An attention seeking email from a coeliac fellow amazed me with the news that gluten free flour is locally available from a local manufacturer and at a local price. My all efforts of recent import for self use halted and I started my search on this.
At first I could not find the flour at the place pointed in the email. Then I contacted the concerned person in charge of distributing the "stuff" in Lahore and finally got hands on it. I was told that it is named as "Gluten Aata". As a marketing student first thing in mind was that the branding was totally incorrect if the target market is patients with gluten intolerance.
BUT it turned out to be named as "Syed Diet Aata" with the tag line:"Special flour for patients with obesity and diabetes" AND in the middle of the packing is the deceiving line :"Approved by PCSIR laboratory "
The labeling is very unclear and confusing. A customer like me, knowing that this is also targeted towards celiacs is bound to be perplexed over :
1. For who is the manufacturer making this, as the labels don't indicate my segment!
2. Diet flour and Gluten Free flour are two different things
And
3. What (????) has been approved by PCSIR?????
Looking for the answers I turned the flour packing and saw:
Ingredients: Desi (local) Wheat Flour, Gandum (wheat) ki bhoosi high protein (don't have any translation to bhoosi), low carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin a and vitamin b included.
Now imagine the ‘level’ of person making and advising this label.
Labels on back side include "LAB ANALYSIS" in which I was interested.
In the last row it says: GLUTEN = NIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing, shocking, astonishing and what not. The labels use excellent "gymnastics of words" to trap the costumer. Being a patient for last 15 years I know that any kind of wheat product or its by-products are not gluten free. A product that is wheat-free is not bound to be Gluten- Free but a gluten free product is definitely free from wheat and other grains that have gluten content. No two goats should butt heads about this.
In my quest to inquire how is this flour made and if for the sake of argument, one believes that there is no gluten content in this kind of “desi wheat flour” , how can the patients make sure that the gluten content is nil or even less than 20 or 200 parts per million. I asked the owner of this mill to either fax or email me the report he has from PCSIR so I can spread the message so celiac can benefit from this not only in Pakistan but around the globe with such cheap (or may be the cheapest) gluten free flour (if proved from report) .
About one and half a month past I took these pictures but not posted only due to the time lapse from the manufacturer in providing me the reports. Till the uploading of this post I have not received any information or report from the manufacturer.I asked gastroenterologists in Pakistan and Canada about this and they were sure that this product may be suitable for those people with diabetes and obesity but not for coeliacs.
So beware of these kind of misleading products.
Comments and suggestions appreciated.
6 comments:
i had the same shock when i saw this rubbish atta..cause its khalis gudum say tyar kia hoa gluten free atta??? may God rott those who master minded (manufacturer) and approved (our approving health authority)in hell who play with lives of innocent people
When I asked about this flour with Dr. Zaigham Abbas in Agha Khan Hospital, Karachi, he was very confident and he said he has the photocopies of the reports from PCSIR that the flour is Gluten-free... and as per him, it is safe for celeacs to consume...
Has anyone from Karachi as consulted and take opinion from Dr. Zaigham Abbas at Agha Khan Hospital Karachi??
For a fact Mr Raheel, we at Pakistani Celiac Society www.celiac.com.pk also emailed both pcsir and nih. None of the authorities replied till today. I have the copies of that bogus report. In Lahore PCSIR replies that they don't have gluten testing facilities according to the daali earth foods representative.
We will consult Dr Zaigham soon on this issue.
I am using this aata, i eat chapati of it after a week when goes to my home from my hostel. i am shocked to know that this could be fake aata. can u people investigate it and tell me that should i keep on using it twice a month or stop it.
I am using this aata, i eat chapati of it after a week when goes to my home from my hostel. i am shocked to know that this could be fake aata. can u people investigate it and tell me that should i keep on using it twice a month or stop it.
I am from sialkot and living in islamabad. I buy it from Best Price Store situated in Super market.
this aata which is availble with the name as diet aata with gluten as nill is very shocking coz ingrediants show khalis gandum ka aata with gandum ke bhussi then how it can be gluten free. request to the celiac society to kindly take immediate action against the manufacturer as it is very dangerous for the health of celiacs..as it is also available in peshawar now we have to stop this manufecturer for manufacturing such a rubbish and fake product
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