Article: Frito-Lay’s Natural Push, a Natural Win for the Gluten-free

From Triumph Dining Blog: http://www.triumphdining.com/blog/ - Good news for snackers!!

Silly me, I thought Post was doing something special when they announced that they would be officially certifying their Pebbles cereal as gluten-free (and cutting the sugar, to boot).

Turns out they aren’t the only ones ringing in the new year with a healthy, gluten-free leaf.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Frito-Lay will be eliminating the artificial flavors, artificial preservatives or MSG from about half of their products. The change will result in a significantly lower sodium content for many of the products, as well.

Of course this is good news, but how is it really related to the gluten-free community? I think our gluten-eating neighbors owe us a pat on the back and a thank-you, quite frankly. Frito-Lay’s spokeswoman made a point of referencing the increased number of people checking their website for information about which products suit their diet — and I bet a lot of those people were us.

It’s a great example of the way that our small (but growing!) community can have an outsize impact simply by being vocal about our needs. Every time you contact a company looking for information about gluten, you’re helping push food manufacturers towards a place that’s better for all of us.

Accordingly, the Frito-Lay website has a helpful and frequently updated list of gluten-free products, which you’ll also find in our grocery guide. We posted about it earlier this year, when they updated the list, but it’s such a good example of thorough reporting by a large company that it’s worth talking about again.

The website differentiates between gluten-free products, which are tested to be below the 20 PPM threshold, and products that don’t contain gluten ingredients but aren’t tested and may risk cross-contamination. Interestingly, the website also differentiates between Canadian and US products, and there’s less available in the Canadian market: useful to know if you’re traveling north.