If you’ve been gluten-free for a while, you’ve probably seen a label that says “certified gluten-free” alongside a note like “made on shared equipment with wheat.” It can feel confusing—and even alarming at first.
But a certified gluten-free product is completely safe for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
I’ll explain why in this article – so keep reading!
Many well-known brands, such as Ben & Jerry’s, Mikey’s, Jolly Llama, Jovial (for some products) and Munk Pack make certified gluten-free products on shared equipment. And while not all disclose that this is happening behind the scenes, the truth is that the practice is safe for people with celiac disease and increasingly common.
So, how can something made on shared equipment still be certified gluten-free? Let’s break it down.
First, What Does “Gluten-Free” Mean?
Under FDA guidelines, a product can be labeled “gluten-free” if:
- It contains no ingredients derived from wheat, rye, barley, or their derivatives, and
- It contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten.
Notably:
- The “gluten-free” claim is voluntary.
- Oats are not considered a source of gluten under the FDA, even though they’re often contaminated.
- The FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to test final products for gluten. Instead, the agency allows manufacturers to decide how they want to ensure their product meets the guidelines. For example, a bottled water company doesn’t have to test its water for hidden gluten to claim that it’s gluten-free.
This last point is key: a gluten-free label doesn’t always guarantee third-party verification or testing, even though an NSF study found that nearly half of Americans think a “gluten-free” claim on a label means the product has been verified as gluten-free.
👉 Read: What Gluten-Free Labeling Laws and Certifications Really Mean
👉 Read: Are Oats Gluten-Free? Unpacking Confusing and Contradictory Information
Why Certified Gluten-Free Is a Step Above
That’s where third-party certifying agencies like GFCO, GFFP, and NSF come in. These organizations go beyond FDA standards to provide stricter oversight.
To earn a certified gluten-free label, manufacturers must:
- Use only verified gluten-free ingredients
- Sanitize and test shared equipment thoroughly
- Pass annual plant audits
- Test final products to meet lower gluten thresholds (usually under 10–15 ppm; some require under 5 ppm)
- Pay certification fees (which vary based on product volume, company size, and risk level)
These agencies bring accountability to the process and help ensure that certified products are consistently safe for gluten-free consumers.
👉 Learn more about the GFCO certification process
What Certification Doesn’t Mean
A common misconception is that certified gluten-free products must be made on dedicated equipment. While some brands opt for this approach, which can be reassuring to the gluten-free community, dedicated equipment is neither required nor necessary.
(Please note that in the past, I may have been more nervous to eat something made on shared equipment. But when I see the “certified gluten-free” label today, that trumps all fears and worry.)
If you’ve ever eaten at a friend’s house who isn’t gluten-free, or at a restaurant, you’re eating off “shared equipment.” It’s just life, and it can work when proper sanitization processes are in place.
While dedicated equipment is nice, it’s not necessary and may even be a challenging threshold for a brand to reach, given limited manufacturing options:
- Dedicated manufacturing facilities and equipment are cost-prohibitive for many small and mid-sized brands.
- Proper sanitation, swab testing, and third-party lab testing are effective at preventing cross-contact.
Take Mikey’s, for example. Its certified gluten-free pizza pockets are made on shared equipment, but that equipment is sanitized, swabbed, and re-tested before every production run. If any gluten is detected, production is halted until the issue is resolved. Finished products are also tested before shipping.
Same with Ben and Jerry’s. They don’t disclose the “shared equipment” on their certified gluten-free labels – likely because it’s not necessary nor required.
When you look at Ben and Jerry’s FAQs, you’ll see the following statement:
Any person telling you to avoid eating certified gluten-free products because they’re made on shared equipment may be overrestricting themselves and spreading misinformation and fear.
Additionally, they are probably contradicting themselves because they will eat something made by a friend or family member in a shared kitchen, but then they’ll balk at a “certified gluten-free” product made on sanitized equipment and tested to meet FDA standards. Makes you think!
Additionally, it’s worth noting that companies like Ben & Jerry’s don’t include the “made on shared equipment with wheat” disclosure statement on their products. This is just something you’d need to do a little digging to find out. So chances are there are a slew of certified GF products you’re safely consuming that you have no idea are made on shared equipment.
Bottom line: Not every company discloses its manufacturing practices in detail, so you’re likely consuming something that was made on shared equipment without knowing it. However, when a product is certified, it means stringent cleaning and testing protocols are in place—and enforced.
What the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) Says
The GFCO is arguably the largest and most well-known gluten-free certifying agency in the U.S. and potentially around the world.
I reached out to the organization to ask about what “made in a shared facility with wheat” means and how this affects the gluten-free certification status of a product. They verified exactly what I knew to be true.
A spokesperson for the GFCO directed me to the GFCO’s official statement on this topic:
He added, “Rest assured, that if the product is GFCO certified, there are extensive controls in the facility to prevent cross-contact. Oftentimes, these statements on the packages are made out of an abundance of caution by the manufacturer, but in fact, the manufacturer may even have completely dedicated machines, space, and storage for gluten-free production.
“In all cases, GFCO requires extensive controls for cleaning, surface-swab-testing to validate that cleaning, segregation, tracing, sequencing, and increased finished product-testing in any facility that is not completely dedicated to gluten-free production.”
The bottom line is that disclosing that a product is made on shared equipment with wheat has no bearing on the product’s gluten-free status. Companies do it out of an abundance of caution because, legally, if a product contains wheat, it must be disclosed under FALCPA (the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act), which aims to alert individuals with wheat allergies to the presence of a specific allergen.
Wheat allergy and gluten intolerance are different. A person with celiac disease reacts to gluten proteins, not wheat as an allergen. A product made on shared equipment—but properly sanitized and tested to meet the FDA’s strict gluten-free guidelines—will not contain harmful levels of gluten to create an autoimmune reaction.
Bottom Line: These Products Are Safe
If a product bears a reputable certified gluten-free logo, it has undergone rigorous testing and inspection, even if it was made on shared equipment or in a shared facility.
These foods are safe for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Over-restricting your diet out of fear can lead to unnecessary stress. You don’t have to avoid every product with a shared equipment disclosure, especially when it’s been certified gluten-free.
👉 Read: Can You Be Too Gluten-Free? How to Balance Dietary Vigilance Without Losing Your Mind
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One would be wise to understand that GFCO’s “pay to play” certification is VERY flawed. GFCO does not require a manufacturer to obtain a third party to test their products for gluten, but rather, manufacturers are allowed to do it on their own. That is inherently a huge conflict of interest, the party that stands to make money on the sales of product is doing the product testing. What incentive do they have to report positive test results on a batch, and how easy would it be to do another test on a non contaminated batch to submit to GFCO. The following article is definitely worth a read. I personally no longer trust the GFCO certification one bit.
https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/critical-review-of-gfco-gluten-free-certification-in-light-of-recent-findings-r6607/page/2/
Thank you for this article!