An example of a gluten-free product. (Photo: Glutino)
Story Highlights Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley Celiac disease makes it impossible to digest gluten Food packages will have to conform to new rules within a year
After years of waiting, the Food and Drug Administration released new rules Friday defining exactly what "gluten-free" on a food label means. The standardized definition will help the 3 million American who have celiac disease, along with millions more who follow a gluten-free diet for other reasons.
Under the federal definition, which FDA has been working on since 2007, food that carries a "gluten-free" label must contain fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten.
With the new rule, when consumers see "gluten-free" on a food label," they can be assured that those claims have meaning," said Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
Gluten is a protein that occurs naturally in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease is an inherited auto-immune condition that makes it impossible for those who have it to digest gluten. If they eat gluten, their bodies produce antibodies that attack and damage the lining of the small intestine. This can cause severe health problems including nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, growth retardation, infertility, miscarriages, short stature and intestinal cancers.
The new label rules will be "fantastic," said Andrea Levario, whose son has celiac disease. Right now when she shops, "if I pick up a product and it says 'gluten-free' I don't know what that means because there's no federal standard." Levario is the executive director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance in Alexandria, Va.
Food packages will be required to conform to the new rules within one year, Taylor said.
Labeling is crucial because for people with celiac disease, following a gluten-free diet is the only treatment available. "While a diabetic needs insulin to survive, a celiac must have gluten-free food," Levario said. "Without clear ingredient information and a definitive labeling standard, celiac consumers are playing Russian roulette when it comes to making safe food choices."
Gluten-free foods have become very popular over the past five years. The market was estimated to be $4.2 billion in 2012, according to Packaged Facts. The market research firm estimates sales will reach $6.6 billion by 2017.
Companies that market gluten-free products were pleased with the new rules. "We are thrilled by the FDA's decision to regulate gluten-free labeling," said T.J. McIntyre, general Manager for Boulder Brands, which makes Glutino gluten-free products. "This is bigger than products or brands, this is a consumer safety issue."
Both the European Union and Canada have set the same level of fewer than 20 parts per million for their gluten-free labels, Taylor said.
