Updates From the FDA

"Nothing ever gets done, nothing ever changes... it's all talk and pipe dreams and then NOTHING!" - an exasperated and annoyed statement that even I've fallen prey to.

In April, celiacs went to Washington DC, where they again made a point clear to the FDA: the time for clear food labeling is NOW. It isn't always simple shopping with food issues- many companies get it, some don't and you have to learn to read labels (this is where one may seem obsessively picky.) Also, accidentally peppering conversations with long chemical names, all to bemused looks when you really weren't trying to show off, tends to happen once you've become a peruser (Peruse means to look over carefully, not just scan.) of labels.
"What's in red dye?" (Like it or not, you've likely eaten some crushed beetles.)

The FDA has been promising to work on labeling for gluten-free foods for over 4 years now. Today, a statement was issued on the FDA's site:

FDA Consumer Updates: A Glimpse At Gluten

How Is FDA Proposing to Define ‘Gluten-Free’?
In 2007, FDA proposed to allow manufacturers to label a food “gluten-free” if the food does not contain any of the following:

1. an ingredient that is any type of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains

1. an ingredient derived from these grains and that has not been processed to remove gluten

1. an ingredient derived from these grains and that has been processed to remove gluten, if it results in the food containing 20 or more parts per million (ppm) gluten

1. 20 ppm or more gluten

In the notice reopening the comment period, FDA states that it continues to believe the proposed definition of “gluten-free” is the correct one.

The FDA is of course a government agency, so--- KEEP telling them to get off their butts and do more than promise!
For further information, please contact: 1 In 133