It's About Time

Gluten is the name for proteins in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. In the U.S., gluten is found not just in baked goods, but in items such as candy, medicine, and fast foods. Gluten also creeps into our entire food system. Grains like oats and rice that don’t contain gluten can be contaminated in the field during crop rotation, or at any point from harvesting to packaging.

One in 133 Americans has gluten sensitivity, with most people undiagnosed. We rely on accurate food labelling. But can we trust a gluten-free label?

In 2004, President Bush signed the Food Allergen and Consumer Protection Act, directing the FDA to issue final rules on gluten-free labelling by 2008. To date, the FDA has only made a recommendation: that to be labelled “gluten-free”, a food not contain a prohibited grain like wheat, rye, or barley, an ingredient derived from these grains, or a prohibited grain that was processed to remove gluten if more than 20 parts per million of gluten remains. Twenty ppm was considered safe for persons needing a gluten-free diet.

The recommendation doesn’t state how gluten is to be tested, nor does it address gluten testing in raw ingredients. With varying accuracy in tests for gluten, and without a mandated standard reference method, a label’s claim of gluten-free is tricky.

Research into why some patients with celiac disease don’t improve on gluten-free diets has shown us that inaccurate gluten-free labelling is the culprit. Independent testing of store-bought foods for gluten contamination show that store-bought flours -- including non-prohibited grain flours like rice flour -- can contain more than 20 ppm gluten.

Because there isn't a requirement for manufacturers to test non-gluten containing grains for gluten contamination, gluten-free labelling is being applied indiscriminately and inappropriately to both contaminated and non-contaminated foods.

The FDA is finally asking for input on a new gluten-free labelling regulation. I say "it's about time."

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