And I'll bet that 90% of people don't even know what gluten is or why they shouldn't have it. Now maybe I'm wrong, maybe they roll the puffed rice in wheat flour or something, but that's not what the ingredients list on plain Rice Krispies says. The "gluten-free" Krispies are just brown rice instead of white. They could just as easily highlight "gluten-free" on the plain ones. (Maybe it's in small print?) - Kamilah Reed (K. Gill)

It's like when fat free stuff that was always fat free decided to label itself as such when that craze was all the rage. - LibrarianOnTheLoose

Wow, I would consider that immoral. - Stephan Planken

^^^^ That - Scoble, Alex Scoble

Sometimes it's the additives or preservatives, not the actual ingredient. The plain ones are NOT certified as gluten free because they contain malt, which comes from barley, and most people with celiac disease, like me, would rather be safe than get sick. Kellogg's is not preying upon people's ignorance. They are protecting people's health and following federal guidelines for what is considered safe and can be safely labeled gluten-free for people with celiac disease. - Trish R

Thanks for some additional info. That's why I qualified what I said by adding maybe that the rice puffs are rolled in wheat and I didn't know it. The barley malt is a sneaky one, I didn't think of it. (I'm not sure if it's listed in the plain Rice Krispies ingredients. I probably missed it when I glanced through at the store.) There are definitely some other products that call themselves "gluten-free" when they really don't need to, though. - Kamilah Reed (K. Gill)

Kamila: Re your own first comment: Is there a reason why 90% of people "shouldn't have" gluten? Unless you have celiac disease or a severe wheat/gluten intolerance, I can't imagine why. And in general, if you *do* have celiac, it seems to me to be helpful for foods to clarify that they qualify. - walt crawford

Walt, I don't think there is a reason for most people to avoid gluten. It's a concern for people with celiac disease or wheat/gluten intolerance, like you said. It is a real problem for people with these conditions, and it seems like what's really going on is that increased awareness of these conditions and allergies has exposed some sloppy practices in the food industry. Or maybe just slightly sneaky stuff, like making "plain" rice puffs taste better with malt. Why not just make truly plain ones? - Kamilah Reed (K. Gill)