Taco Bell Cantina Bowl

If you've seen commercials for Taco Bell's Cantina Bowl and think they finally made something gluten free, think again! On their commercial they claim to make this bowl all natural with only a few ingredients. Although it may look like it's natural and you would think it has to be gluten free, it's not. On Taco Bell's website it shows the following info below. To view Taco Bell's Cantina Bowl page click Here!

Commercials
Ingredients listed in Cantina Bowl 
  • Marinated chicken or steak, 
  • Guacamole 
  • Tomatoes 
  • Onions 
  • Cilantro 
  • Roasted corn 
  • Pepper salsa 
  • Lettuce 
  • Black beans 
  • Reality
  • Rice
Allergy information listed in Cantina Bowl
  • Gluten
  • Milk
  • Soybean
  • Wheat


It makes you wonder how could there possibly be gluten, wheat, and milk in something with such few and natural looking ingredients. It all comes down to fillers. The grade of chicken/steak they use for this bowl is the lowest grade you can find. It's the scraps and fat that's left over from the good meat, it's then filled with artificial ingredients not listed to make it taste better and pass off as food. Also the rice contains gluten too so getting the Veggie Cantina bowl will not avoid this. It goes to show although something may look gluten free it doesn't mean it is. Anything can be added to the simplest foods to make it not so and you always have to be careful when eating out Gluten Free.

Note: Taco Bell has conflicting info on their site. At one point it did actually have the allergy info that I listed. But now it says there is no wheat or gluten in it at all. I have contacted them and have been told personally by customer service their is gluten in it. They have the wrong info on their site which is very angering and needs to be fixed. Many people have gotten sick and have confirmed their is definitely gluten in it after all.

43 comments:

  1. The website lists the cantina bowl as free of wheat and gluten. I think you misread the nutritional info.

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  2. Hi, I looked up the page again and have copied and pasted this from their website on the Cantina Bowl page. It specifically says the allergy info it contains. ALLERGENS*: Gluten, Milk, Soybean, Wheat.
    I appreciate your comment and concern though.

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  3. It actually gives conflicting info. On the Cantina Bowl page it list the Allergens as Taylor Miller points out, but on the Taco Bell Food Allergies & Sensitivities page it shows it's safe.

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  4. Hi, I just saw that, they should really straighten that out. Either way when ever dealing with the fast food industry you can never trust it to be safe. I've defiantly learned that from the past and I would strongly recommend to not get their Cantina Bowl if on a GF diet either way. I will defiantly contact Taco Bell about that conflict to get more info and possibly get it resolved.

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  5. I called them for more info and was told that it defiantly contains milk, soybeans, and egg..they said it has a great chance of containing gluten and that it is made with the same equipment and in the same area as all the other products with gluten. I was told they will try and resolve the conflicting info on their website.

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  6. I had to learn the hard way. I specifically asked the manager if the cantina bowl was dairy free ad he said "absolutely dairy free", but once I tasted that cilantro dressing I.knew it wasnt. I had many arguments with my friends who always claim the dairy issue is in my head. I finally found the ingredients of the cilantro dressing, and it contains like 4 milk ingredients. Jerks!

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  7. That's why I hate the fast food industry! They are so careless & don't understand that this affects our health if told the wrong thing. It really angers me, especially when they say somethings gluten or dairy free when it's not..very angering.

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  8. Ah, shucks. I was looking forward to hearing that it wasn't glutened. Thanks for the info! Keep being gluten free! I have a friend who is also a celiac like me, and she cheats all the time. I think it's because gf food is still rather expensive. Hope that changes soon.

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  9. You're welcome! I'm glad it helped and I hope your friend doesn't do that for to long..that could be bad. But best of luck to you and your gluten free eating!! :)

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  10. I'm happy to see this thread as I would like to add my two-cents to this conversation. I also was excited, thinking that the new cantina bowl might be gluten free...wrong! I do not have celiac, I have gluten-sensitivity but can tell without a doubt if I eat something with gluten. I tried the chicken bowl today and this afternoon have had the same old painful symptoms I always have when I eat gluten, still having them now. I made the decision not to ever eat one again, just not worth it for me even though it tasted really good. Just wanted to let you know that it definitly must have gluten and is not safe for those of us who are sensitive. Hopefully Taco Bell will make this clear on their website soon for the sake of any and all who have to be careful when it comes to gluten.

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    1. Unfortunately, I agree with you. I tried the Cantina Chicken Taco. I too have an allergy - first symptom is cough and then vomiting. It’s happening… so sad about this for a multitude of reasons

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  11. Sorry to hear you got a reaction! And thanks for sharing your personal input too to let people know it's definitely confirmed. They still have yet to fix the allergen info on their website after telling me they would & I'm starting to feel like they never will because simply, they don't care..Hopefully more people see it has gluten in it before they try it!

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  12. My husband has a serious gluten intolerance issue. He had the Chicken Cantina Bowl yesterday and had serious issues within 2 hours, lasting all night and all day today. No more. I don't think Taco Bell cares as long as they sell, sell, sell. Apparently they don't realize this could mean someone's life.

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  13. I'm really sorry he got sick! That only makes me more mad of how careless they are & because like you said, it could mean someones life. That's exactly why I created this post to prevent this from happening, I just hope it's helping some people & wish it could of helped your husband earlier. Hope he feels better!

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  14. I was checking up on the Cantina Bowl before going to lunch today. Thank you for your posts. I'm disappointed, but grateful for you checking it out.

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  15. You're welcome! So glad to hear it's helping people like you!

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  16. Really confused now..I finally bought the chicken cantina bowl, checking taco bells allergin page first. It says no gluten or wheat present. Where did you see the info claiming it does? Cuz now I'm panicked that I'm going to have a reaction:(

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  17. They have conflicting info on their website. The Cantina Bowl website said the allergy info that I listed, but on their allergen site it said there was no gluten. I actually called them and asked myself and they did say it contained gluten, egg, soy, and milk. I tried to explain to them that they need to change their info on their website and they said they would. But now, it says their is no gluten on both sites. Everyone that I've talked to that's had their Cantina Bowl got a reaction too. That's why I'm so angry with Taco Bell because they are so careless. I really hope you don't get a reaction and I hope this helped!

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  18. Cross contamination maybe?

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  19. Yes, cross contamination is also a factor.

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  20. I read on another blog that if you get the bowl without the rice and dressing then it is gluten free. The lady on the blog said she even talked to Lorena Garcia about it and she agreed. So if I got it without rice and dressing would I be safe?

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  21. It may be safe if you do that but you always have to worry about cross contamination while at a fast food restaurant. Everyone I've talked to that's tried it has said they got a reaction. I personally wouldn't trust it even without the dressing and rice, but you know how sensitive you are more than I do, so it's up to you!

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  22. I justvwoke up to horrible heartburn after having the Cantina Bowl with steak and thought of looking up whether is was gluten free. I'm a newly pregnant celiac (5 months pregnant) and can feel immediatley when I've been glutened. Funny thing is that I am not feeling that pain like I'm being punched from the inside out and the immediate intestinal bloating I immediatley get (it feels like I can't expand anymore and hurts like hadies). However it's been only 5 hrs and reading all this I'm praying I got a contamjnant free bowl and am just reaping the effects of the onions and peppers which I know better to also avoid. I am pain free (besides heartburn of course) but woke up extrememely itchy on my legs as well.) I ate really late @ about 11:15 and it's 4:23am as I post. I had yoghurt after and now again to help with heartburn and am crossing my fingers. I also had tamarind nectar afterwards. Still, I'm Spanish and perfectly capable of making the same dish from scratch if I get a hankering although I also didn't bloat from the beans strangely enough. Well enough rambling and to all who were glutened I sent up a prayer for a quick cleansing and freedom from pain and harm to your villi. :-(

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  23. Celiac here who eats the cantina bowl with some regularity.

    I can report absolutely no symptoms. And I'm a person who gets a reaction when I eat something that touched bread and has no visible crumbs on it. I'm pretty sure that the first nutritional information (from the cantina bell site) was just copy/pasted from the burrito information. There are no gluten ingredients in this bowl.

    One thing to note is that there is quite a lot of fat and fiber in this dish, so it most certainly could cause gastrointestinal symptoms even without any cross contamination.

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  24. Hi SolaVoz, I'm really sorry to hear you got a reaction from the cantina bowl along with the many other people. I hope you are feeling better by now!

    Anonymous- I really don't know what to tell you, I did call customer service to ask if their cantina bowl did have gluten in it and they specifically told me it did and she recommended if I have a food allergy to stay away from their cantina bowl line. Why you didn't get a reaction, I cannot say, but there have been countless confirms of people getting sick from the Cantina Bowl. Thanks for your input!

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  25. I just had one and im sick. I wish i would have done the research first. Yes it is high in fat because the chicken/steak is the fat and by-product mixed with filler. Taco Bell really does cut every corner they possiably can. I havent made tje tb mistake in a couple of years. Never again.

    WORD TO THE WISE: If you do happen to consume gluten, take an extra dose of probiotic as soon as possiable. Ivs noticed a signifacant decrease in symptons when i do. Sooner the better.

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  26. I'm sorry you got sick and wish you saw this earlier as well. I hope you feel better! Thanks for confirming it's not gluten-free for all the others out there that doubt it. Also thanks for the tip. Feel better!

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  27. I got the Cantina Bowl once because it originally said it was gluten free, but had also eaten at another restaurant that day. I got sick and thought it had to be from the other restaurant. Not sure why I thought that. I am also confirming, despite conflicting views on Taco Bell's site, that the Cantina Bowl is NOT gluten free. So sad, because our quick options are dwindling in the fast food world. :( I can only eat so many fast food salads (and sometimes even THOSE aren't safe!)

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  28. That stinks you got sick. Thanks for also confirming it's not gluten-free for all the others out there. And I'm the same way about salads, I usually am worried even about those too! Chipotle's burrito bowl I think is the safest option and obviously much better than this. Thanks for your input!

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  29. I went to Taco Bell this week for the first time in 4 years (since being diagnosed with Celiac)just to get the pintos and cheese. When I saw the Cantina Bowl on the menu, I inquired about it and stated I had gluten allergies. I was told it was ok for me, that there was nothing in it that would harm me. I was soooooo excited....finally something really good to eat that I don't have to cook myself. I bought it to take to work for lunch the next day. Half way through the meal, I started feeling really full all of a sudden, and then I got bloated and full of gas. I made 4 trips to the ladies room in 45 minutes. I looked it up online and found that it probably did have gluten in it. And raw eggs in the dressing. I am not sure I have the raw egg problem, but evidence is pointing to it. When I got home I was chilling, aching all over and my intestines were rumbling out of control. I missed two days of work over this and suffered a lot of pain and fatigue. How can they do this to people? Just don't offer a gluten free menu if you can't furnish the goods. This is nothing to take lightly......It is my understanding that one exposure to gluten can take a celiac 6 months to heal from. Am I angry....yes....and very frustrated. I won't go back even for thier beans and cheese anymore. They lost me as a customer forever!!!!

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  30. So sorry to hear that you got very sick from this. What's most angering to me is that they are telling people it's ok to eat and completely took off that it contains gluten when at one point it was listed on their allergen site. So many people have commented saying the same exact thing as you and it just really makes me feel sad for you and the people, but more angry because Taco Bell could of done something to avoid this but still chooses not too. Sorry I ranted on a little bit..I truly hope you feel better by now and I appreciate you sharing your experience for others to see.

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  31. Im so glad I found this. I too fell victim to believing the cantina bowl was gluten and wheat free.I recently became sick for months until we figured out I have celiacs. I have been gluten free for 3 weeks and my stomach issues were starting to subside. I ate the cantina bowl last night and actually thought I was going to need to go to the hospital from the horrible stomach pains I had. I had to leave work early today because I feel really run down and my stomach still hurts. Ughhh.

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  32. I had cantina bell ay taco Bell after 2 months gluten free and I figured it was salad ...wrong ! Gott very sick been in bathroom all day...

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  33. Just got home from having lunch at Taco Bell and was surprised at the immediate gluten reaction I was having. I've been racking my brain reviewing the ingredients in my Chicken Cantina Bowl and the side of Pintos and Cheese. I sure thought it was gluten free. I'm learning the hard way it pays to check more thoroughly!!

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  34. So sorry to hear more of you got sick from this. Makes me angry to see that it's affecting people's lives so much yet Taco Bell has yet to care or do anything about it. Hopefully you all feel better and that people research this more before they eat it. Thanks for commenting and sharing with others!

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  35. Remember, this is the same place that for years said there were no fillers in their ground beef and that the beef was gluten free. Hard shell tacos used to be listed as gluten free.
    Complete lie.
    And now this.

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  36. yep, just ate the cantina bowl, I see that this thread started a long time ago..... I'm celiac and can tell pretty quickly when I eat gluten - started feeling that way and googled it (even though the cashier said it was g-free), and I'm so annoyed to read this!!! ugh!! Now I know what the next 48 hours or so has in store for me....nice.... ;(

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  37. I wish I had seen this blog earlier! I got so sick today from a chicken cantina bowl and still feel awful! =( The website still states to this day that the bowl is GF, however it is most definitely not! How can TB not have updated their site by now to reflect that it is FULL of gluten and not GF!?!? This is people's health they're dealing with. Look like it's back to no more TB, for EVER!!!

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  38. I got 2/3rds of the way through before my gut started hurting and I started swelling up like I am 6 months prego. :-( I should have known better and just waited to eat when I got home. Better to be hungry than sick!

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  39. I had it....... It has GLUTEN OMG>>> I was sick!!

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  40. You probably figured this out by now, but the gluten is from wheat in their "seasoned beef". If you order with chicken or steak, there is no gluten in the meal whatsoever. I think they're required to list wheat allergy because the regular version uses seasoned beef. Hope that clears things up. I understand we have gluten sensitivities but it's important for us to figure these things out and share them with one another. We cannot eat the seasoned beef at all.

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  41. Dumb me thought a cantina might be ok yesterday. I am still sick from it today. Never again.

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  42. Seemed like the chicken had some sort of coating on it. I wanted they power bowl but i guesss they got rid of it. Currently at work and dying. Definitely not gluten free. I felt sick after 5 mins which is usually when i know i hve been glutened. I wouldnt wish this on anyone.

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