Equity & Advocacy

Accessibility and Belonging in Celiac Disease

Access and Inclusion Matters

Transitioning your home kitchen, changing your grocery habits, and always having to provide safe alternatives to existing food options in social or school settings can all contribute to increased financial stress and burden. While naturally, gluten-free food may not sharply increase a grocery bill, gluten-free labeled and packaged foods can, resulting in new financial hardships. For many families, increasing the amount of fresh, whole, and perishable foods in the home can also create new stresses. We are committed to advocating for you and helping you negotiate these very real challenges so that a safe and healthy home is accessible for all people living with Celiac disease.

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Advocacy

Are There Food Label Laws To Protect My Child?

There are 2 types of fairly new package labeling requirements that help protect gluten-free consumers.

Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Act

  • The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Act of 2006 requires companies to list in “plain English” the eight most prevalent food allergens on the package ingredients.
    These are: eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soybeans, tree nuts, and wheat. The statement “Contains: WHEAT” must be listed within the ingredients or immediately afterward.
  • If wheat protein or a protein derived from wheat is used as an ingredient, even in small amounts, (colorings, flavoring, and seasoning, e.g.) it must be declared in the allergy statement.
  • This law does not address the use of other gluten-containing grains like barley (malt), rye, or oats.
  • If the label does not indicate in the allergy statement that wheat has been used, you must still read the list of ingredients for other gluten-containing grains.

“Gluten-Free” Law

  • Food manufacturers are not required to call out “gluten” (like wheat or allergens) in food products.
  • Labeling a product “gluten-free” is not required by the FDA
  • However, product claims of “gluten-free” are defined and regulated by the FDA
  • A manufacturer may declare a product is “gluten-free” on the label if it meets any one of these criteria:
  • It is a food that naturally does not contain an ingredient that has gluten (like uncooked apples or fresh herbs)
  • It is a processed food that contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten
  • In contains an ingredient made from a gluten-containing grain that has been processed to remove gluten and contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten
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