Dive Summary:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a standardized definition of what "gluten-free" means on Friday, stating that foods identified as such must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
- The FDA began working on the definition in 2007.
- Gluten is a naturally occurring protein in wheat, rye and barley, and millions of Americans follow gluten-free diets due to conditions like celiac disease or for other reasons.
From the article:
... Congresswoman Nita Lowey, D-Westchester, who first began arguing for labeling standards in 1999, hailed the new rules.
"I am pleased that our federal government has finally set clear, uniform standards that will rein in a fast-growing, unregulated market," Lowey said.
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 required that the FDA issue standards for the term "gluten-free." It also required food packaging to clearly list whether they contained any of the top eight ingredients that cause allergic reactions. Those are milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustacean shellfish, soy and wheat. That portion of the act went into effect in 2006. ...
