Those of us who are gluten free know that 
gluten free labeling is not a consistent thing, and find frustration in the grocery story trying to navigate the problem and determine what we can and cannot eat. The issue? There is no defined standard for labeling something gluten free. It can be anything from containing no gluten ingredients while still being made on the same machinery that processes gluten to entirely gluten and cross contamination free. For years the gluten free community has pressed the FDA for a standardized law and have been waiting for an answer. 

That answer came today, in the form of an APPROVED standard for gluten free labeling! From the FDA’s Press Release “FDA defines “gluten-free” for food labeling“:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today published a new regulation defining the term “gluten-free” for voluntary food labeling.  This will provide a uniform standard definition to help the up to 3 million Americans who have celiac disease, an autoimmune digestive condition that can be effectively managed only by eating a gluten free diet. 

“Adherence to a gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease, which can be very disruptive to everyday life,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The FDA’s new ‘gluten-free’ definition will help people with this condition make food choices with confidence and allow them to better manage their health.”  

This new federal definition standardizes the meaning of “gluten-free” claims across the food industry. It requires that, in order to use the term “gluten-free” on its label, a food must meet all of the requirements of the definition, including that the food must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. The rule also requires foods with the claims “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “without gluten” to meet the definition for “gluten-free.””

Everyone in the American food industry has one year to comply with the standards announced today. The law puts the US in line with many other countries currently following the <20 ppm standard for labeling something as gluten free, a very smart move. This was GREAT news for me to wake up to! This will ease tensions, lessen confusion, and make gluten free eating, cooking, and shopping a whole lot easier for anyone following a gluten free diet. I am so thrilled, and I hope that companies begin buying into this ASAP!