You might be sick to death of people claiming to be gluten intolerant, but people with celiac disease were pretty sick (in a real way) of lax labeling for gluten free products on supermarket shelves. Well, that all changed last week when the FDA updated their standards for gluten free labeling on products, effectively making the bar higher in order to use the gluten free distinction.
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While the gluten free trend made using the gluten free label attractive for food manufacturers looking to boost sales, a new FDA regulation makes it so there has to be less that 20 gluten parts per million in any product looking to be labeled as gluten free.
According to the FDA website, the measure seeks to benefit an estimated 3 million Americans with celiac disease, which is a chronic autoimmune disorder and different from gluten intolerance, which is now widely considered to be fake.
"For people who have celiac disease, consumption of gluten results in the destruction of the lining of the small intestine and the risk of other serious health conditions," the statement explains.
For a full list of what the updated standards did and did not change in terms of gluten free products, visit the Food and Drug Administration website.
