There was been a huge outcry on social media and elsewhere recently over gluten contamination that occurred in the Genius factory. It triggered a whole slew of products recalls not only of Genius products but of supermarket freefrom lines manufactured by Genius. I missed most of it as I was away and although smart phones are wonderful things, there is a limit to the amount that you want to read on them! However, I was asked for a comment by the Grocer and, for what it is worth, this is what I said:
It is always disappointing when a ‘freefrom’ company fails to deliver on what they promise and it is reasonable for the consumer to be both concerned and upset by this. However, I think the issue in this case needs to be kept in proportion:
• The contamination levels where traced were all very low, way below the 200ppm level that, until 2012 was the threshold for a gluten-free declaration. It is therefore unlikely that, even if they did eat a contaminated product, a coeliac consumer would have suffered much in the way of a reaction.
• The company, Genius, came out at once with a warning and a product withdrawal, thus minimising any risk to the consumer – and have been completely upfront about the problem and how it arose – a contaminated ingredient.
• Coeliac consumers should understand that however distressing a contamination issue and product withdrawal may be for them it is infinitely more damaging for the company concerned both in reputational and financial terms. As a result companies go to very great lengths to avoid any such thing happening. So I think consumers can be very sure that whatever systems failed in this instance they will now be thoroughly overhauled to ensure that no such thing happens again.
In a subsequent discussion with Sue Cane we also agreed that although the ripples from this Genius withdrawal went far and wide, the real contamination danger for coeliacs (and for allergics) was more likely to come from small companies whose protocols and risk management systems were less sophisticated so the chances of mistake are much higher. But, even though the contamination level might be much higher, because the company’s output is small, the number of products and people affected will also be much smaller and the ripples are unlikely even to reach the local media or more than the occasional ‘Twitter-er’. Food allergics and coeliacs should bear this in mind when drawing up their shopping lists!
As regards any future purchase of Genius products, I think everyone can be very sure that, in the aftermath of the storm, every possible contamination loophole will have been hunted down and their systems triple checked to prevent any such thing happening again.
We live in a complex and interdependent world where supplies come from all over and keeping track of them can be a huge challenge. The reality is that issues such as this one will inevitably occur from time to time. There can be no absolute guarantees with gluten free products any more than there can be absolute guarantees in any other area of life. The positive side is that manufacturers take their responsibilities very seriously and slip-ups are very rare which is why, when they happen, they generate a lot of publicity. Paradoxically the industry is a victim of its own success.
Gluten at 80 ppm (parts per million) -as was found in some of the contaminated Genius products -is certainly enough to cause not only short term (one day to one week) cramps, pain, bloating , diarrhoea etc but also damage to the gut which takes up to 3 months to heal.
This is not a minor incident for coeliacs and the EU law was contravened (if it says ‘gluten free’ on the packaging it MUST contain less than 20 ppm of gluten).
We are not told what caused the contamination (why?) and so we cannot judge if and when it may happen again.
Gluten free products made in an area of a factory making gluten baked goods is , in the words of one coeliac, ‘an accident waiting to happen’.
You are, of course, right and I would in no way suggest that this incident was trivial. And yes, the law was contravened but – the company acted swiftly and the products were immediately withdrawn so that, in reality,it is unlikely that many coeliacs actually ingested gluten at 80ppm.
Our understanding, which I believe Genius made public, was that the problem was a contaminated ingredient so the contamination happened away from the Genius factory which is, in any case, a dedicated gluten-free operation.
No one making a gluten-free product is ever going to knowingly include gluten in it – why would they? So when it happens it is a very regrettable mistake.
My point in the blog was that, while not trivialising the pain and damage that accidental ‘gluten-ing’ can cause to a coeliac, the damage caused to a company by an accidental contamination issue of this kind is immense and, if they were a smaller company, could easily put them out of business. Which is why ‘freefrom’ companies go to great lengths to avoid such an incident in the first place.
Just to say Genius is not ‘a dedicated gluten free operation’ in that it is just an area within a factory which makes ordinary (gluten-containing) baked goods.
I understand the ‘dry ingredient’ was delivered to the factory (to the Genius area) and accepted and added to the gluten free mixes.
It may be the ‘dry ingredient’ was destined for the larger gluten area of the factory.
Although I have not been there I had certainly understood that the Genius factory was a dedicated site, not part of a gluten-using factory. So I got in touch with them to find out and have just had this response from Steve Clarke, Genius’ marketing director:
All Genius Gluten Free products are made in a completely segregated, dedicated gluten free bakery.
Afraid I have no further information as to how the contaminated ingredient got into the factory.