DiGiorno New "Gluten-Free" Frozen Pizzas Contain Wheat Starch!

[Scott Adams]

So I stand corrected, as some people commented on this article:

and mention that the product uses gluten-removed wheat starch. They have been using this in Europe for decades, and it is gluten-free and below 20ppm:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/miscellaneous-information-on-celiac-disease/gluten-free-diet-celiac-disease-amp-codex-alimentarius-wheat-starch/ 

Clearly the new changes to the labeling laws must have changed to allow this, but I am trying to figure out how:

 Is there a new loophole that allows gluten-free wheat starch in USA products? Has Nestle mislabeled this product? 

I open this discussion to try to figure all this out. On a side note, the product is excellent, and you could not tell the difference from a regular wheat pizza crust. I had zero issues after eating it, but would not classify myself as super sensitive and know that others may have issues with it. 

[Scott Adams]

I'm still trying to figure this out. The FDA Rule says: "The records need to provide adequate assurance that the food or ingredients used in the food are “gluten-free” before fermentation or hydrolysis." So I'm not sure exactly how wheat starch fits into this.

[RMJ]

Info from FDA: 

Wheat starch is an ingredient made from wheat that has been processed to remove gluten. However, the use of this ingredient must result in under 20 parts per million gluten in the finished food for the food to be labeled “gluten-free.”

When both the terms “wheat” and “gluten-free” are declared on the same food label, the word “wheat” must be followed immediately by an asterisk or other symbol that refers to this same asterisk or other symbol with the words, “The wheat has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for gluten-free foods.”

Quotes are from:

Guidance for Industry. Gluten free labeling of foods.

[Scott Adams]

Very interesting, and that publication was from 2014, so my take on this is that until now, major brands have avoided using this ingredient, as I've not seen it yet in USA products, although it's been used for decades in European products.

[Scott Adams]

We've done a follow up article here:

 

1 out of 2 of the pizzas we bought tested positive for gluten using a Nima Sensor.