WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2013 – The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) today published uniform standards for “gluten-free” food labeling. The
regulation sets a threshold for gluten of less than 20 parts per million in
foods labeled “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “without
gluten,” FDA said.
The labeling will be voluntary, meaning manufactures
producing gluten-free products will not have to disclose on a label. All those
making gluten-free claims, however, will have to comply with the new
guidelines.
Food manufactures will have a year to bring their labels
into compliance with the new requirements.
FDA was directed to issue the regulation by the Food
Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), which requires food
manufacturers to label for the presence of common food allergens.
“While gluten is not one of the major food allergens
identified in FALCPA, Congress specifically directed FDA to set guidelines for
the use of the term ‘gluten-free,’” FDA notes.
The rule excludes those foods whose labeling is regulated by
USDA and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), including meats,
poultry, certain egg products, and most alcoholic beverages.
The labeling will be helpful to the 3 million Americans with
celiac disease, a digestive and autoimmune disorder that can be managed through
a gluten-free diet.
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