On August 2, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule defining “gluten-free” for food labeling to help consumers, especially those living with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity, trust that items labeled “gluten-free” meet a defined standard for gluten content. This rule was officially implemented one year later in August of 2014. Bringing peace of mind to those with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity, the rule mandates that packaged food labeled “gluten-free” (or similar claims such as “free of gluten”) cannot contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten. As a founding member of the American Celiac Disease Alliance (ACDA), which achieved the FDA Gluten-Free Labeling Rule, Celiac Disease Foundation is pleased to announce that the FDA has found extensive compliance with products labeled “gluten-free.” Of 702 samples from more than 250 products labeled “gluten-free,” over 99.5% are in compliance with the FDA’s requirement and contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
This is promising news for consumers with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity, and their family members. For more information on FDA sampling to protect the food supply, please click here.
New Sampling Data on Compliance with FDA Gluten-Free Labeling Rule