Going “gluten-free” seems to be the diet fad of the moment with many weight-conscious people now refusing wheat, barley and rye in the mistaken belief that it will help them drop pounds.

But for those who have celiac disease, there is nothing faddish about a gluten-free diet — it is essential for them to maintain even a reasonable level of health. Just a small amount of gluten can wreak havoc in their digestive systems, and so they depend on products made with gluten-free grains, seeds and flour — for example, millet, buckwheat and amaranth — and that are labeled as such. Now a new food-label proposal being considered by the FDA may inadvertently put people with celiac disease at risk.

Label Confusion

At first glance, the proposed “gluten-free labeling rule” seems admirably fair. It would require manufacturers of single-ingredient, inherently gluten-free grains, seeds and flours that wish to state on their labels that they are “gluten free” to also state on the label that all foods of that type are gluten-free.

Unfortunately, as a study has just revealed, such a statement is not always true. When researchers tested 22 single-ingredient, naturally gluten-free products from various manufacturers, they found that 32% of them showed gluten cross-contamination. Not only that, but the resulting gluten was in excess of the proposed accepted safety limit of less than 20 ppm (parts per million). In fact, three types of products — soy flour, millet flour and sorghum flour — had gluten levels substantially higher, including one brand of soy flour that contained a startling 2,925 ppm of gluten. That’s enough to make many people with celiac disease really sick!

Is It Really Gluten-Free?

To find out more, I called one of the study authors — Tricia Thompson, MS, RD, a dietitian specializing in gluten-free nutrition. She explained that cross-contamination can occur anywhere along the food-processing line, from the field where a grain is grown to the manufacturing plant where a food is packaged. Reputable manufacturers of products marketed as gluten-free generally take several steps to ensure that their products are safe — for instance, some test every batch of foods they make.

Thompson told me that the goal of her study was to provide information that could help inform the final FDA rule on labeling of gluten-free food. What the study indicates is that gluten cross-contamination can and does happen and that it’s a possibility for virtually any inherently gluten-free grain, flour and seed. Without batch or at least periodic testing, it would be dangerous to simply assume that an inherently gluten-free grain or processed food made from grain is gluten-free.

The FDA has conducted a safety assessment that will be put out for public comment sometime in the future — if you’re concerned, this is an opportunity to write to the FDA and voice your opinion. Thompson is tracking the status of the FDA safety assessment and will post that information on her Web site (www.GlutenFreeDietitian.com), along with information on how to register your comment at the appropriate time.