What the terms 'gluten free,' 'naturally gluten free,' or 'no gluten ingredients,' actually means

shaumom

Since this is a time when a lot of folks start new diets, thought I'd put down some information that might help if they are going to be starting on a gluten free diet. I'm a celiac myself, so I'm including information that applies for celiac-level gluten free diets, for any new celiacs this year, too.


gluten free - 'Gluten Free' is an industry-created label that means a product contains less gluten contamination than the currently allowed levels (20 ppm in the USA and UK, lower in Canada and Australia) and may possibly follow other regulations, depending on the country. Some folks are good with this level of gluten contamination, some folks are not, and for some folks, it has never been studied (like those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity).

While most companies seem to be complying with the regulation in the US, any food line claiming to be gluten free is not subject to ongoing inspections to ensure the regulatory standards are met. They get an inspection if enough people complain that there seems to be a problem. Otherwise, it's not required. So while you can typically assume a food is safe if it says gluten free, if you DO react to it, don't discount a food just BECAUSE it says gluten free.

Another thing to be aware of: gluten free is a label for foods regulated by the FDA (which include dietary supplements). However, the FDA does not regulate meat, poultry, unshelled eggs, or most alcohol, so these do not have the same regulations for gluten free labeling.

Currently, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has made its own regulations about what gluten free means for alcoholic beverages - if alcohol doesn't have added gluten, it can call itself gluten free. Products made from gluten-containing grains may be labeled with a statement that the product was “Processed,” “Treated,” or “Crafted” to remove gluten, if that claim is made together with a qualifying statement that warns the consumer that the gluten content of the product cannot be determined and that the product may contain gluten. (testing for gluten gets confused by gluten that has been fermented, hence the qualifier)

The FDA's gluten free label also does not apply to restaurants, catering, etc... Any claims of being gluten free by a restaurant or food service is simply their own definition of the term. Eating out, anywhere, is always a risk for celiacs, unless the entire facility is gluten free (the risk may be minimal, if certain practices are adhered to, but it is up to the individual to discuss this with the restaurant staff and determine risk level). There can be a risk for those who are not celiac and sensitive, but it is often less.


naturally gluten free - a food that would not normally have gluten in it's original state (like an apple). A food with this label is expected to be gluten free and typically is for anyone not on an extremely strict diet (like a celiac). For celiacs, for any food that has any processing at all, it may be worthwhile to call up the company and double check that there are no contamination risks, as 'naturally gluten free' foods are not required to be tested for contamination levels to carry that label.

Much of the time, 'naturally gluten free foods' are not a problem. But if something is processed, there are chances for contamination during processing and/or packaging, which is why it may be of value to double check for contamination risks.

As an example, salt is considered naturally gluten free (obviously). However, say a company packages both its salt, and its seasoning packets WITH salt, in the same area. If the seasoning packets contain a gluten contaminated 'natural flavoring,' you could conceivably get gluten contamination of salt during packaging.

Again, you don't see this type of issue often, but if you have a bad reaction to gluten, it may be good to take 'naturally gluten free' labels with a grain of salt, so to speak, until you verify with the company that there are no contamination risks.



no gluten ingredients - no gluten was specifically added, but there may be gluten contamination during processing, or gluten contamination present in some ingredients that were added, so it may or may not meet 'gluten free' regulatory standards.

This is often perfectly safe for most gluten free folks, but is considered a risk for celiacs because gluten contamination is so common in our food processing.




Good luck, for anyone starting the diet in 2019. Hope this might help you a little in figuring out what the labeling is all about. :-)

nvmomketo

Up in Canada, food labels must include a "may contain" disclaimer for the top allergens like egg, milk, soy, tree nuts, peNuts, mustard, shellfish, and gluten. It helps a huge amount. If a product is possibly contaminated, it must say "may contain gluten" and I know to skip that brand even if it would normally be a Gf product.

It's great for my son who also has a serious tree nut allergy too.

shaumom

nvmomketo wrote: »

Up in Canada, food labels must include a "may contain" disclaimer for the top allergens like egg, milk, soy, tree nuts, peNuts, mustard, shellfish, and gluten. It helps a huge amount. If a product is possibly contaminated, it must say "may contain gluten" and I know to skip that brand even if it would normally be a Gf product.

It's great for my son who also has a serious tree nut allergy too.

That would be such a blessing here in the USA, but sadly, they don't do that at all. They have a completely optional 'may contain' statement for certain major allergens (as you can imagine, many companies don't bother with it), so if you see it, you know it's a potential issue, but if you do not see it...you get to call up the company and see if it's a problem anyway. :-/

And gluten isn't included with that statement at all, sigh.

nvmomketo

(Hugs) Yeah.... I was quite lucky up here. They changed the labelling laws shortly after I went GF. It really did simplify things.