Gluten-free diets have become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more people opting to avoid gluten for medical or lifestyle reasons. For those following a gluten-free diet, reading ingredient labels carefully and looking for “gluten-free” markings on food packaging is essential. This includes checking packaged, frozen pizza crusts to ensure they do not contain wheat or other gluten sources.
Great Value is Walmart’s signature brand of affordable, everyday grocery items and household goods. The product line includes frozen pizzas and pizza crusts. For consumers wondering if Great Value’s pizza crusts are a gluten-free option, the answer is not straightforward.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. It acts as a “glue” that helps food maintain its shape and texture. For most people, gluten poses no health concerns. However, for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, consuming gluten triggers an abnormal immune response that damages the small intestine. This can lead to symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and anemia. The only treatment is a strict lifelong gluten-free diet.
People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity must avoid all foods and products containing gluten. This includes obvious sources like bread, pasta and baked goods made with wheat flour. It also includes less obvious foods processed with wheat, rye, barley or malt ingredients. Being vigilant about reading ingredient labels is crucial when you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity.
Gluten in pizza crust
Traditional pizza crust is made from wheat flour, which contains gluten. Most frozen pizza crusts also contain wheat flour as a main ingredient. Other typical pizza crust ingredients like yeast, salt, sugar, oil and flavorings are naturally gluten-free.
For a pizza crust to be considered gluten-free, it needs to be made without any wheat, rye, barley or triticale flours. Instead, gluten-free pizza crusts are typically made with flours like:
- Rice flour
- Tapioca flour
- Potato starch
- Cornstarch
- Chickpea flour
- Almond flour
- Buckwheat flour
These alternative flours give pizza crust the structure and binding qualities it needs to hold together and crisp up nicely, while avoiding all sources of gluten.
Great Value pizza crust ingredients
To determine if Great Value pizza crust is gluten-free, you need to read the ingredient list on the packaging.
According to the Great Value website, the classic Great Value 12″ pizza crust contains:
- Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid)
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Salt
- Dough conditioner (wheat flour, sugar, soybean oil, enzymes, ascorbic acid, calcium sulfate)
The first ingredient listed is wheat flour, which clearly indicates this standard pizza crust contains gluten.
Other Great Value pizza crust varieties
While the classic crust isn’t gluten-free, Great Value does offer some specialty pizza crusts that are labeled “gluten-free” right on the packaging:
- Great Value Gluten Free Cheese Pizza Crust
- Great Value Cauliflower Pizza Crust
The gluten-free cheese pizza crust contains rice flour as its first ingredient, followed by tapioca starch, potato starch and cellulose gel. These alternative gluten-free flours and starches provide the binding, structure and texture in place of wheat flour.
Similarly, the cauliflower pizza crust is made primarily with cauliflower that has been processed into a flour or meal. It also includes other gluten-free ingredients like rice flour, egg whites and psyllium husk fiber.
So while the standard Great Value pizza crust is not gluten-free due to containing wheat flour, Great Value does offer at least two pizza crust options that are specifically formulated to be gluten-free for consumers requiring a wheat-free, gluten-free diet.
Are other Great Value frozen pizzas gluten-free?
In addition to pizza crusts, Great Value also sells a variety of frozen pizzas under its own brand name. It’s important to note that even if the crust is gluten-free, other components like the sauce and toppings may contain gluten.
Some people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity can tolerate small amounts of cross-contact with gluten while others require their food to be produced in a 100% gluten-free facility.
When reviewing the ingredient lists for Great Value frozen pizzas, most do contain wheat flour:
Great Value Rising Crust Supreme Pizza
- Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Water
- Low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)
Great Value Thin & Crispy Pepperoni Pizza
- Enriched wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Water
- Low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes)
Great Value Supreme Breakfast Pizza
- Wheat flour
- Water
- Part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)
The wheat flour in the ingredient lists for these and other Great Value pizzas would disqualify them from being considered gluten-free. Someone following a strict gluten-free diet would need to avoid these products.
That said, there are some Great Value pizzas that appear to be designed as gluten-free:
- Great Value Gluten Free Cheese Pizza
- Great Value Gluten Free Supreme Pizza
These pizzas are made with a gluten-free crust and do not contain wheat or wheat flour in any components based on the ingredient labels. However, they are not produced in a 100% gluten-free facility, so there is some risk of cross-contact for people with celiac disease.
Are other Walmart frozen pizzas gluten-free?
In addition to its Great Value brand, Walmart sells frozen pizzas from national brands like DiGiorno, Jack’s, Tombstone and Red Baron. None of these traditional pizza brands market products as gluten-free.
However, there are some gluten-free frozen pizza options sold at Walmart under brands like:
- Against the Grain Gourmet Gluten Free Pizza
- Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza
- Glutenfreeda Pizza
- Ian’s Gluten Free Pizza
These brands specialize in gluten-free foods and take steps to avoid cross-contamination with gluten during processing and preparation. Their pizzas are made with gluten-free crusts and do not contain any wheat ingredients.
It’s important to always carefully read the ingredient label and look for a “gluten-free” certification symbol even when buying specialty products. Call the company if you have any questions or concerns about their gluten-free claims.
What precautions are taken by Great Value for gluten-free items?
For people with celiac disease and extreme gluten sensitivity, it’s important to understand what (if any) precautions a company takes to prevent cross-contamination with gluten.
Great Value does not claim to manufacture any of their products in a gluten-free facility or on dedicated gluten-free equipment. Their frozen pizzas, including the gluten-free labeled options, are produced by Bellisio Foods out of their Ohio factory.
On its website, Bellisio states they do not claim to have gluten-free facilities. While they do make some gluten-free items, these products are at risk for trace amounts of gluten from shared lines and equipment.
For brands that certify their facilities are 100% gluten-free, extreme care is taken to avoid any cross-contamination with gluten. This includes having completely separate gluten-free manufacturing space and equipment.
Since Great Value/Bellisio does not make this guarantee, people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity may want to exercise caution and look for pizza from a certified gluten-free brand and facility instead.
Should you eat Great Value gluten-free pizza if you have celiac disease?
People with celiac disease require a strict 100% gluten-free diet with no cheating to manage their condition. Consuming even small traces of gluten can trigger symptoms, villous atrophy and intestinal damage.
While the Great Value gluten-free labeled pizzas suggest they are wheat and gluten-free based on ingredients, cross-contamination is likely given they are produced on shared lines in the same facility as gluten-containing pizzas.
Many experts advise those with celiac disease to avoid products with advisory labels stating “May contain wheat/gluten” or “Made in a facility that also processes wheat/gluten”. The gluten-free Great Value pizzas fall into this category.
However, some people with celiac follow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) threshold for permissible “gluten-free” labeling. The FDA allows foods labeled “gluten-free” to contain up to 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten from cross-contact.
At this time, Great Value has not made public any independent third-party gluten testing to confirm their gluten-free pizzas fall under the FDA’s <20 ppm threshold. Ultimately, it's up to each person's own judgment on their comfort level with the potential for cross-contamination and trace gluten exposure. People with celiac should discuss these types of advisory-labeled gluten-free foods with their doctor or dietitian to decide if they feel safe consuming them.
Can you eat Great Value gluten-free pizza with non-celiac gluten sensitivity?
People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy generally do not require as strictly gluten-free conditions as those with celiac disease. However gluten still triggers adverse symptoms and therefore needs to be avoided.
Those with gluten sensitivity can often tolerate trace amounts of cross-contact and shared manufacturing lines better than someone with celiac disease. Some also report being able to consume up to 10-50 mg per day of gluten before symptoms develop.
So while Great Value’s gluten-free labeled pizzas do carry some risk of trace gluten, they may be an option for less sensitive individuals who take a less strict approach to avoiding gluten.
The degree of gluten cross-reactivity can vary from person to person. Your sensitivity level is something you’ll need to determine through a process of trial and error with different trace gluten products like Great Value gluten-free pizza. Proceed cautiously and discontinue use if any symptoms develop.
Of course, if you know you are highly gluten intolerant and very sensitive, it may be wise to avoid the potential for cross-contact altogether. Seek out pizza and crusts from brands that adhere to certified gluten-free protocols instead.
Conclusion
Great Value’s standard pizza crust contains wheat flour and is not gluten-free. However, Great Value does offer specially formulated gluten-free pizza crusts and pizzas made without wheat ingredients.
The brand’s gluten-free claims on certain products provide some level of assurance. But without dedicated facilities and equipment, there is a risk of gluten cross-contact from particles in the air and on shared surfaces at their manufacturing plants.
For people with celiac disease who require a strict gluten-free diet, consuming Great Value gluten-free pizza could be risky. There may be trace amounts of gluten present even if not directly added as an ingredient. Those with gluten sensitivity can often tolerate small amounts of cross-contact better but it’s still possible to react.
Overall, it’s advised to use your best judgment based on your individual sensitivity and comfort level. Relying on brands that adhere to gluten-free certification standards can provide extra assurance for those who need to avoid trace gluten entirely.
