What Does a "Gluten-Free" Label REALLY Mean?

Good news for people with celiac disease: Now we finally know, thanks to a new regulation from the FDA


If you've set foot in a grocery store in the past year, you've surely noticed the onslaught of "gluten-free" this and "no gluten" that recently. But what do those terms actually mean? It wasn't completely clear—until now. Today, the FDA announced that it has published a new regulation defining the term "gluten-free" to help the up to 3 million people in the U.S. who suffer from celiac disease.

Under the ruling, any food products with the words "gluten-free," "no gluten," "free of gluten," or "without gluten" on its label must contain fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten.


Manufacturers will have until Aug. 5, 2014, to make sure their labeling complies with the ruling, although the FDA notes that many foods currently labeled "gluten-free" already meet this definition.

That said, the regulation only suggests that restaurants using the term "gluten-free" adhere to this definition (it isn't clear whether or not they will be forced to comply with it). So if you're avoiding gluten because you have celiac disease—in which case steering clear of the protein is the only effective way to manage the condition—you'll definitely want to keep following these tips for ordering gluten-free menu items (if you're just on a gluten-free diet, it's not as big an issue). And since cosmetics aren't mentioned at all in the ruling, you'll also want to continue checking the ingredients on your makeup if you have celiac disease.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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