WE HAVE A FEDERAL STANDARD FOR GLUTEN FREE LABELING!
Here's today's latest news from Jennifer Iscol, President of the Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California discussing not only the overall importance of this ruling, but how it will also affect those of us celiacs living and eating in the Bay Area.
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NEW FEDERAL STANDARD
FOR GLUTEN-FREE
LABELING IMPACTS BAY AREA FOOD
MANUFACTURERS
AND CELIAC DISEASE COMMUNITY
Long-Awaited Regulation Will Make It Easier for Americans
to
Follow a Gluten-Free Diet
Healdsburg,
CA – August 2, 2013 - The Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California, a
nonprofit organization serving the greater Bay Area and Sacramento region,
today commended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for establishing a
federal standard for gluten-free labeling. The long-awaited regulation will
help to ensure that individuals with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten
sensitivity have the basic information necessary to manage their health.
The
rule will impact dozens of gluten-free food manufacturers in the Bay Area, who
must comply with the new regulation by August 2, 2014, and thousands of local
residents, who will find it easier to follow a medically prescribed gluten-free
diet.
To comply with the new
rule, products labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million
(ppm) gluten. Until now, there has been no federal regulation of the term
“gluten-free” on packaged foods. Gluten is the common name for the protein found in
wheat, rye and barley, and it is harmful to people with celiac disease and
gluten sensitivity. The only treatment for celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune
condition, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity is to follow a strict gluten-free
diet.
Last
fall, the president of the Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California
(CCFNC), Jennifer Iscol, created a White House petition calling for the finalization
of the long-overdue rule. The petition reached the required signature threshold
for a response from the administration, which is expected soon, and its success
renewed calls for action on the rule.
“The new regulation will make it far easier
for people on a gluten-free diet to make safe choices at the grocery store,”
Ms. Iscol stated. “This is huge news for people with celiac disease and
non-celiac gluten sensitivity, who can become very ill by consuming just a
microscopic speck of gluten. Having to analyze gluten-free ingredient labels in
the absence of federal regulation has been very difficult for consumers. It’s a
huge relief to move forward.”
“Patients need accurate
labeling to safely manage their diets,” said Amy Burkhart, MD, RD, who
specializes in celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity and serves on
the board of the CCFNC. “For this patient population, ongoing exposure to
gluten, even in small quantities, can cause major health problems. The FDA’s
work is a significant contribution to their health.”
The
gluten-free labeling rule is the result of a decade-long effort led by the
American Celiac Disease Alliance, the national advocacy organization for celiac
disease, working together with the FDA, patient support groups, medical
experts, scientists and food manufacturers.
The
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 required the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to set labeling standards by August of
2008 to aid the estimated three million Americans with celiac disease. It has
taken the FDA an additional five years to establish the definition for
gluten-free. “It has been a long wait, but in the end, we feel that the FDA
based its work on an incredibly thorough, science-based assessment that serves
the needs of both consumers and manufacturers,” Ms. Iscol said.
The
year FALCPA was signed into law, sales of gluten-free products were $560
million, and they rose to $4.2 billion last year. By 2017, the sales of
gluten-free foods and beverages are expected to exceed $6.6 billion. The skyrocketing
growth in the market increased the need for FDA’s action to set a national
gluten-free standard.
For
more information visit http://www.celiaccommunity.org, http://www.fda.gov/ and http://www.americanceliac.org.
About the Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California
The Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California
provides evidence-based support to those with celiac disease and non-celiac
gluten sensitivity in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region.
We carry out this mission by heightening awareness; educating the medical
community, food purveyors and the general public; administering Camp Celiac in
partnership with The Taylor Family Foundation; and by offering group and
individual support.
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