Yes, they removed the GF labels on the Canadian product some time in early 2023. It took a while for the old product to completely leave the shelf. The change seems to be because the company got bought out by Kraft-Heinz who basically never labels anything GF. The plant set-up likely changed unfortunately.
I'm sorry you got sick. I would consider reporting to the CFIA. Although the product is not labelled GF they do sometimes recall products for gluten if they make people sick/the levels are high enough.
[https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/where-report-complaint](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/where-report-complaint)
edit: if you're looking for GF labelled pasta or tomato sauce in Canada, Prego and Mutti have lots of GF labelled products.
Glad to help. It was a sneaky change since the GF label on the old bottles was subtle. I personally got caught out by this as well... fortunately my gamble to eat it didn't result in me getting noticeably sick but I for sure didn't buy any more jars and donated the unopened ones.
Hey, fellow Canadian here. I eat this brand of sauce often without issue. No gluten containing ingredients or high risk ingredients warranting the need for it to be certified!
I do find that tomato sauce on pasta and pizza gives me serious heartburn! My guess is you’re experiencing that? It’s really acidic and can upset the stomach.
Feel better!
sorry for the downvote on this post, this sub's had this weird hate for any non-US content lately. People seem to have a melt down about the idea that different countries with different laws exist, especially if it invalidates some kind of fantasy they have about America Being the Most Oppressed Celiac Country on Earth.
The sub has been horrible for like… anyone stating anything could possibly change/have gluten in it because OMG things do happen/having a difference of opinion than anyone else recently. I’m in the US and immediately recognized it’s not the same jars as ours, doesn’t invalidate OPs experience any less… it actually made me want to check next time I go to the store bc we infrequently use this brand too! So thanks for the heads up OP 🫡
Yeah, it's a common problem on this sub, especially of late. I feel like I'm on the general GF sub sometimes because people be like "I've literally never heard of CC in my life."
I looked on the US site and Classico is still labelled GF there but that begs the question of why it's not in Canada if it's (presumably) all made in the same plant. Hershey's has a similar thing... only their chocolate chips are labelled GF in Canada but as far as I can tell the other import chocolates are the same as the US ones that are. I contacted them about it once and they basically said "vibes bro, won't discuss further."
I think (correct me if I’m wrong) Canada might have stricter labeling requirements than we do? The FDA is kind of fucked to be honest. I’ve gotten flack for sticking with GFCO/NSF products but this is one of the major reasons why, I know I can trust them because it’s a secondary/tertiary testing method and supposed to keep us safe.
They're about the same. Actually Canada's are a bit weaker if you want to get really technical about it - 20 ppm isn't hard coded into the law so it's more discretionary as to whether a recall is issued >20 ppm. There is less specificity about what constitutes a gluten protein when it comes to fragmented/hydrolyzed/enzyme treated gluten as well. The FDA rule got updated in 2020 to address this issue but Canada has not done the same.
For context I've reported products labelled GF with barley as an actual ingredient, which is not permitted. Both companies did remove the GF label going forward but the old packages remained on the shelves for months. I've also reported a GF labelled (and GFCO certified) product that I've had tested >20 ppm at an ISO accredited food lab and those weren't recalled either. So I think it's pretty fair to say we're not exactly trailblazing on taking celiac disease seriously as a country.
For various reasons though the jerk that Canada is paradise refuses to die. It seems like there are two kinds of people who promote this - nationalistic Canadians whose main identity is "better than America" and progressive Americans who have rose tinted glasses about other countries who've been to Canada on vacation. I don't fault the second group, the first is frustrating and a real barrier to disability justice for celiacs in Canada.
The product has changed.
The recipe itself may not have changed but the manufacturing/plant conditions did. Originally, the pasta sauce was [made in Leamington, ON](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/highbury-canco-heinz-leamington-tomato-1.5284910) but [now it is made in the US](https://www.kraftheinz.com/en-CA/classico/products/00057000037178-bolognese-spaghetti-pasta-sauce) (see the package image, states "product of the USA").
The change in plant coincided with the change in GF label status in 2023. When both were still on the shelves you'd see the GF labelled ones said made in Canada, the ones without were made in the US.
There's nothing there in the ingredients that would warrant a product warning in my opinion.
Edit: additionally it wasn’t labeled as gluten free. So even more doubly so product warning isn’t really appropriate.
Do you know what else is made in the same room? No, you don't. Any gluten-containing flour in the same room *will* get airborne and fall into other production lines.
But hey, if you want a colostomy bag later in life, you do you.
Yes, they removed the GF labels on the Canadian product some time in early 2023. It took a while for the old product to completely leave the shelf. The change seems to be because the company got bought out by Kraft-Heinz who basically never labels anything GF. The plant set-up likely changed unfortunately. I'm sorry you got sick. I would consider reporting to the CFIA. Although the product is not labelled GF they do sometimes recall products for gluten if they make people sick/the levels are high enough. [https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/where-report-complaint](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/where-report-complaint) edit: if you're looking for GF labelled pasta or tomato sauce in Canada, Prego and Mutti have lots of GF labelled products.
Thank you!
Glad to help. It was a sneaky change since the GF label on the old bottles was subtle. I personally got caught out by this as well... fortunately my gamble to eat it didn't result in me getting noticeably sick but I for sure didn't buy any more jars and donated the unopened ones.
Hey, fellow Canadian here. I eat this brand of sauce often without issue. No gluten containing ingredients or high risk ingredients warranting the need for it to be certified! I do find that tomato sauce on pasta and pizza gives me serious heartburn! My guess is you’re experiencing that? It’s really acidic and can upset the stomach. Feel better!
No big loss. While I use to love this product when it first came out, you can do much better.
Edit: This product was bought in Canada. Can't find the edit button on here anymore?
sorry for the downvote on this post, this sub's had this weird hate for any non-US content lately. People seem to have a melt down about the idea that different countries with different laws exist, especially if it invalidates some kind of fantasy they have about America Being the Most Oppressed Celiac Country on Earth.
The sub has been horrible for like… anyone stating anything could possibly change/have gluten in it because OMG things do happen/having a difference of opinion than anyone else recently. I’m in the US and immediately recognized it’s not the same jars as ours, doesn’t invalidate OPs experience any less… it actually made me want to check next time I go to the store bc we infrequently use this brand too! So thanks for the heads up OP 🫡
Yeah, it's a common problem on this sub, especially of late. I feel like I'm on the general GF sub sometimes because people be like "I've literally never heard of CC in my life." I looked on the US site and Classico is still labelled GF there but that begs the question of why it's not in Canada if it's (presumably) all made in the same plant. Hershey's has a similar thing... only their chocolate chips are labelled GF in Canada but as far as I can tell the other import chocolates are the same as the US ones that are. I contacted them about it once and they basically said "vibes bro, won't discuss further."
I think (correct me if I’m wrong) Canada might have stricter labeling requirements than we do? The FDA is kind of fucked to be honest. I’ve gotten flack for sticking with GFCO/NSF products but this is one of the major reasons why, I know I can trust them because it’s a secondary/tertiary testing method and supposed to keep us safe.
They're about the same. Actually Canada's are a bit weaker if you want to get really technical about it - 20 ppm isn't hard coded into the law so it's more discretionary as to whether a recall is issued >20 ppm. There is less specificity about what constitutes a gluten protein when it comes to fragmented/hydrolyzed/enzyme treated gluten as well. The FDA rule got updated in 2020 to address this issue but Canada has not done the same. For context I've reported products labelled GF with barley as an actual ingredient, which is not permitted. Both companies did remove the GF label going forward but the old packages remained on the shelves for months. I've also reported a GF labelled (and GFCO certified) product that I've had tested >20 ppm at an ISO accredited food lab and those weren't recalled either. So I think it's pretty fair to say we're not exactly trailblazing on taking celiac disease seriously as a country. For various reasons though the jerk that Canada is paradise refuses to die. It seems like there are two kinds of people who promote this - nationalistic Canadians whose main identity is "better than America" and progressive Americans who have rose tinted glasses about other countries who've been to Canada on vacation. I don't fault the second group, the first is frustrating and a real barrier to disability justice for celiacs in Canada.
The product hasn't changed. we eat a lot of the spicy basil flavor and extra creamy alfredo with no issues here even after the label changed.
The product has changed. The recipe itself may not have changed but the manufacturing/plant conditions did. Originally, the pasta sauce was [made in Leamington, ON](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/highbury-canco-heinz-leamington-tomato-1.5284910) but [now it is made in the US](https://www.kraftheinz.com/en-CA/classico/products/00057000037178-bolognese-spaghetti-pasta-sauce) (see the package image, states "product of the USA"). The change in plant coincided with the change in GF label status in 2023. When both were still on the shelves you'd see the GF labelled ones said made in Canada, the ones without were made in the US.
So you had stomach upset after eating something acidic?
There's nothing there in the ingredients that would warrant a product warning in my opinion. Edit: additionally it wasn’t labeled as gluten free. So even more doubly so product warning isn’t really appropriate.
Cross contamination is a huge problem, my obtuse dude.
For tomato sauce? Not really.
Do you know what else is made in the same room? No, you don't. Any gluten-containing flour in the same room *will* get airborne and fall into other production lines. But hey, if you want a colostomy bag later in life, you do you.