Beans and Gluten: Separating Fact from Fiction

At Foodocracy and Primary Beans, transparency is at the heart of everything we do. We believe you deserve to know exactly where your food comes from, how it's grown, and what risks - real or perceived - might exist. Today, we want to address a question we've received about gluten and beans, and provide you with the facts so you can make informed decisions about your health.

The Bottom Line Up Front

Beans are inherently gluten-free. According to the National Celiac Association, Celiac Disease Foundation, and Beyond Celiac, the only risk with beans is cross-contamination - physical mixing with gluten-containing grains during harvest, processing, or handling. Gluten does not transfer through soil or affect beans grown in rotation with wheat.

Our Gluten-Free Status: The Truth

That said, we are not certified gluten-free. None of our producers or farmers are certified gluten-free, and we don't label our products as gluten-free.

Why not? Our farms practice regenerative agriculture and support biodiversity. This means they're always changing and rotating what they grow, working in harmony with nature's rhythms. Even if a farm isn't growing wheat today, they might grow it next season as part of a healthy crop rotation. As a small operation, I don't have the resources to continuously monitor and certify every farm's planting decisions across seasons.

This doesn't mean our beans aren't safe for most people - it means we're being honest about what we can and cannot guarantee.

What Does Gluten-Free Certification Mean?

Gluten-free certification is an important safeguard for people with celiac disease and severe gluten sensitivity. According to FDA regulations, products labeled "gluten-free" must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. Certification programs involve:

• Regular testing of products
• Audits of facilities and processes
• Verification of ingredient sourcing
• Documentation of cleaning procedures
• Ongoing monitoring

This level of oversight requires significant resources and infrastructure that small, regenerative farms simply don't have. But for people with celiac disease or severe gluten reactions, this certification is crucial for their safety.

The Real Risks: Fact vs. Fiction

FICTION: Gluten transfers through soil from crop rotation

This is scientifically incorrect, and it's important to understand why. According to the National Celiac Association, Celiac Disease Foundation, and Beyond Celiac, gluten is a protein that exists only within the seeds of wheat, barley, and rye.

As explained in research published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, "gluten proteins are restricted in distribution to the starchy endosperm cells of the grain, and have not been detected in any other tissues of the grain or plant."

Plants cannot absorb protein molecules through their roots. Even if wheat was grown in a field one year and beans the next, the beans themselves remain naturally gluten-free. The gluten in wheat seeds doesn't leach into the soil or transfer to other crops.

What about corn gluten meal?

You may have heard about "corn gluten meal" being used as an organic fertilizer and herbicide. Despite its misleading name, corn gluten meal is completely gluten-free. As the University of Illinois explains: "This is a textbook fact. Wheat contains gluten. Corn does not." The protein in corn is entirely different from wheat gluten and does not cause reactions in people with celiac disease.

FACT: Cross-contamination is the real concern

The actual risk with beans and legumes isn't the soil - it's physical contamination. According to the National Celiac Association:

"Under GIPSA standards (Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration), lentils are allowed to contain a certain percentage of foreign grain, including wheat, barley, and rye."

This means:

• A stray wheat seed could get mixed in during harvest
• Equipment used for multiple crops could transfer grain particles
• Processing facilities handling various grains could have cross-contact
• Even something as simple as a farm visitor eating pretzels could introduce trace gluten particles

These are real, physical contamination risks - not soil-based absorption.

The Gluten Intolerance Group addresses similar concerns about produce grown with straw mulch, noting that while straw technically doesn't contain gluten (it's the stalk, not the seed), cross-contact during handling is the actual concern.

Our Practices

Here's what we can tell you about our beans:

What we do:

• Source from small family farms practicing regenerative agriculture
• Our beans are grown, harvested, and processed completely separately from any wheat crops
• Farmers use dedicated equipment for bean harvest
• Beans are never milled or processed with wheat-handling machinery
• We maintain direct relationships with every farm we work with

What we cannot guarantee:

• Zero risk of trace cross-contact at the farm level
• That farms will never grow wheat or other gluten grains in rotation
• The 20 ppm standard required for gluten-free certification

Best Practices from Celiac Experts

The National Celiac Association recommends:

1. Purchase beans in sealed packages labeled gluten-free if you have celiac disease or severe sensitivity
2. Avoid bulk bins where cross-contamination is more likely
3. Visually inspect dried beans: Spread them on a cookie sheet and look for any stray grains of wheat, barley, or rye before cooking
4. Rinse thoroughly: Rinse and drain both dried and canned beans carefully

For more detailed information on foreign grains found in legume packages, check out Gluten Free Watchdog.

Making Your Own Decision

Everyone's health situation is different. If you have celiac disease, severe gluten sensitivity, or experience serious reactions, you should:

1. Consult your healthcare provider about what level of risk is acceptable for you
2. Consider certified gluten-free products for the highest level of safety
3. Read labels carefully and contact manufacturers with questions
4. Trust your own judgment about what feels right for your body

For some people with celiac disease, only certified gluten-free products are safe. For others without gluten issues, our beans are a nutritious, wholesome choice. There's no one-size-fits-all answer.

Our Commitment to Transparency

We believe in radical transparency. That means:

• Telling you when we can't make certain guarantees
• Providing you with scientific facts to counter misinformation
• Respecting that you know your body and health needs best
• Being honest about the limitations of small-scale farming

We'd rather lose a sale than mislead someone about what we can promise. Your health and trust are more important to us than any transaction.

If you have questions about our sourcing, our farms, or our practices, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're always happy to share what we know and point you toward resources that can help you make informed decisions.

For more information about celiac disease and gluten-free eating:

• National Celiac Association
• Celiac Disease Foundation
• Beyond Celiac
• Gluten Intolerance Group
• Gluten Free Watchdog