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| Bulk Bins Aisle in the Grocery Store Courtesy of photos-public-domain.com |
Last updated: 9/20/2023
If you're new to a gluten-free diet, and even if you've been on your gluten-free journey for a while now, you might be tempted to save a little cash by dipping into those bulk bins that a lot of grocery stores are starting to carry these days.
If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you don't want to do that.
Bulk bins are one of the easiest ways to get contaminated with gluten. And here's why . . .
Bulk bins are one of the easiest ways to get contaminated with gluten. And here's why . . .
What's Available in Bulk Bins?
If you keep your eyes open as you stroll down the isles at your local grocery store or health food store, you might come across a set of large barrels with plastic lids.
At Winco, Sprouts, and other stores, they have both barrels and a few rows of double-stacked rectangular-shaped plastic bins above the barrels.
At Macey's grocery store in Orem, Utah, and even the health food store, such as Whole Foods, has a few shelves of plastic bins. These bulk bins are designed to entice you into buying:
At Winco, Sprouts, and other stores, they have both barrels and a few rows of double-stacked rectangular-shaped plastic bins above the barrels.
At Macey's grocery store in Orem, Utah, and even the health food store, such as Whole Foods, has a few shelves of plastic bins. These bulk bins are designed to entice you into buying:
- dried beans
- generic nuts
- whey protein powder
- white, brown, or wild rice
- white or brown sugar
- white-rice flour
- potato flour
- almond flour
- gluten-free pasta
- assorted wrapped candies
But wait . . .
Are Bulk Bin Gluten-Free Foods Really Safe?
In our area, there is no brand name on the tag that's attached to the barrel of white-rice flour, but the color and grind of the flour looks like it is Bob's Red Mill stone-ground white-rice flour.
It's not super fine.
Although, I refuse to buy Bob's Red Mill gluten-free foods, due to the presence of machine-sorted oats in their gluten-free wing of the factory, you might believe that Bob's is okay for you in a pinch.
Especially, if you can purchase it for far less than you can buy it in those little 22-ounce bags.
The barrels sitting next to the white-rice flour are filled with what?
Other gluten-free foods grouped together in their own little section of the store?
Nope.
Those near-by barrels are stuffed to the brim with:
- all-purpose flour
- quick oats
- various types of semolina pasta
- brownie mix
- pancake mix
- pastry flour
- wheat germ
In other words, the last time I checked out the bulk bins, the gluten-free bulk stuff in barrels was scattered among the gluten-laden stuff.
And That's the Problem! Cross Contamination with Gluten!
It's not hard to be mindful around a barrel of bulk gluten-free flour. You simply have to wait until no one else is around before you open the lid. Then hurry and get your purchase into a plastic bag, close and tie the bag, and get the bin lid shut before someone else comes along that wants to buy something next to you.
In a busy grocery store, that can be rough.
In a busy grocery store, that can be rough.
But how many gluten-free shoppers actually go to that extent to keep what's in the barrel safe?
How many stop to think about things like gluten contamination before they dip?
Not many.
How many stop to think about things like gluten contamination before they dip?
Not many.
I've seen dozens of gluten-free people on Facebook or on comments underneath blog posts recommending the bulk bins to gluten-free newbies. That recommendation always makes me cringe because I know how sick I get if I eat something that came from a bulk bin.
And it isn't just airborne gluten that you have to worry about. If someone uses the same scoop for white sugar that they used for their all-purpose flour, the sugar will be badly contaminated with gluten even though sugar itself is gluten free.
And it isn't just airborne gluten that you have to worry about. If someone uses the same scoop for white sugar that they used for their all-purpose flour, the sugar will be badly contaminated with gluten even though sugar itself is gluten free.
Bulk Gluten-Free Foods Pass Through Several Hands
I made that mistake at the health food store several years ago when I filled a large sack with unsweetened coconut.
In bulk, it was only a fraction of the price I was paying a low-carb online store, and I was really excited to get it for a cheap price. I had no clue how easy it was for bulk items to get contaminated with gluten.
I was very sick for several weeks.
Gluten-free ingredients don't stay gluten free because those ingredients pass through several hands before they reach you.
Now, think about that for a moment.
- You have to trust the manufacturer's policy to clean the lines really well or package the product in a gluten-free facility.
- You have to trust that the store personnel who orders the gluten-free product won't contaminate it with another product as they open up the packages and dump them into the barrel or clear plastic containers.
- And then you have to trust the people that are using the bulk bin barrels or plastic containers, to be mindful of those who have celiac disease.
I've seen lots of folks use the same scoop for more than one bin at the health food store and Sprouts. I saw it once at Winco, but by then we had already stopped using the bulk bins except for Toosie Rolls and other gluten-free individually-wrapped candy.
I had gotten severely glutened on gluten-free pasta that was in their plastic bins up above the barrels. Even though shoppers couldn't contaminate it, the store personnel or the containers themselves did.
I had gotten severely glutened on gluten-free pasta that was in their plastic bins up above the barrels. Even though shoppers couldn't contaminate it, the store personnel or the containers themselves did.
It's kind of like how personnel at an all-you-can-eat place will set out a variety of rolls, with gloved-hands, and then scoop up the tossed greens for salad out of a kitchen bowl to transfer the lettuce into a jumbo metal bowl for customers without changing their gloves first.
The salad will have bread crumbs in it, due to the server touching the rolls, and therefore make you sick.
Likewise, the bulk bins that have been filled at the same time the gluten-laden ingredients are filled at the store will make you sick too.
The salad will have bread crumbs in it, due to the server touching the rolls, and therefore make you sick.
Likewise, the bulk bins that have been filled at the same time the gluten-laden ingredients are filled at the store will make you sick too.
I just don't play that game anymore. It's not worth it to me.
Bulk Bins are Not Safe for Those with Celiac Disease
The more I dig into the topic of what's really gluten free and what is not, the more amazed I get that any of us ever heal.
It's been years since hubby and I first went gluten free, and I am still learning about things I didn't know before.
Bulk foods are a nightmare.
Unless store personnel have been meticulous enough to not touch the item when dumping it into the bin, even with gloved hands, the food might not really be gluten free.
In addition, one stocker told me that they do not clean out the bins before using them for a different item and warned me to never purchase anything from the bulk bins. Ever.
It's been years since hubby and I first went gluten free, and I am still learning about things I didn't know before.
Bulk foods are a nightmare.
Unless store personnel have been meticulous enough to not touch the item when dumping it into the bin, even with gloved hands, the food might not really be gluten free.
In addition, one stocker told me that they do not clean out the bins before using them for a different item and warned me to never purchase anything from the bulk bins. Ever.
In my experience, using bulk bins is as risky as eating out!
Research has shown that damage to the intestines for most people begins somewhere around 10 mg, and some people like me have reactions to far less than that.
For comparison's sake, 10 mg of gluten is only 1/8 tsp flour. Eat that much every day, and it will eventually catch up to you even if you're not reacting right now because the amount of gluten that the body can dispose of safely is very, very small.
*Note: Milligrams is not the same thing as parts-per-million.
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