A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Popchips now being certified gluten-free by the GFCO. The GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) is just one of several companies in the United States who are performing gluten-free certifications.
These companies help consumers by making it relatively simple to know which products they consider to be safe for gluten-free consumers. There are certain standards set forth by each company as far as the tolerated upper levels of gluten.
The different companies are:
CSA – Celiac Sprue Association – CSA Recognition Seal products are tested using R-Biopharm RIDASCREEN Gliadin test and must test below 5ppm to carry the seal. Requirements can be viewed here.
GIG – Gluten Intolerance Group – Their certification (GFCO) is a program of the GIG and is a 501 (c3) non-profit organization. Over 6,000 products have met these standards!
NFCA – National Foundation for Celiac Awareness – Partners with Quality Assurance International. Products displaying this logo must meet the standards in place and contain less than 10ppm of gluten.
CCA – Canadian Celiac Association developed the standard for the gluten-free Certification Program. Companies must meet strict requirements in order to use the logo on their products.
I know that I feel much better about purchasing & eating a product if it has one of the above logos & approval. The thing that everyone needs to watch for is companies using logos (or those that look very similar) without the proper certification and testing in place.
I have been fooled before by a logo that looks a lot like one from the GFCO only to find out that there was no certification in place. If there is ever any question in your mind, please make sure to check the websites and/or lists that the companies provide with the companies that they certify. It is horrible to think that any company would do something like that, but in a world where some are out to make money, cutting corners may happen.
Do you feel better about buying a product that is certified gluten-free? What about those that are labeled gluten-free, but not certified?
Leave a Reply