Expo West is a huge annual food show that took place in Los Angeles last month. At this years show, Snyder’s of Hanover introduced their new gluten-free pretzels. You would think this would be exceptional news, but in fact, some rather confusing information from a company representative outweighed any excitement over a company like Snyder’s getting into the gluten-free market.

Jules Shepard, author and creator of Jules Gluten Free flour, had an unsettling conversation about the new gluten-free pretzels with a representative from Snyder’s. It seems that like several other companies, Snyder’s might not have truly understood what catering to the gluten-free community actually entails. If companies want to make “no gluten ingredients” products that are not actually gluten-free, that is their business. Like it or not, there is a market for such items. However, they should not be slapping a gluten-free label on such products, as they are not safe for people eating gluten-free for medical reasons.

After reading the letter that Jules sent to the CEO of Snyder’s of Hanover, I knew I had to find out what exactly the company was stating about this new pretzel of theirs. Was it gluten-free or wasn’t it? It’s a fairly simple question – or at least it should be. When some executives from Snyder’s returned my call about the issue, they seemed to have had a change of heart, if you will, about their new gluten-free pretzels. At least that is my take on the situation. The company is now reportedly planning to have the new pretzels certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Program. If GIG puts their stamp of approval on the product, we can rest assured it will be gluten-free, period.

I can assure you we will meet the FDA proposed guidelines of 20 PPM per serving or less on this product. We will continue to test our production runs through an outside laboratory to insure we maintain this level of

compliance. ———– Claude O’Connor, VP Marketing, Snyder’s of Hanover

People who avoid products made in shared facility and/or on lines that also process wheat don’t have to worry about the new Snyder’s pretzels. For now, the company is clear about the fact that the gluten-free pretzels will not be made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. As someone who just cares that the product is truly gluten-free, I plan to try them when they are available in my area. Recently, I got a report of a product that is made in a non gluten-free facility that showed the product contained 0 ppm of gluten. Another report of a gluten-free bar that is run on gluten processing equipment tested at 5 ppm. It is not true that products not made in gluten-free facilities can not be gluten-free.

While it’s wonderful that gluten-free is going mainstream, with that brings some companies who are jumping on the gluten-free gravy train without really knowing what they are doing. It’s the same situation when restaurants slap together gluten-free menus, but don’t bother telling any of their employees what gluten is. This snafu by Snyder’s is not the first occurrence of this type of situation happening and it certainly won’t be the last. As gluten-free consumers, we have to stand up for ourselves since currently there is no law regarding gluten-free labeling in the U.S.

Jules Shepard is a trustworthy member of our community and a concerned gluten-free consumer. She took her valid concerns to Snyder’s of Hanover and it seems that her words had quite an impact on how the company views – and will treat – the people they are marketing these new pretzels to going forward. Kudos to Jules for taking the time to get involved in this important issue on our behalf. Snyder’s of Hanover also deserves some credit for listening to the concerns of the gluten-free community and changing their policies in order to meet our needs.

Gluten-free pretzels from Snyder’s of Hanover will roll out to Whole Foods stores nationwide in mid May and into some mainstream grocery stores this summer.