I know that many of you have been following the story of
Paul Seelig and the accusations that he knowingly sold
gluten-based products as
"gluten-free."
However, for those of you unfamiliar let me provide you with some background information.
Paul Seelig owned a company known as
Great Specialty Products that was based in
Durham County, North Carolina. He sold an assortment of baked goods that he claimed to be
gluten free. He told customers that the
gluten free grains were grown on a farm that he owned and that the bread was
tested weekly to make sure that it was
free of gluten.
After many customers started to fall ill after consuming his products, inspectors tested his baked goods for gluten. It was found that the products contained
extremely high levels of gluten.
Many were wondering if
Paul Seelig would face any consequences for his actions as there is currently
no federal standard for what is considered gluten free and labeling is completely voluntary.
This is one of the many reasons why the 1in133 campaign is so important. If you haven't already signed the petition to create a standard for gluten free labeling then please do so now.
In court, workers from
Great Specialty Products testified that
Paul Seelig bought bread from commercial bakers and simply repackaged it with his own
gluten free labeling. He then sold these baked goods at the state fair, street fairs, and via home delivery.
Paul Seelig insisted during the trial that his products were
gluten free and that he got them from an
Amish baker in
Ohio. However, this baker had
no phone,
no street and/or
email address and he always
only paid in cash, so there were
no payment records.
Seelig was also asked to provide records of the tests that he supposedly conducted weekly to make sure his products were
gluten free but he was unable to furnish any of these records.
At the close of the trial earlier this week,
Paul Seelig was found
guilty of
23 counts of
obtaining property by false pretense in
Wake Superior Court of
North Carolina. He was sentenced to at least
9 and as many as
11 years in prison.
Hopefully this case will send a message to food companies and restaurants about the seriousness of labeling a product
gluten-free.
