Gluten-Free Labeling – Members Speak Out
CSA member survey responses and comments indicate a desire:
- For adequate ingredient information to base personal purchase decisions.
- To uphold the strictest definition of gluten-free.
- Food handling protocols to assure a totally gluten-free product.
Challenging questions with incomplete or unknown answers:
TOLERANCE
- How much is too much gluten for an immune system response?
- How little will prevent bodily damage in people with celiac disease?
- What are the implications of the cumulative effect of ingesting small amounts of gluten daily?
DETECTION
- What measurement method in food products (by batch or on-the-line) will detect the presence of the specific amino acids and fractions that evoke the immune system?
- What measurement system is accurate, sensitive and specific in all types of food products with varying levels of those amino acids or fractions that evoke the immune response?
Some of the limitations to finding quality answers to the above questions include:
- The ethics of using people for testing of possible threshold levels of amino acid sequences.
- The small number of people in past human threshold tests.
- Small number of people currently diagnosed with celiac disease.
- Limited animal model studies for celiac disease.
- Lack of genetic mapping of grasses beyond rice.
- Limited library of research in the content and structure of foods.
- Limited research in celiac disease.
- Limited research into the mechanics of digestion in a person with celiac disease.
The determination of a definition for gluten-free labeling in the United States has international implications. Recent labeling laws in the European Union have put pressure on the US to develop a broad definition for the requirements for gluten-free labeling. Australia, and the Western Hemisphere have traditionally favored a more conservative of 1 to 10 ppm interpretation of gluten-free..
It is hoped those who ultimately write the US food regulations related to “gluten” will share the goal expressed by CSA and pursue product labeling that is meaningful, verifiable and consistent. It is our fervent hope new regulations will guide food processors to provide the information required for optimal celiac disease management for even the most sensitive. The responses in the recent CSA survey indicate that testing is not enough and that a product free of WBRO is desired.
In the interest of Celiacs Helping Celiacs, the license to display the CSA Logo is available for products FREE of WBRO and their derivatives in product, processing and packaging. In addition to testing requirements, companies must provide adequate information about cross-contamination, and quality control before the license will be granted. By using the distinctive CSA Recognition Seal, food processors will provide an extra level of communication. The distinctive logo is a point-of-sale indicator of product suitability for those with celiac disease. The CSA Recognition Seal program will be administered through the Celiac Sprue Association. For more CSA Logo Program information call 1-877-CSA-4-CSA. Encourage those who make the products you enjoy to inquire about this opportunity.
