Currently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing changes to the nutrition labels on packaged foods. The new law would force companies to place a bigger emphasis on total calories, added sugars and nutrients like Vitamin D and potassium. This new look at labeling laws comes after the FDA made changes to their gluten free label regulations. With all of these nutrition label law updates, let’s talk about how you can easily read a nutrition label to see if a product contains any gluten ingredients.
Step 1: Find the allergen warning.
The FDA requires that the top eight allergens must be listed on the nutrition label. These allergens include: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. If the label indicates that the food contains wheat – it is not gluten free. Note: Gluten is not one of the top eight allergens and does not have to be listed in the allergen warning. The product can still have gluten ingredients even if wheat is not one of them (like rye or barley).
Step 2: Check the packaging for gluten free messaging.
In August 2013, the FDA updated the regulation of gluten free claims. Only products that contain a gluten limit less than 20 parts per million (ppm) can be labeled as “gluten-free”, “free of gluten”, “no gluten” or “without gluten.” If the product contains one of these labels, then go ahead and give it a try. Products labeled “no gluten ingredients” are not regulated.
Step 3: Carefully read the list of ingredients.
According to the allergen warning, the product does not contain wheat (Step 1), but it is not labeled gluten free either (Step 2). Now, we must go through each ingredient on the label to look for a gluten-containing culprit. There are many hidden ingredients that contain gluten or could contain gluten. Five of the most common ingredients: bulgur, dinkle, durum, einkorn and kamut.
Step 4: Call the manufacturer.
If you’ve completed Steps 1 – 3, but are still not one hundred percent sure that the product in question is gluten free, it’s time to call the manufacturer. Check the product label for a customer service number or other contact information. Tell the representative that you have a question about the ingredients in their product, and ask if it contains gluten. If there is a particular ingredient that you’re concerned about let them know. For example, maltodextrin can wheat-derived or corn-derived. As someone with Celiac Disease, when the customer service representative asks me ‘what is gluten,’ I know that the product isn’t one that I feel comfortable eating. To avoid hours on hold with customer service, some companies are even publishing information about gluten ingredients on their FAQ page.
We have a list of hidden gluten ingredients and other tips for reading nutrition label inside our Goodbye Gluten, the Definitive Getting-Started Guide to Gluten Free.
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Wow, thank you very much for posting this! It is going to be so helpful when I order Coconut Milk at the store! Super Stupendous!