You’ve probably seen a bag of dried black beans in the “organic” aisle with a giant “Certified Gluten-Free” sticker plastered across the front. It’s a sticker that costs more than the beans themselves. This is what I call the “Fear of the Invisible Flour” marketing tax. Some marketing genius realized that if you put a gluten-free label on a rock, people would pay double for it. “Look at this pebble! No gluten! Only $8.99!”
Let’s get scientific for exactly three seconds. Black beans are legumes. Legumes are plants. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. A black bean has never even met a wheat berry. They don’t hang out. They don’t share a locker. The only way a black bean becomes “gluten-y” is if it’s processed in a facility that also grinds wheat, and dust gets on it. But unless you’re licking the factory floor, your beans are probably fine.
