FDA Finally Pays Attention To People With Gluten Intolerance

Is it safe? (Flickr user Cantaloupe Alone)

Buyers, no longer beware! The FDA is prepared to issue a standard label for gluten-free foods, meaning those suffering from celiac disease can finally breathe easy at the grocery store.

Currently, there is no definition in place for what constitutes "gluten free" foods, so manufacturers are left to their own devices when it comes to labeling, and it turns out they're not always so honest (just ask this guy). “There’s no way for those with celiac to know if that brand of crackers they’re buying is really gluten-free,’’ dietician Linda Antinoro told the Globe. “'A company can define it as 100 parts per million,’ a high enough level to trigger cramping, diarrhea, and intestinal inflammation in some celiac sufferers."

Under the new guidelines, officials are proposing that products (think cookies, breads, pastas, etc.) that claim to be "gluten free" contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten, a level small enough that it can't be detected by standard lab tests. The new labels are expected to be put into effect next year.

Although gluten labeling measures have been proposed before, this marks the first time the FDA has done much of anything for the legions of celiac disease-sufferers across the country. Go forth, gluten-intolerants, and purchase your Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers with confidence!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jamie Feldmar in Food on August 8, 2011 2:56 PM

Comments [rss]

sim1114

Please support my petition for the Girl Scouts to sell a gluten free and allergen free cookie.
http://www.change.org/petition...

taracorinne

with a best friend who visited me with celiac's who spent half of the trip in the bathroom because of these supposedly "gluten free foods" this is a sigh of relief.

Anna Lombardi

It's a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there are way more options and better labeling for celiac sufferers like myself. On the other hand all the self-diagnosed "gluten sensitive" people have made everyone else think that those with celiac disease are all just part of the neurotic freaks, or better yet, people who use their "gluten intolerance" as the latest crutch for their eating disorder. Still, I am only grateful that there are that many more choices on the shelf for me.

Rocknrope

The good thing is there are many more manufacturers of gluten-free products now and whole sections of the supermarket dedicated to it. Just a few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of products that were gluten-free that didn't taste like cardboard.

Peter Rosa

Gluten intolerance is trendy, so the number of people who think they are gluten-intolerant is far larger than the number who actually are.

Hannah Serena Goldstein

Dear Peter Rosa,

Because gluten intolerance is an immunity disorder, characterized by high levels of IGMs and IGGs, sensitivity can be diagnosed through a blood test. Full-fledged celiac disease, which involves the shriveling-up of intestinal villi (and consequent inability to absorb nutrients and digest food properly) is diagnosed through a biopsy of the small bowel after endoscopy. Indeed, many people who have experienced fatigue, malaise, and horrific stomach ailments for many years report, after diagnosis, that their quality of life improves greatly once they have eliminated gluten and these conditions subside.

Where, exactly, do you get the authority to say "far" (as in "the number of people who think [. . .] is *far* larger")? Have you taken a census of the entire gluten intolerant-claimant population—or rather, a sample big enough to allow you to make this statement with such absoluteness? Please elaborate on your statistical methods here.

If not, I will just step back now, but not before thanking you for (inadvertently) proving that the number of people who *think* they know about "the number of people who think they are gluten-intolerant" is at least one person larger than the number of people who actually do.

Best regards,
A celiac

LtWorf

Trendy? If that were the case people are insane. I'd want to be diagnosed by 10 doctors first for confirmation.

Gluten allergies suck. No bread or Beer? Fuck that.

nicemarmot

Seriously. My mom has celiac disease (diagnosed by an actual doctor!) and since it's genetic she wants me to get tested and I'm like screw that shit. I'd rather suffer than not eat any normal foods ever again. Cuz it's not just no bread or beer. Practically everything you buy in the supermarket has at least traces of gluten in various forms. And restaurants? Forget it.

TheRuralJuror

I don't mean this to be a downer, but research shows that people with celiac are five times more likely to develop lymphoma. You may already have celiac disease and not know it -- not everyone has symptoms. I was asymptomatic for 12 years, and then when the symptoms began presenting, I'd damaged my small intestine so badly that I'm still healing now 4 years later. I thought the same thing you did about having to give up those foods. But having lost a dear friend to cancer and watching her go through what she did (leaving two young daughters), no amount of bread or beer is worth it.