I wrote to Joi to find out if their products were Celiac-safe. We exchanged a few emails, which did not give me confidence.
I asked if they were using Purity Protocol oats or not (this is not the same as certified gluten free; PP oats can all be certified but not all certified gf oats may be PP).
Their reply:
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Please know that we use Certified Gluten Free Oats. Also, the production line that the Organic Almond is produced is also used for cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnut and pecans. Our facility is SQF certified which mandates strict sanitation processes to prevent cross contamination, however if you have a severe allergy, we unfortunately advice to avoid or proceed with strict caution.
Should you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know. We’re always here to help. EnJOI your day!
My reply:
As I stated in my original email, I am not asking if they are certified oats, although this is good to know, I am asking if they are PURITY PROTOCOL oats, which are the ONLY Celiac-safe oats out there.
If I have any other questions? You didn’t even answer my first question.
Are you using Purity Protocol oats or not? If so, who is your supplier? This is important information for consumers to know as GF Harvest’s line got contaminated and are not currently Celiac-safe. Certified GF does not mean they are purity protocol.
SQF doesn’t mean anything to me. What does it stand for? Who oversees it?
Celiac Disease is NOT an allergy, which makes me feel like you don’t know how to handle Celiac safety properly. Also, gluten isn’t a bacteria or a virus, so you cannot sanitize to get rid of it.
Their reply:
Thanks for your patience and sorry for the delay of our response.
Yes, we use Purity Protocol Oats but I’m sorry but we cannot share our suppliers at this time. SQF stands for Safe Quality Food and facilities with this certification are held to very high food safety standards. We only produce our products with facilities that are SQF certified. There’s additional processing requirements when sourcing and producing with certified gluten free oats. We source GF oats (less than 20 ppm) but they are not certified GF (less than 10 ppm). Italics and red are my change – notice that in their FIRST reply, they said they use certified GF oats, and in their second reply, they state they are NOT certified. They don’t even know what they’re using? This is a huge RED FLAG. I call them on it.
There’s gluten intolerance and we try to offer as many products that we can that are safe for people with celiac disease but we understand with oats that’s very difficult.
We did read the article about GF Harvest’s
I hope this helps.
My reply:
Thank you for your very confusing reply.
Not being able to disclose your supplier “at this time” sounds an awful lot like “oops, it is GF Harvest and our line is contaminated but we don’t want to tell you”. When it’s a food safety concern, consumers have a right to know if you’re using oats that are safe or not. I don’t think you all understand how dangerous it is for Celiacs to get glutened.
In your first email you said you are using certified GF oats but now you’re saying you’re NOT using certified GF oats. Which one is it?
Some Celiacs cannot have any oats at all, so are your oat products produced on the same lines as your non-oat products?
Do you think Celiac Disease is an allergy? (Gluten intolerance is not an allergy either.) I’m still not understanding why Joi thinks you can sanitize away gluten.
Their reply (I did not pursue this further)
Sorry for the confusion.
Our facility is SQF certified which mandates strict sanitation processes to prevent cross contamination, however if your condition is severe, we unfortunately advice to avoid or proceed with strict caution.
Update as of November 2023 (based on the time information in their FAQ):
Re: Allergen Info:
Our products are processed in a facility that also processes dairy, eggs, tree nuts and wheat. However, between each production run, we go through an extensive cleaning and sanitization process to ensure that there is no cross contamination. If the allergy is severe, we would suggest you not to take the risk – as much as we would love for you to try JOI!
Re: Their Oats:
Yes! Our oats are gluten free, however they are not certified gluten-free. This means that they are less than 20 parts per million (ppm), which is the scientifically determined level of gluten that has been shown to be tolerated by those with celiac disease. (Me, again. 19.9 is less than 20. I cannot tell you how many places that go by that 20ppm standard have made me sick.)
I am working on a post to help explain what different facility certifications mean. I will link this post to that page when it is ready.
