08.03.2013
Image from MedPageToday.com
by Cole Petrochko
Staff Writer, MedPage Today
WASHINGTON — The use of the term “gluten-free” for voluntary food labeling has been defined by the FDA as food that contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
The new regulation will aid some 3 million Americans affected with celiac disease — an autoimmune digestive condition “that can be effectively managed by eating a gluten free diet,” the FDA explained in a statement — in avoiding serious health consequences associated with ingesting gluten.
Many consumers who do not have celiac disease, but still may be gluten sensitive, and have reported resolution of symptoms with a gluten-free diet.
Gluten is a protein that occurs naturally in wheat, rye, barley, and cross-bred hybrids of those grains. The protein triggers the production of antibodies in celiac disease patients that can attack the lining of the small intestine, which can impede patients’ ability to absorb nutrients and is associated with nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, stunted growth, infertility, miscarriages, short stature, and intestinal cancers.
The 20 parts per million standard is a new requirement for products that are labeled as “gluten-free,” as well as “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “without gluten.” The agency noted that many foods currently marketed as gluten-free meet these requirements, but those that fall short of the new requirement will have 1 year to comply.
The agency also noted that fruits, vegetables, eggs, and bottled water can also be labeled as “gluten-free” if they “inherently don’t have any gluten.”
The FDA opened the labeling rule for comment in August 2011. The rule is based on a standard set in 2008 by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.