Ambiguities in food labeling can cause pain and suffering for persons with gluten sensitivity. If you have gluten sensitivity, a systemic autoimmune disease, your body responds abnormally to gluten in the food you eat. Celiac disease, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is one of the possible aspects of gluten sensitivity, but you can be gluten sensitive without having celiac disease. Among other manifestations of gluten sensitivity are bone loss, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological damage, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Treatment for gluten sensitivity consists of completely avoiding gluten. Food manufacturers may voluntarily label their products as "gluten free" or "no gluten ingredients" to assist you in making food choices if you suffer from health problems related to ingesting gluten. Labeling rules are defined by the FDA.
Gluten Grains
The term "gluten," according to the FDA, generally refers to a mixture of proteins that forms when wheat flour is mixed with a liquid and physically manipulated, such as in the kneading of bread. These proteins, including gliadins and glutenins, do not dissolve in water and give wheat dough an elastic texture. Gluten may refer to the gluten in wheat or collectively to the proteins, such as those in wheat, durum wheat, spelt wheat, kamut, rye, barley and hybrids of these grains, such as triticale, a cross between wheat and rye. It may also refer collectively to the proteins in those grains that have been demonstrated to cause digestive disorders in persons who are gluten sensitive or who have celiac disease. Whether oats should be included among the troublesome grains is not yet clear.
"Gluten Free"
In 2007, the FDA proposed a definition of "gluten-free'" for voluntary use in the labeling of foods. Based on expert comments and a safety assessment report, the proposed rule will be reopened for public comments before the final rule defining "gluten-free" is published. The proposed definition means that the food does not contain wheat, rye, barley, or a crossbred hybrid of these grains; an ingredient that is derived from a prohibited grain and that has not been processed to remove gluten; an ingredient that is derived from a prohibited grain and that has been processed to remove gluten if the use of that ingredient results in the presence of 20 parts per million or more gluten in the food.
"No Gluten Ingredients"
The term "no gluten ingredients" implies that none of the intentional ingredients of the product contain gluten, but it does not exclude the possibility of cross-contamination by processing with the same equipment or in the same plant used for processing gluten-containing foods. Food processing plants often use the same equipment for refining or milling multiple products, so trace amounts of gluten may be accidentally incorporated into foods that would otherwise be gluten free.
Significance
For persons with celiac disease, a chronic disorder causing inflammation of the small intestine, dietary exposure to gluten can destroy the villi, numerous finger-like projections that cover the surface of the mucosa of the small intestine. This results in an impaired ability to absorb virtually all nutrients, according to Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump in "Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy." If you have either celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, avoid gluten sources and carefully read food labels for potentially hidden gliadin-containing ingredients, such as some forms of vegetable protein, malt flavoring, modified starch, soy sauce, monoglycerides and diglycerides. Even trace amounts of gluten can cause health problems for some people, so read labels and check with the manufacturer if you are in doubt. Your doctor can test you for gluten sensitivity and for celiac disease.
References
- Gluten Free Society: Gluten Sensitivity -- Not Just For Celiac Disease!; February 20, 2010
- FoodNavigator-USA.com: Challenges and benefits of gluten-free labeling laws; Carolyn Scott-Thomas; 11-Sep-2009
- FDA: Federal Register Proposed Rule - 72 FR 2795 January 23, 2007: Food Labeling...; Jeffrey Shuren; 05/20/2009
- Gluten Free Dietitian: Update on FDA's Gluten-Free Food Labeling Rule; January 26, 2011
- "Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy, 10th Edition"; Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2000
