FDA: 'Gluten-Free' Means What It Says 　

Emergency Message System

July 3rd, 2023

Not long ago, gluten-free foods on the grocery shelves could be hard to find. Not so much, now.

Not long ago, gluten-free foods on the grocery shelves could be hard to find. Not so much, now. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants you to know that foods labeled as “gluten-free” and with similar terms such as “without gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “no gluten” must meet specific criteria set by the FDA in August 2013 and August 2020.

These requirements are important for people with celiac disease, who face serious, and even potentially life-threatening illnesses if they eat gluten, typically found in breads, cakes, cereals, pastas, and many other foods. Some individuals may not have celiac disease but may still be sensitive to gluten.

There is no cure for celiac disease and the only way to manage the disease is to avoid eating gluten. Without a standardized definition of “gluten-free,” these consumers could never really be sure if their body would tolerate a food with that label.

As one of the criteria for using the claim “gluten-free,” the FDA set a limit of less than 20 ppm (parts per million) for the unavoidable presence of gluten in foods that carry this label. That is the lowest level that can be consistently detected in foods using valid scientific analytical tools. Also, most people with celiac disease can tolerate foods with very small amounts of gluten. This level is consistent with those set internationally.

What Is Gluten?