FDA Reopens Comment Period On “Gluten-Free” Food Labeling

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reopened the comment period for a four-year-old  proposal related to “gluten-free” food labeling. The 60-day period opened on August 3.  The FDA is also asking for comments on the results of a safety assessment of exposure to gluten for people with celiac disease, an intolerance to the protein that is found in wheat, rye, and barley. The agency proposed that foods labeled gluten-free must should contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten. Validated methods of gluten detection cannot reliably detect gluten in food when there is less than 20 ppm. The threshold of less than 20 ppm also is similar to gluten-free labeling standards used by many countries, the agency said.