The FDA Wants Your Gluten-Free Cookies to Actually Be Gluten-Free

By Jonathan Kauffman Tue., Aug. 9 2011 at 7:30 AM

Mariposa Baking's cinnamon rolls: actually gluten-free, actually good.

There are three kinds of people who buy gluten-free products: a) People whose doctor has told them celiac disease is what's making them miserable; b) people whose naturopath has told them they're probably gluten-intolerant; c) people whose friends have mentioned they're on a gluten-free diet and now think gluten is really, really bad for you.

Group C, and probably group B, aren't going to be affected by a little gluten slipping into gluten-free products -- which can happen if wheat, rye, or barley are used in other products the company is making. But some members in group A could end up with serious cramps and diarrhea.

According to the Boston Globe, the FDA is coming up with new standards for manufacturers labeling their products "gluten-free." The gluten limit the agency is proposing: 20 parts per million, which is as sensitive as current laboratory tests get.

SFoodie has looked over the proposed rule, and has only one question: Will the new FDA regulations require small, local GF bakeries like Mariposa to conduct the same costly lab tests on their products as large commercial operations? We hope not.

Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie, and like us on Facebook.
Follow me at @JonKauffman.

Tags:

FDA, gluten-free, Mariposa Baking Company

We Recommend

Libre

Maybe you need to do a little more research on gluten sensitivity. Yes there is a difference between it and coeliac disease but that doesn't mean those of us who have the sensitive can indulge in a little gluten now and again. Try reading glutenfreesociety.org before you write about gluten issues.

Yes, but the FDA has dragged its feet for too long on the issue of gluten-free. Congress' 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) mandated that a definition of gluten-free be reached no later than 2008. In the meantime, the market for gluten-free foods has exploded, with many companies labeling their products as such, when in fact some of these products are not truly safe for people with Celiac or gluten intolerance to consume.Glad a FDA definition is finally coming, but it took too long.

dude415

The majority of "gluten free" products are not, in fact gluten free. My daughter and mother have suffered a lot due to "gluten free" products being produced in plants that also produce wheat...not a good thing

Achoo

Allergies are not a laughing matter, for some of us an allergic reaction can kill.

Liz D.

I am in group A and not only get the cramps and diarrhea, but also vomit for hours if I eat even a tiny amount of gluten. Although it would be tough for smaller bakeries to test for gluten, I disagree with your conclusion that they should not test for economic reasons. I have only had three accidental gluten ingestions over the last few years. Every one of those episodes came after eating baked goods from smale scale supposedly gluten free bakeries. While I don't doubt that those bakeries were trying hard to be gluten free, contamination from other products is harder to prevent when the bakery is small.