For people on the gluten free diet, label reading was even more difficult prior to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) , which went into effect on January 1, 2006. This law mandates that the labels of foods containing milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy declare the allergen in plain language on the ingredient list. While this act has helped the gluten free community a great deal, it is not the end of the story.
Along with wheat, those on the gluten free diet must avoid barley, rye, and contaminated oats. These foods are not a part of the FALCPA. During the Healthy Villi Spring Meeting 2009, Andrea Levario, Executive Director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance (one of the main forces behind the FALCPA), addressed the issue of why not all foods containing gluten were included in the law. Ms. Levario said that the food industry representatives felt strongly that a line needed to be drawn - for example, barley is #15 on the list of common food allergens. How far down the list would the law need to go? Ms. Levario and others felt that, if they did not make some concessions, the law might have not gone into effect at all.
If you find that you are struggling to decipher labels, you might want to consider looking into the website database or iPhone applications from Zeer. Zeer has done the footwork of contacting manufacturers to understand if their products are gluten free and what, if any, risk of cross- contamination might be present. Clan Thompson also has a web database, phone applications, and books in print that are updated regularly.
The gluten free community is awaiting the next forward step in labeling laws - The FDA is currently working on defining what can be labeled as "gluten free." Following the guidelines currently in place by the European Union, the law will likely say that foods testing at less than 20 PPM (parts per million) may be labeled "gluten free," although this will be voluntary.
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