After Six Years of Delays, the FDA Has Labeled the Limits of 'Gluten Free'

The 3 million Americans with celiac disease and all those traumatized against grain by the Atkins craze a decade ago will soon be shopping with ease. The Food and Drug Administration, after a six-year delay, has set new standards for what food can carry the label of “gluten free.”

Food labeled as “gluten-free” will not contain more than 20 parts-per-million of gluten—a protein in wheat, barley and rye. According to the FDA, this is "the lowest level that can be consistently detected in foods using valid scientific analytical tools." Most people with celiac disease can eat food with such low concentration without suffering the effects.

The new standards will keep daily intake of gluten down to just 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams a day, following a standard diet and studies indicating that people with celiac can take in 10 milligrams of gluten a day without incident. Exposure to even small amounts of gluten can cause intestinal inflammation, diarrhea, nausea, misery and long-term problems.

"This is a huge victory for people with celiac disease," Andrea Levario, executive director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance, said of the new labeling standards. "In fact, that's the understatement of the year."

It’s more good news for a gluten-free market that has been shooting up like Kansas wheat in recent years, especially in North America, which accounts for about 60 percent of global gluten-free revenues. Since 2008, the market has grown at a compound annual rate of 28 percent. A study by RnRMarketResearch.com projects that the global gluten-free market will continue to grow by 10 percent annually, topping $6.2 billion by 2018.

Beyond those with celiac disease, a small number of Americans have a wheat allergy. But gluten-free shoppers include those on low-carb diets, like the paleo, and those who believe that eating less gluten is tied to weight loss. Although one in 113 Americans is estimated to have celiac disease, NBC reports that one in five is shopping gluten-free.

Gluten-free isn’t necessarily a healthy diet, although it is more expensive. There’s some research to indicate that going off gluten leads to a loss of certain gut bacteria, just as going off meat and dairy makes them more difficult to digest. And in the past, gluten-free food was often low in fiber and high in fat and sugar, especially gluten-free versions of foods--pastries, say--that aren't healthy to begin with. Although now that it is being purchased as health food, the manufacturers may bring the food in line with public perception.

For good or bad, it's not the FDA's job to tell people what to eat or why, only to allow consumers to make informed decisions.