The Beloved Childhood Cereal That's Actually Gluten-Free - Tasting Table

"There are plenty of cereal brands out there that are gluten-free, and all you've got to do is pick your favorite, give 'em a splash of milk, and tuck in. The last time our team did a review of these brands, though, a beloved childhood cereal surprisingly came second: Lucky Charms - and with oats being a key ingredient of this colorful cereal, you're probably very surprised to hear that it's actually gluten-free."

"Pure oats themselves don't contain any gluten. However, during production, traces of gluten-containing grains such as barley, wheat, and rye could be mixed in and render them unsafe. In fact, very often, oats are produced on fields that rotate between oats and wheat, which is why oats are often put into the "best be wary of" bucket for celiacs. General Mills - the company behind Lucky Charms - did admit that there could be cross-contamination during production even if gluten isn't listed on the label."

"However, the company did explain that the oats used in Lucky Charms undergo a sifting process to remove any gluten contamination, which is how they're confident enough to tack the "gluten-free" phrase on the label. Gluten-free doesn't actually mean "absolutely zero trace of gluten." Instead, for most food producers, it's making the concentration of gluten in the food so low that it'd have a negligible effect on health - typically, this is below 20 million parts per million (ppm) according to the National Celiac Association."

Pure oats do not contain gluten, but production can introduce gluten-containing grains such as barley, wheat, and rye through field rotation and cross-contamination. General Mills acknowledged possible cross-contamination but stated that the oats in Lucky Charms undergo a sifting process to remove contamination and are tested to ensure gluten concentrations stay below the accepted 20 parts per million threshold. Gluten-free labeling typically indicates gluten levels low enough to have negligible health effects rather than absolute zero. The company tested oats to verify compliance, and industry groups recommend additional controls to minimize contamination during growing and processing.

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