So-called gluten-free foods may not always be so

In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietitetic Assocation Tricia Thompson and her colleagues analysed 22 naturally gluten-free grains, seeds, and flours off supermarket shelves, only looking at products that weren't specifically advertised as being gluten-free. They tested the amount of gluten in those products against a proposed Food and Drug Administration limit for any product labeled gluten-free, 20 parts of gluten per million, the new Codex limit for products to be labelled as gluten-free.

Seven of the 22 exceeded the 20ppm limit. One soya flour was almost 3,000 parts per million. The study was too small to give consumers a real idea of how common it is for these products to be contaminated or what products coeliacs should avoid, the researchers said, but it is a ‘wake-up call to the food industry’ who need to ensure that so-called gluten-free products really are gluten free.

Under the FDA’s proposed gluten-free labeling rule, they could conduct inspections of manufacturers that claim their products are gluten-free and analyze those products.

Courtesy of Reuters Health

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