Let the Gluten Free Buyer Beware

Let the Gluten Free Buyer Beware by Melanie Weir

I often hear individuals say, where is the gluten free label?  Based on more then a decade of research, I am sad to announce that in the United States, a gluten free label means absolutely nothing.  Any manufacturing company hoping to make money, off what by many companies is considered a gluten free fad, can put a gluten free label on their product regardless of its actual status.

So how do I know if a gluten free product really is gluten free?  This depends on what definition you attribute to the words 'gluten free'.  It's easy to identify whether a product contains obvious gluten elements like: wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, barley and oats.  It is difficult to identify ingredients that may be derivatives of gluten like: malt, vitamin B, vitamin E, natural flavoring and maltodextrin or dextrin.  Extensive list of gluten related ingredient lists

As of April of 2011, we do not have a commonly approved definition for what being gluten free means.  The best definition is offered by the FDA.  The FDA requests that gluten free labeled products (a) not include ingredients from gluten or gluten derivatives and (b) maintain a status of less than 20ppm of gluten for all gluten free labeled products. More information can be found here.  

On May 4th, in Washington DC, the FDA will be holding a Summit discussing current problems with manufacturers gluten free labeling.  It is hoped that they will come up with a common standard for the term gluten free. 

Until the gluten free term is formally defined, the gluten free label cannot be regulated by enforcement agencies.  For the most part, companies are not trying to intentionally mislead consumers, but without a common definition for gluten free, manufacturers themselves may be misled.

How can I ensure that I am buying gluten free foods from a reputable source?  

There are currently at least four systems in use for regulating the gluten free status of products.    These standards are currently, your best option for ensuring that products which claim to be gluten free are actually gluten free: (1) Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO), the (2) Celiac Sprue Association's (CSA) , (3) Gluten Free Specialty (GFS) FIT Program, (4) Gluten Free Choices

Regulatory Company: Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO)

Pros: (1) Program tests products for their gluten content, (2) Products testing below 10ppm, products can bear the GFCO seal.
Cons: (1) Certification can be expensive, (2) Not all product batches are tested, (3) Only final product is tested for gluten status, (4) GFCO label should be double checked at gfco.org  to ensure accuracy (5) Products may contain Oats

Regulatory Company: Celiac Sprue Association’s (CSA) Seal of Approval

Pros: (1) Requires products contain no gluten or oat ingredients, (2) Companies must test raw and final ingredients as non detectable for gluten at 5ppm to bear CSA seal.
Cons: (1) Certification  requires up front costs, (2) Product UPC’s are not currently available for viewing, (3) Proud sponsors of the CSA can be confused with the seal of approval, because a single logo is used for indicating either the seal of approval (below 5ppm) or CSA sponsorship (monetary support).

Regulatory Company: Gluten Free Specialty (GFS) FIT Program

Pros: (1) Indicates the likelihood for gluten contamination in the process of manufacturing, facility maintenance, production and packaging. (2) Other common food allergens are also flagged, (3) Small companies are encouraged to test products through an independent lab or by Elisa Assay Test Kit, (4) FDA gluten free standards are used to question vendors, (5) Approved products can be purchased at the Gluten Free Speciatly Market, located at 2612 J Street, Sacramento, CA.
Cons: (1) The logo used to represent the GFS FIT standard for gluten analysis-for 3 years- is currently being confused with General Mills new Gluten Freely logo-same color scheme and font style-created in 2011, (2) The system relies on manufacturer reporting, (3) Gluten Free labeling laws by the FDA could allow for better reporting.

Regulatory Company: Gluten Free Choices (Hain Celestial)

Pros: (1) End product is tested below 10ppm, (2) Machinery is cleaned between gluten and gluten free productions, (3) Approved products are available on the gluten free choices website.
Cons: (1) System is only used on Hain Celestial Products, (2) Products certified are not defined by UPC, (3) Only final gluten testing is required to be below 10ppm, (4) Some products contain gluten derivatives like barley enzymes.

If you live in the Sacramento area, there are many resource like the one above available at:
Gluten Free Specialty Market
Located at: 2612 J Street, Sacramento, CA  95816
916-442-5241.


Please Note: This document can not be reproduced or published without signed consent from Melanie Weir.  Copyright Gluten Free Specialty, 2011