How Trustworthy is Gluten-Free Labeling?

While products as diverse as lipstick brands to chocolate and many types of groceries carry gluten-free labeling, right now, there are no legal standards that have to be met in the US. In 27 other countries, food labeled as gluten-free food can’t have more than 20 parts of gluten per million.

Nearly three years after the FDA’s deadline for a rule to define “gluten-free,” the agency is finally getting serious about tackling the dangerous risks people with celiac disease can face due to misleading labeling.

FDA Reopens Gluten-Free Labeling Rule Comments, Issues Report

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reopened public comments Aug. 3 on its proposed gluten-free label rules, raising the prospect that the agency is preparing to issue final regulations on the long-stalled rules.

At the same time, the agency published a 93-page health hazard assessment for gluten exposure, which concludes that foods need to contain less than 1 part per million (ppm) of gluten in order to protect the most sensitive celiacs from poor health. That level of gluten also would protect less-sensitive celiacs from adverse health effects, the study said.

"In sum, these findings indicate that a less than 1 ppm level of gluten in foods is the level of exposure for individuals with CD (celiac disease) on a GFD (gluten-free diet) that protects the most sensitive individuals with CD and thus, also protects the most number of individuals with CD from experiencing any detrimental health effects from extended to long-term exposure to gluten," the FDA analysis concluded.

Analysis notwithstanding, the FDA said it continues to believe that its proposed definition of "gluten-free" -- which requires foods to have less than 20 parts per million gluten, not 1 part per million -- "is the correct one." The agency notes that "current analytical methods ... can reliably and consistently detect gluten at levels of 20 ppm or more in a variety of foods."

The proposed FDA definition would prohibit gluten-free labeling on foods that contain wheat, barley and/or rye, but would permit GF labeling on foods that contain wheat, barley and/or rye ingredients that have been processed to remove the gluten.

The FDA will accept public comments on its proposed regulations for the next 60 days. To comment, visit www.regulations.gov, choose "Submit a Comment" from the top task bar, enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 in the "Keyword" space and select "Search."

Source: About.com