Consumer Alert: “Gluten-Free” Claims Are Now All Over the Market
What exactly does gluten-free mean on the packaging?
In Canada and in the U.S., when the packaging says that it is gluten-free, then it only means that the product does not contain more than 20 ppm or parts per million of gluten. In Canada, the ones that can be claimed as gluten-free are the special dietary use foods. In the U.S., on the other hand, any food that meets the mentioned requirement before can be claimed as gluten-free. By special dietary foods, it means foods that are specially formulated or processed in order to meet the needs of a select group of people, who for the sake of their health, are on a gluten-free diet.
In both countries, adding ingredients that contain gluten is not allowed, unless it is specially processed for the sake of removing the gluten and as long as its gluten content is still lesser than 20 ppm. So, it is possible for a bread to have a “gluten-free” label if the flour used as a substitute is a source of gluten. Also, claiming foods as gluten-free is voluntary for both countries. Meaning to say, even if a food product is actually gluten-free, it is possible for the gluten-free claim not to be included in the packaging.
