UK & EU Countries – Policy for Gluten Food and Beverages
If you live in the UK or any other EU country you can rest assured that current EU food allergen legislation requires every manufacturer of any food or beverage to state whether it contains a gluten ingredient.
Please note that this does not mean they have to provide an allergy awareness label but to simply list the ingredients that contain Gluten. This is why it is important you familiarize yourself with Gluten containing ingredients and why I have provided you with a comprehensive and easy to follow A to Z list of Gluten containing ingredients.
US Policy for Gluten Food and Beverages
Currently there is no legislation from the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) or from any body in the US that states that food and beverage manufacturers must label Gluten ingredients on their products, as Gluten is considered a GRAS protein, (Generally Recognised As Safe). Therefore it is even more imperative that US sufferers of any Gluten related disease endeavor to become fully aware of all Gluten containing products.
My advice would be first to sit down and draw up a list of all the common foods and beverages you consume in a regular week, then analyze each one for potential Gluten containing ingredients.
Sometimes it is hard to think of everything you regularly eat and drink, so making a food and beverage diary of your daily intake is a great way of becoming aware of this.
You can keep up to date with the FDA’s findings and updated legislation regarding Gluten.
