This was one brand of certified GF Quinoa at Whole Foods. Most others said gluten-free but that only means that quinoa is technically GF not that it isn’t cross contaminated.

Have you ever eaten quinoa and felt really horrible later on? Have you wondered why? There are people who will assure you that quinoa is gluten free. Technically this is true. Oats are also technically gluten-free. The problem with quinoa is the same as the problem with oats. Quinoa not truly certified as GF is frequently cross-contaminated with barley and wheat.

I uncovered this when trying to ensure that a recipe was kosher for Passover. The fact that I am not actually Jewish is a bit of an issue because I have to do quite a bit of research to figure out if what I am saying is kosher, is actually kosher.

Which is how I found out that quinoa is almost never kosher for Passover because it tends to be cross contaminated with wheat and barley.

The first link I am posting here is Chabad.org which indicates that the quinoa farmers tend to cover the drying quinoa with barley so that the birds eat the barley instead of the quinoa. This cross contamination makes it not kosher for passover. It also seems that it would make it not gluten-free.
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/498035/jewish/Is-Quinoa-Kosher-for-Passover.htm

The second is to the New York Times which covered this issue back in 2011. This time wheat was found in the quinoa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/nyregion/for-passover-eating-quinoa-is-popular-but-is-it-kosher.html?_r=0

So what is a gluten-free person to do?

There are certfied GF quinoas with the logo that shows that they have been batch tested. I have only seen one brand in my local Whole Foods so far, but if you see the symbol then to me it is safe. Gluten free on the label just means that somebody thinks that it is gluten-free…not that it actually IS gluten free.

What I have not yet seen is quinoa flour that is certified GF. So for now, I guess I will have to pass on that.