Gluten-Free Rice Chex? Coming Soon To A Store Near You!
Wednesday March 26, 2008
Here's a shocker: Rice Chex is going to be gluten-free! General Mills has changed the recipe, and instead of barley malt (the offending ingredient in the past), Rice Chex will be flavored with molasses.
On the front of the new cartons, the "Gluten Free" label appears just below and to the left of the big red "Chex." Be very careful, because store shelves are still full of the old product. It may take several months for the new gluten-free Rice Chex to reach your neighborhood.
Comments
Can’t wait!! This was my favorite cereal before being diagnosed with celiacs disease eight yrs. ago. Thanks
Sharon
Hi! YAY! I’m soooo excited! I miss the texture of these things so bad…no gf cereal has come close to it. I’m also happy there is no CORN in them!! Whooo Hooo!
I’m spreading and word in chat rooms – we’re all abuzz with the good news. Thanks for sharing – and thanks to Gen’l Mills — we’re all hoping for MORE now
. lol
Bless you General Mills! Having Celiac Disease for 12 years, I miss Cereal! I am so happy!!!
THANK YOU!
Shortly after I read this, I checked my local grocery store, but no luck. I checked again last night, and, mixed in with the “old” boxes were the NEW, GLUTEN-FREE boxes of Rice Chex!!! Yay!!!!!
YAAAAAAY! Gluten free Chex Mix on the waaaay!!!!
I was recently diagnosed celiac and have been gluten free for 11 weeks. I got tired of potatoes for breakfast and bought the GF rice chex and ate them 5 days in a row and now I am suffering for it. What about cross contamination??
Hi Lisa,
In this case, cross-contamination would not be my first guess. A statement from General Mills says, “The company has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination during production and tested the new formula based on proposed FDA standards.” Perhaps something else you were eating during the day was making you ill, or some other ingredient in the cereal? I noticed you said you’d gotten tired of potatoes for breakfast. There are lots of other options for healthy and tasty gluten-free breakfasts. I hope by now you’ve discovered some of them!
Hi Lisa, I agree with your conclusion. Three people in my family have Celiac Disease and we all got sick from eating General Mills new Rice Chex. We don’t live in the same home or even in the same state for that matter, and we all had the same reactions. My sister called General Mills and they would NOT state that the facility was 100% Gluten-free. My sister and I do not eat out and I cook in a gluten-free kitchen. I never add more than one new food to my diet when trying new foods. It doesn’t matter what the box says, it makes you sick and gives you gluten-type symtpoms. Seems to me like it is contaminated. I quit believing labels and boxes years ago. I believe my body’s reaction to the food! BEWARE of this PRODUCT!
Lisa, I agree with you!!!! Three people in my family (all with Celiac Disease) have tried the new General Mills Rice Chex. All three of us, who live in different states got sick from the cereal. We all got gluten-related symtoms and all independently felt that the cereal was contaminated. We have chosen not to purchase this product any more. My sister contacted General Mills and they would NOT state that the facility was 100% Gluten-Free. It doesn’t matter what the box says, if the cereal makes you sick, then it isn’t gluten-free. I learned many years ago on this diet not to trust labels or boxes. I prepare my food in a gluten-free kitchen and I don’t eat out. My sister adheres to the same practices. We are extremely careful and don’t take changes. We never add more than one new food to our diet in a week. We feel strongly that the cereal made us sick. I would avoid this product!
I know this is not a GM cereal but Cocoa Pebbles is also gluten free
I’m just glad I have more choices now besides that.
Maybe those of you that got sick, accidentally bought a box of the old version of the cereal. Just a thought.
Thanks General Mills!
Hi, bought GLUTEN FREE Rice Chex, clearly marked box. Had three bowls over 5 days, each reaction worse. Now I am so sick that I went and googled Rice Chex reactions. I was surprised to see how people complaining they are getting sick are being treated, must be something else you ate, maybe old box, etc. Obviously General Mills considers this product Gluten Free and has no problem labeling it such if only a certain percent have reaction. Maybe the test to calling something GLUTEN FREE is to test on Celiacs who ARE more sensitive.
Where can I order it? I live in Canada.
Just finished my first box. No problems. Please check out this article as posted on the Celiac-Sprue Association’s Web page: (It could be you are sensitive to less than 20 ppm).
“The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission approved the draft with no changes on July 1, 2008.
Highlights of the Standard include:
Gluten-free foods do not contain wheat, rye, barley, oats or their crossbred varieties and the gluten level does not exceed 20mg/kg [20 parts per million] in total, based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer
And/or
Gluten-free foods may contain one or more ingredients from wheat, rye, barley oats or their crossbred varieties which have been specially processed to remove gluten and the gluten level does not exceed 20mg/kg [20 ppm] in total, based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer.
The allowance of pure, uncontaminated oats may be determined at the national level.
Foods specially processed to reduce gluten content to a level between 20 and 100mg/kg [20ppm-100ppm] based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer must not be labeled gluten-free. Labeling terms for such products (eg. low gluten, reduced gluten) and decisions for marketing may be determined at the national level, but must indicate the true nature of the food.
Naturally gluten-free foods shall not be designated “special dietary”, “special dietetic” or any other equivalent term, but may bear a statement on the label that “this food is my its nature gluten-free”.
When you say you get sick from eating anything with even a hint of gluten, what do you mean by sick? What symptoms are you specifically having? I was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease 2 weeks ago and other than being slightly anemic I have no noticeable symptons.
Thanks
Many people with celiac disease have symptoms similar to those of food poisoning after eating even very small amounts of gluten.
For the past couple of days I have been eating a bowl or two of the supposed gluten free Rice Chex. About a half hour or so after eating I get stabbing stomach pains. Its interesting to know that other people are having reactions, too.
Have not stopped eating them since I found out that they went gluten free! I love Rice Chex and hope that Kelloge will follow suit very soon with Rice Krispys!!!!!
I was excited to see that there was a Rice Chex coming out that was suppose to be glutten-free. I have had this Rice Chex that last few days and I’m am having symptoms just like several other people are saying. Don’t believe General Mills, this is not glutten-free!! I am throwing this cereal away and going back to a cereal that I know contains no glutten. Don’t waste your money on this, unless you enjoy being sick!
PLease tell me how to get rice chex in Canada!!!! I have everyone I know bringing it back for me from the states..Can I get it sent? I love the cereal so much!!! I have celiac disease and enjoy rice chex’s so much!!!
Is this produce available in the UK? If so, from what stores please?
I too tried this cereal this am and am having symptoms of getting gluten. I am EXTREMELY careful with the foods I eat and this is the only new introduction to my diet. There is a clear association… I ate breakfast, I am sick. There is no two ways about it. I was excited to see mainstream product become gluten free, but there must be some learning that needs to take place for GM on this one.
Follow up….. I KNOW it was the new product, it says Gluten Free in huge letters on the box. So that isn’t the issue. Sorry.
Why are celiac sufferers getting excited over this? There is clearly still a small amount of gluten, just under 20ppm. Hello even if you don’t get a reaction you are still putting small amounts of gluten in your body! You are still causing damage to your intestines, etc. Is this cereal really worth your health, or your life?
I too am adding to the Chex discussion. Every time I eat, I feel sick the next day. It is not worth it with several other gluten free cereals to choose from.