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Celiac.com 12/24/2020 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has warned Amazon.com’s Whole Foods Market for failing to label some food products for known food allergens. As a result, Whole Foods has recalled over 30 food products in the last year after failing to list major food allergens on product labels, the agency said. Unlabeled food allergens, such as wheat, can pose a health risk for people with celiac disease or other gluten sensitivities. The recalled products came mainly from Whole Foods deli and bakery sections, the FDA letter said. A list of the products with unlabeled allergens appears on the FDA warning letter to the company, dated 16 December, 2020. According to the letter, it's up to Whole Foods is responsible investigate and assess the causes of the violations and for preventing future occurrences. The agency requested Whole Foods notify them in writing within 15 working days from receipt of the letter, with the specific actions it is taking to correct the violations. A statement by Whole Foods said that the company was “working closely with the FDA to ensure all practices and procedures in our stores meet if not exceed food safety requirements.” Read more at Reuters.com; and at the FDA.GOV.

Celiac.com 03/06/2013 - The hallmark of a healthy gluten-free diet is a grocery cart filled with mostly unprocessed, single-ingredient foods such as fresh produce, nuts, and meat. This is the easiest way to avoid gluten, as well as the healthiest way to eat. When you do venture into the central aisles of the grocery store, look for gluten warning signs on packaging to help you identify foods that contain gluten. Looking for those warning signs is more important than ever because companies are catching on to the growing popularity of gluten-free diets and many are labeling their products gluten-free. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not regulate how or when the designation of gluten-free can be added to food labels. This clouds the decision-making process for people with gluten intolerance that rely on gluten warning signs on packaging to guide them. Without USDA regulation, even products labeled gluten-free may still be processed on equipment that also processes gluten. While this is not a problem for people eating gluten-free as a dietary choice, it can cause issues for people who are gluten intolerant. Ingredient Keywords Look for warning signs at three places on the ingredient label. The first is underneath the ingredients list, where common allergens such as soy and milk are listed in bold. If wheat is listed there, the product contains gluten. The second place to look is the ingredients list itself. The following words may be signs of gluten due to its nature or to cross-contamination: Wheat Malt Wheat starch Barley Oats Soy sauce (made with wheat) Even seemingly innocuous products may still contain gluten, so it's important to look at all product labels. For example, yogurt and other dairy products sometimes have gluten-containing thickening agents, many sauces and soups contain gluten, and beer is made with barley hops. The third place to look for gluten warning signs on packaging is at the bottom of the ingredients list. In bold, the packaging will declare whether or not the food was processed on equipment that also processes common allergens, including wheat. Cross-contamination can still cause flare-ups, so these foods should be avoided. Safest Foods The best way to avoid gluten is to stick to unprocessed, fresh produce and meat. With grains and processed foods, the best way to stay safe generally is to opt for minimally processed foods with few ingredients, or specialized foods. Strategies for gluten-free shopping include: Foods in the health aisle or in a natural food store are most often accurately marked as gluten-free. Cook what you can at home and take the mystery out of ingredients. Gluten-free bread, for example, can be made at home using the flour of your choice. Do research before shopping - it can save you time and trouble in the long run. While reading food labels may seem intimidating at first, after a few shopping trips, you will be a pro at identifying problem foods and cooking gluten-free, while still eating a healthy range of foods.

Celiac.com 07/16/2019 - In the same way that many people without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity have embraced gluten-free foods, grain-free and gluten-free dog foods have become popular with many dog owners in the last few years. Once a rarity, grain-free products now make up nearly half of the dog-food market in the United States. If you're one of the many dog owners who have switched to grain-free dog food in search of better health for your pet, you may be doing more harm than good. Some recent data suggest that removing grains from your dog’s diet might pose a greater health risk than leaving them in. The Food and Drug Administration released a warning recently that says grain-free food might be causing dogs to develop a life-threatening heart problem called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM. The overall data is still thin, and it's based on corollary evidence between diet and heart disease in fewer than 600 dogs. The early evidence shows significantly higher rates of DCM in dogs that are fed a grain-free diet. The FDA went so far as to name the pet food brands implicated in the problem. They listed the brands in descending order of suspicion as: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature’s Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature’s Variety, NutriSource, Nutro and Rachael Ray Nutrish. The concern is that millions of dog owners who have shied away from conventional dog foods that include grains like rice or oats, out of concern in search of perfect health, may be putting their beloved pets at risk of an early and often fatal heart condition, DCM. Experts are continuing to assess the situation, so definitely keep informed as more information becomes available. Read more in The New York Times

Celiac.com 12/12/2018 - In a step that health officials say could provide immediate relief to the estimated eight million Indians who suffer from celiac disease, the Indian government is assessing a plan to require drugmakers to declare any gluten ingredients on medical labels. India’s chief drug advisory body will discuss the issue at its meeting scheduled in early December, said people with knowledge of the plan. The Drug Technical Advisory Board’s decision to address the issue of gluten-free labels for drugs and medicine comes on the heels of an active recommendation by the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). In addition to clear gluten-warnings on all medical labels, experts at AIIMS have proposed changing the law to force drug makers to actively avoid gluten-containing ingredients in drugs or medicine. The proposal aligns with guidelines drafted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017. Those guidelines call for drug makers to properly label medications that contain gluten. The FDA also recommends that drug makers include a voluntary statement that indicates that the product contains no gluten, or any ingredient made from wheat, barley, or rye. Proper labeling of drugs and medicines is getting a great deal of attention from regulatory bodies over the last couple of years. Look for that trend to continue and for new guidelines to drive new labeling practices for medicines containing gluten ingredients. Overall, this is an extremely positive development for anyone with celiac disease or a medical gluten-sensitivity. Until such new guidelines make it to the pharmacy, be sure to check with your pharmacist about any drug or medicine you think might contain gluten. They are in a strong position to help, and can usually get answers to such questions. Lastly, stay tuned for more news on the official labeling decision by India's Drug Technical Advisory Board. Read more at: LIVEMINT.COM