I am intolerant to gluten (was diagnosed with Hashimoto thyroiditis, my symptoms become much milder when I don't consume gluten). I wish to eat lots of healthy fiber, preferably cheap one, to lower the chances of colon cancer. Do oat müsli by Spar S-budget (picture below) contain gluten?
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Welcome to Seasoned Advice.– Johannes_BCommented Apr 4, 2020 at 3:22
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Oats do not contain gluten. Have you read a bit on wikipedia about it?– Johannes_BCommented Apr 4, 2020 at 3:23
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2@Johannes_B for a long time, it was thought that oats do contain gluten, so there are still sources which advise gluten-free people that oats are on the list of prohibited items. In more recent times, the opinion goes more in the direction of "the initially measured oats must have been contaminated with wheat gluten" but it is still notoriously difficult to find out whether that was the case or whether there is a subset of gluten-intolerant people who react to the oat version of glue protein just as they do to wheat gluten. So the Internet is full of conflicting sources.– rumtscho ♦Commented Apr 4, 2020 at 11:16
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1related - cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/114744/…– Neil MeyerCommented Jul 12, 2022 at 20:02
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2 Answers
The product entry on Spar’s Austrian website for Hafer-Flocken contains this information on allergies. (As translated by Google)
Contains: Cereals containing gluten and products made from them
I’m not 100% sure it’s the identical product as the English name given is oat meal rather than oat flakes.
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Oh, this is so disappointing. Thank you for providing the link! It's strange that it conflicts with the other answer to my question : /– LeoCommented Apr 5, 2020 at 16:26
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@Leo It does not conflict with the other answer. The manufacturer's lawyers prefer that they say "has gluten" due to the possibility of grain cross-contamination (anything from a few stalks of wheat, etcetera as weeds in the oat field to any other step in processing or handling the grain where grains could be mixed.) Whether that low level of the possibility of some very small amount of gluten is a concern for you is a discussion between you and your doctor. Reactions to allergens vary widely. If your reaction is severe, you pay the price for oats where contamination has been tested for– EcnerwalCommented Jul 9, 2022 at 12:29
This is a situation similar to what consumers with food allergies face - the critical substance is not in the food items per se, but cross-contamination may be a problem.
Oats are gluten-free1, but during processing and packaging, residue of e.g. wheat may get mixed in with the oat. While this is probably minimal and not a problem for consumers who avoid gluten as a dietary choice, the effects on someone with a medical condition may be different - but this is difficult to quantify generally. Some brands offer oatmeal that is certified gluten-free, with the higher effort reflected in the price.
The only reliable answer for your question can be obtained by asking the manufacturer and whether the possibility of contamination is a problem for you and your body should be clarified with your healthcare provider. We don’t offer medical advice, for many reasons. For everyone who just wants to avoid gluten for non-medical reasons, they should have no problem with this product.
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1 In the strictest chemical sense, the avenins in oat are gluten proteins, too, just like the gluteins and gliadins in wheat and its relatives. But from a medical point of view, the vast majority of celiac disease patients will tolerate avenins just fine. Therefore e.g. the FDA but also other agencies classify oat as “gluten free”, in the context of food labeling.
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You have a superscript number, suggesting a footnote, but no footnote, were you intending to add one? If the text is C&P from somewhere could you link the source?– SpagirlCommented Apr 4, 2020 at 11:44
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1@Spagirl dang, right. No, I was going to add a bit about how some people still have adverse reactions and how very strictly speaking even gluten-free grains have related proteins. A very tangential aspect which is relevant only for a very, very small percentage of the general population and those probably will already be aware of that. See also rumtscho’s comment above. Will fix it later - either fill in the information or remove the number. Thanks for pinging me!– Stephie ♦Commented Apr 4, 2020 at 11:48
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There are a number of oat products that say gluten free on them, at least int he U.S. If they don't say gluten free, don't eat them — in this case they are very likely to trigger your medical condition. Commented Jul 9, 2022 at 17:45