Creative Commons image credit, below.
As many of you know, the FDA has not yet determined the standard for "gluten free" labeling. In other words, when one sees something at the store labeled "gluten free," that is a manufacturer assertion: absent any FDA standard, the manufacturer is determining not only what constitutes "gluten free," but that its product meets that standard. Organizations such as the Gluten Intolerance Group do give gluten free certifications to products that meet its standards; however, gaining certification by GIG or any other organization is a voluntary step undertaken by the manufacturer.
The FDA proposed a rule for gluten free labeling in 2007; they're still soliciting comments! Now, by submitting your own comment, you have the opportunity to influence public policy and the first-ever FDA standard for gluten free labeling.
(From what I understand, that proposed FDA rule follows the E.U. (European Union) standard)).
This morning, after being alerted that the FDA had once again opened its comment period by Twitterer @ LeahMcGrathRD, I was lucky to get the FDA press pointperson on the phone right away.
I discussed a few fine points with the FDA media rep -- Siobhan DeLancey -- which I want to clarify with her first before noting them here.
In the meantime, I've included portions of the FDA press release:
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today reopened the comment period for its 2007 proposal on labeling foods as “gluten-free.” The agency is also making available a safety assessment of exposure to gluten for people with celiac disease (CD) and invites comment on these additional data.
One of the criteria proposed is that foods bearing the claim cannot contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten. The agency based the proposal, in part, on the available methods for gluten detection. The validated methods could not reliably detect the amount of gluten in a food when the level was less than 20 ppm. The threshold of less than 20 ppm also is similar to “gluten-free” labeling standards used by many other countries."
. . . . "The proposed rule conforms to the standard set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2008, which requires that foods labeled as “gluten-free” not contain more than 20 ppm gluten. This standard has been adopted in regulations by the 27 countries composing the Commission of European Communities."
. . . . The FDA encourages members of the food industry, state and local governments, consumers, and other interested parties to offer comments and suggestions about gluten-free labeling in docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 at www.regulations.gov. The docket will officially open for comments after noon on Aug 3, 2011 and will remain open for 60 days.
. . . . To submit your comments electronically to the docket go to www.regulations.gov
1. Choose “Submit a Comment” from the top task bar
2. Enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 in the “Keyword” space
3. Select “Search”
To submit your comments to the docket by mail, use the following address:
The Division of Dockets Management
HFA-305
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Include docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 on each page of your written comments."
Happy commenting! Photo unrelated to the FDA; it's just a nice image licensed from Creative Commons.
The FDA proposed a rule for gluten free labeling in 2007; they're still soliciting comments! Now, by submitting your own comment, you have the opportunity to influence public policy and the first-ever FDA standard for gluten free labeling.
(From what I understand, that proposed FDA rule follows the E.U. (European Union) standard)).
This morning, after being alerted that the FDA had once again opened its comment period by Twitterer @ LeahMcGrathRD, I was lucky to get the FDA press pointperson on the phone right away.
I discussed a few fine points with the FDA media rep -- Siobhan DeLancey -- which I want to clarify with her first before noting them here.
In the meantime, I've included portions of the FDA press release:
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today reopened the comment period for its 2007 proposal on labeling foods as “gluten-free.” The agency is also making available a safety assessment of exposure to gluten for people with celiac disease (CD) and invites comment on these additional data.
One of the criteria proposed is that foods bearing the claim cannot contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten. The agency based the proposal, in part, on the available methods for gluten detection. The validated methods could not reliably detect the amount of gluten in a food when the level was less than 20 ppm. The threshold of less than 20 ppm also is similar to “gluten-free” labeling standards used by many other countries."
. . . . "The proposed rule conforms to the standard set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2008, which requires that foods labeled as “gluten-free” not contain more than 20 ppm gluten. This standard has been adopted in regulations by the 27 countries composing the Commission of European Communities."
. . . . The FDA encourages members of the food industry, state and local governments, consumers, and other interested parties to offer comments and suggestions about gluten-free labeling in docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 at www.regulations.gov. The docket will officially open for comments after noon on Aug 3, 2011 and will remain open for 60 days.
. . . . To submit your comments electronically to the docket go to www.regulations.gov
1. Choose “Submit a Comment” from the top task bar
2. Enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 in the “Keyword” space
3. Select “Search”
To submit your comments to the docket by mail, use the following address:
The Division of Dockets Management
HFA-305
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Include docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 on each page of your written comments."
Happy commenting! Photo unrelated to the FDA; it's just a nice image licensed from Creative Commons.
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