Products can voluntarily be labeled gluten-free if they meet government-required standards recently announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Foods must now contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten to be labeled gluten-free. This new regulation also is required for foods labeled no gluten, free of gluten and without gluten.
The FDA has given food manufacturers one year to make sure their products and labels are in compliance with this new standard. Wheat, rye, barley and cross-bred hybrids of these grains naturally contain gluten.
When people with celiac disease consume foods containing gluten, antibodies form and damage the lining of the small intestine. This regulation on the voluntary labeling of gluten-free products was put in place to help aid those with celiac disease manage their condition.
