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Celiac.com 12/30/2021 - Current food labeling often fails to fully inform people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) about gluten contained in food. A bill before Congress, the Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021 would require manufacturers with certain sales volumes to post nutritional and allergen information about gluten-containing grains at the online point of sale. The proposed law would cover nutrients, the disclosure of food allergens, and more. As such, the proposed changes would help people with celiac disease and NCGS to get the reliable allergen information they need when searching for food products beyond those already labeled as gluten-free, and it will require gluten-containing grains to be disclosed on food labels of all packaged items. The act would also benefit consumers with other food allergies, as well as those who have certain nutritional requirements or restrictions. The proposed law includes numerous other provisions aimed at promote consumer health and safety by expanding information and choices available to consumers with nutritional or allergic restrictions or requirements. The Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021 is supported by Consumer Reports, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Environmental Working Group, the National Celiac Association, the Celiac Disease Foundation, Beyond Celiac, and the Gluten Intolerance Group, among others. Read more at the Regulatory Review.

Celiac.com 04/09/2013 - A legislator in Missouri, Rep. Vicky Englund is pushing a bill that requires manufacturers and wholesalers of hygiene products like shampoo and conditioner to clearly state on the product label whether or not the product contains gluten. According to CBS St. Louis, Rep. Englund was moved to act after hearing from a constituent who suffers from gluten intolerance. The woman had got gluten "out of her diet completely, but was still very ill and almost died,” Englund said. After considerable detective work, the woman eventually discovered that her shampoo contained gluten. A study by the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and another by George Washington University show that many commercial health and beauty products contain gluten. The latter study, done in 2012 showed that people gluten sensitivity could react negative reactions to ingredients such as the wheat germ oil often used to produce Vitamin E. Englund’s bill is currently pending before the state’s House Health Care Policy Committee. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Let us know what you think about mandating gluten status on shampoo and conditioner labels by sharing your comments below.

Celiac.com 03/21/2019 - Calls are mounting in India to eliminate the term "low-gluten" from food labels, and to push for “zero gluten” labels for foods that are gluten-free. The Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) is calling for the term "low-gluten" to be eliminated from food labels, and for gluten-free foods to be labelled as "zero gluten," with the idea that the public perceives foods labeled "gluten-free" to include some gluten. Moreover, HFCI is calling for gluten-free food options on all airlines and trains, and in all parties, marriages and restaurants for people who need to avoid gluten for medical reasons. They are also calling for gluten-free options for non-celiac wheat sensitive persons, which includes up to ten percent of the population. HFCI is calling on medical associations to pass resolutions supporting these changes forthwith. The HCFI is also pushing honey water wine, with under 3% alcohol, as a harm reduction alternative to beer. Earlier in 2016, FSSAI had notified the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Second Amendment Regulations, 2016, relating to standards for gluten food and low-gluten food. Read more at FBRNews

Celiac.com 11/11/2016 - Do allergen advisory statements for wheat help US consumers with celiac disease make safe food choices? A team of researchers recently set out to review food that were not labeled gluten-free, but which appeared to be free of gluten ingredients based the ingredients list. The product labels indicated that the products contained no wheat, barley, rye, malt, brewers yeast. The research team included T. Thompson, TB Lyons, and A Jones. They are variously affiliated with Gluten Free Watchdog, Manchester, MA, USA; the Department of Clinical Nutrition, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA, and with Mary Rutan Hospital Nutrition, Bellefontaine, OH, USA. Looking for allergen advisory statements noting wheat, gluten or both, the team retrospectively reviewed labeling information for 101 products tested for gluten content. They tested products through the gluten test reporting service Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC in Manchester, MA, USA. The review included all commercially available products tested by Gluten Free Watchdog not labeled gluten-free or low gluten at the time of this analysis. Gluten testing was conducted via Bia Diagnostics in Burlington, VT, USA. Each product sample was tested in duplicate using the Ridascreen Gliadin sandwich R5 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Mendez method (Ridascreen Gliadin R7001) and extracted with the cocktail solution (Art. No. R7006—official Mendez method) following the kit manufacturer’s directions (R-biopharm, Darmstadt, Germany). Seven of the 14 foods with quantifiable gluten in this assessment are single-ingredient foods, such as oat fiber, spices, and green tea leaves. Many single-ingredient foods are considered by consumers to be naturally gluten-free. However, US grain standards allow certain percentages of foreign material in grains, seeds and legumes. On the basis of this analysis, the current use of allergen advisory statements for wheat or gluten are not useful predictors of whether or not a single or multi-ingredient food product contains 20 or more p.p.m. of gluten. The authors are urging the regulation and standardization of such precautionary statements so that they are helpful to gluten-free consumers. Source: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Sep 14. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.155.

Celiac.com 01/25/2017 - The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has initiated a public comment period on gluten-free labeling in England. The FSA is inviting industry feedback on the proposed Gluten In Food (Information for Consumers) (England) Regulations 2017. This regulation enforces the new European Union regulation (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 828/2014), which standardizes labeling information on products that are gluten-free or very low in gluten. The law does not require any change in formulation, ingredients or the methods for these products, but does mandate new wording for product labels. It also clarifies for consumers the difference between foods naturally free of gluten, and those specially formulated for people with gluten intolerance. The proposed rule applies to England only, not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The rule change is, in part at least, a response to rising numbers of product complaints. According to the FSA, approximately 1% of the UK population (around 600,000 people) suffers from celiac disease, while nearly half a million people remain undiagnosed. Currently, food businesses are permitted to make voluntary gluten-free or low in gluten claims, but this has led to inconsistency and confusion in many cases. Such confusion could cause health problems for those who are gluten-intolerant. Many of these products also fetch a premium price because of their gluten-free claims, stated the FSA. The aim of the English regulation is to standardize the permitted claims about gluten. Manufacturers will be limited to the use of the words "gluten-free" or "very low gluten" along with clear and limited supporting information. No other claims or descriptions are allowed, and products that fail to conform to labeling standards can be fined. The previously accepted phrase "No gluten containing ingredients (NGCI)" can no longer be used on product labels. Enforcement of FSA rules will take effect February 20, 2018.