In The News: FDA Still Needs to Define Gluten-Free

Reader Contribution by Samantha Collins
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Many people follow a gluten-free lifestyle, whether it is for medical or personal reasons. But do you know what gluten-free truly means? If you do, then you should pass along your information for the Food and Drug Administration because it has taken them seven years (and counting) to figure it out.

Originally the FDA was supposed to figure out a specific definition of gluten-free food by 2008. A 2004 law established this deadline. According to the article 3 years after deadline, FDA still hasn’t defined ‘gluten-free, the FDA said that it was tricky to define a food as gluten-free.

According to The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, more than 3 million Americans have celiac disease and 97 percent of those 3 million are undiagnosed. Celiac disease is an inherited disorder that affects the small intestine. This means that when a person with this disease eats a product with gluten, which includes most grains, the person’s immune system responds by attacking its small intestines. Celiac disease can lead to osteoporosis, infertility and maybe even cancer.

People with celiac disease cannot eat bread because of its gluten content.
Photo by kidmissile/Courtesy Flickr

As you can see, this disease can seriously affect someone’s health. However, because the FDA has yet to regulate gluten-free foods, many products are attempting to be gluten-free without a federal regulation to follow. This has caused quite a few problems because some gluten-free products on the market do indeed contain gluten. According to the article, some companies are even putting a gluten-free label on foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as water. This obviously can spark confusion among consumers.

If you think you have celiac disease, be sure to read the list of symptoms from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

Celiac disease sufferers don’t have to stave off flavorful foods. Here are some great, gluten-free recipes from The Herb Companion magazine.

Lemon Cookie Crumble Ice Dream
Ginger Molasses Muffins

And just remember: You’re not alone. May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month.  Join the fight to have an FDA regulation on gluten-free foods by supporting the group called 1 in 133, respectively named to reflect the fact that one in 133 Americans have celiac disease.

Sign the petition. Make a donation. Write a letter to the FDA. You can make a difference and help fight for an FDA regulation. Gluten-free isn’t a just a fad. It’s a way of life for more than 3 million Americans.

  • Published on Apr 29, 2011
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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