Chances are, over the course of the past five years, you've seen a rise in "gluten free" products on the market. The spike is courtesy of those of suffer from Celiac's disease (roughly 3 million Americans) and those who follow a gluten-free diet. And while the name is pretty self explanatory--the product contains no gluten--many consumers have no idea what exactly is different in a gluten free item versus a non-gluten free item.
And that's not the fault of the consumer, because for years there were no regulations for gluten-free diets so even those who were well versed in gluten free diets never knew for sure what exactly a gluten free label meant. But all that has changed, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new rules that define what "gluten-free" on a food label means.
The FDA gluten-free regulation is especially good news for those who suffer from Celiac's disease, as the auto-immune condition makes it impossible for them to digest gluten. Those who suffer from the disease can suffer from a wide array of health problems (i.e. nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, growth retardation, infertility, miscarriages, short stature and intestinal cancers) if they ingest gluten since their bodies produce antibodies to attack the their intestine.
"While a diabetic needs insulin to survive, a celiac must have gluten-free food," said Andrea Levario, the executive director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance. "Without clear ingredient information and a definitive labeling standard, celiac consumers are playing Russian roulette when it comes to making safe food choices."
Here are four things you should know about the standardized definition:
1. Gluten is a product that is naturally present in wheat, rye and barley. In accordance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, the FDA must issue standards for the term "gluten-free."
"This standard 'gluten-free' definition will eliminate uncertainty about how food producers label their products and will assure people with celiac disease that foods labeled 'gluten-free' meet a clear standard established and enforced by FDA," says Michael R. Taylor, J.D., deputy FDA commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
2. The federal definition of a "gluten-free" label means an item must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. Both the European Union and Canada have set the same level of fewer than 20 parts per million for their gluten-free labels.
"We are thrilled by the FDA's decision to regulate gluten-free labeling," said T.J. McIntyre, vice president of Boulder Brands, which makes Glutino gluten-free products. "This is bigger than products or brands, this is a consumer safety issue."
3. Food packages will be mandated to conform to the new regulations within one year.
4. According to market research firm Packaged Facts, the gluten-free market was estimated to be $4.2 billion in 2012 and is estimated to reach $6.6 billion by 2017.
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