. I’m glad some can eat them
Tried them and had a reaction; none with GF oats. If I were asymptomatic I’d still be questioning the effect of consuming 20ppm.
Im so glad that I found your site. I was searching for someone that knew if or not that Cheerios labeled gluten free were really gluten free. I eat McCanns oatmeal all of the time and nevermhave a problem with it. I will now try the gluten free Cheerios.
It would be fantastic if they made these available in Canada. I LOVE Cheerios and I miss them.
I ate 2 bowls when I got them home on the run. All or nothing right? Determined to know for sure. Well they were delightful. I even had another bowel before bed. First 24 hrs were no problem. Typical to my digestive system it hit shortley after the next afternoon. First as if I had taken a couple laxitives. That hasnt happened again yet but there was that bowl before bed. Then I had a bowl for lunch the next day right before I hit the bathroom. Feeling pretty tired and slight nausea; even a little shakey. So I guess they wont be part of my life untill and if ever certified gluten free oats are used. Some may have no problem, but just a note, you maynot always notice a reaction even so it can still do damage to your body. Thanks to GM for trying. I hope it works for some anyway.
I ate them and I got sick!
https://www.change.org/p/fda-change-testing-and-production-of-gluten-free-cheerios-to-be-safe-for-all?recruiter=386964936&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Please take the time to visit this petition if you had a reaction to the cheerios!!
We are trying to make gluten-free cheerios safe for all those who follow a gluten-free lifestyle out of necessity.
On Facebook… Many people are trying them and states that it’s still making them sick. That some cannot handle the amount of gluten that is possibly getting through using a non certified oat. The warning is out there. I have silent Celiac, so I rely on others comments.
Many are having issues. Read this post and Call General Mills to give your opinion. They want to know
http://www.imaceliac.com/2015/09/having-trouble-with-the-gluten-free-cheerios.html
On my 3rd box and no problems yet. I do have Celiac Disease
I’m glad you are enjoying Cheerios! We are happy to have them back too!
Warning!!!! I was so excited I could eat a cheerio again! 10 minutes after my bowl of delicious Cheerios, my tremors came back! I tried it again a few weeks later hoping I got gluten end from something else, and it happened once again. Still can’t eat them. I would stay away from them if you are extremely sensitive like myself.
Sorry they didn’t work for you!
http://www.imaceliac.com/2015/09/having-trouble-with-the-gluten-free-cheerios.html
Call General Mills!
I have celiac disease and I got sick 🙁 I know for sure it was the Honey Nut Cheerios. First day I had them I got sick but I thought it was something I ate at a relatives house (even tho they know how to prepare food for me). The second day I had the Cheerios I got sick even faster with more intense symptoms, not having eaten anything else besides the Cheerios that day. I’m so sad they were delicious. I normally don’t call companies but I guess I will be calling General Mills. It would be horrible if more and more companies start labeling foods gluten free when they really aren’t. Living this lifestyle sucks enough as it is 🙁
As a super sensitive celiac l was excited to see GF Cheerios on the shelve. I have gotten sick three times after eating GF Cheerios. No more until i am convinced that General Mills has really got a GF product.
Had a handful to try a few days ago very tasty but had tummy troubles. But thought it may have been something else. This morning I had a normal bowl full 5:30 am and at around 10 or 11 am here came the “storm”. Got very sick typical glutened symptems. How can so many get sick but yet it’s still “safe”?
The answer to the title of this article is a definite “no”, according to the recent Cheerios recall.
I ate Bunny but Cheerios and I have celiac, and I been sick all. Day diaria puking very tired.look what they did are you trying to kill us.
Ben, if I were you I would go to see a doctor and then I would contact the FDA to tell about symptoms and doctor’s treatment. Be very careful and vigilant with your health; be careful about dehydration and other celiac “sequels”.
One time I read about a guy that ate gluten at the airport and on site he got so sick that ended-up at the hospital(for seven days), so, please, take care and if you have to go to the emergency room, go. I wish you the best.
Yes, it is a pity Cheerios plants are not taking the precautions they need to take; if they are thinking in terms of monetary gain they are wrong, they could have huge losses in multiple lawsuits.
Celiac community, please, speak-out.
My husband is a celiac & my daughter is now going thru the process of being diagnosed. Big G cereals has now become my hero & my new favorite cereals!! My daughter was just asking about cereal today! The fact that Cheerios IS NOT making the boxes smaller or going up on the price just floors me!! That they are in this “for the long haul” is astounding!! Excited for my husband & daughter to try the new gluten free Cherrios!!!
Thank you so much for writing this post about Cheerios. I’ve been very skeptical and was unsure what their “cleaning” process was. After reading this I am anxious to try them out.
Lora,
Thank you for your comment! I hope having Cheerios back is a great addition to your breakfast options!
I do not think it’s safe for all people with Celiac, I have it and I’ve just tried them for a couple a days huge rash all over…… It looks bad and I don’t think it’s digesting properly….