Gluten-Free Labeling Laws in the U.S. and Canada

There is a lot of recent news about potential gluten-free labeling laws in the U.S. and Canada. As most of us know, the FDA has been dragging its feet for a couple of years now regarding its finalization of an allergen labeling law in the U.S. The agency posted suggested guidelines back in 2006 and has updated them since then, but to date, no law is in effect. That means that companies that make gluten-free products can do as they please in terms of labeling them. Manufacturers are free to abide by the FDA’s proposed guidelines or they can ignore them.

If you want to see things change and want the FDA to get off the fence and rule on what exactly gluten-free labeling laws mean here, this is your time to be heard. The American Celiac Disease Alliance is asking for our help in getting something done once and for all. The goal is to get a final ruling on the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) sooner rather than later. The ruling is now almost three years overdue since it was supposed to be finalized in August 2008.  It’s time to be a part of the change we want to see in the world (or in this case in the gluten-free market). Please read more about what you can do here.

North of the U.S. border in Canada, a big proposed gluten-free labeling law is at risk of being weakened due to a powerful beer industry lobby. Personally, I’m much more concerned that food is labeled if it contains gluten than beer, but this challenge by the brewing industry threatens to negatively impact the entire ruling. The frustration of the many people who’ve worked tirelessly on the proposed law (and allergic consumers) in Canada is completely understandable. Shelley Case and a host of other people in the Canadian Celiac Association are doing everything they can to make sure this important ruling helps protect allergic consumers. Shelley Case recently reported the following information to the celiac listserv:

The beer industry has come out in strong opposition to the proposed food allergen/gluten labeling regulatory changes in Canada. This opposition by a powerful private interest group threatens to derail final approval of the proposed changes by the federal government. Food allergy and celiac groups are deeply concerned with this development and that the regulations might not be passed.

Even though I knew that the Barley Growers of America have a surprisingly powerful lobby in the U.S. (which has impacted the FALPA ruling by the FDA), I was not aware that beer brewers in Canada are determined to keep gluten-free labeling laws from affecting their products too. What I really wonder about is why brewing companies – or any others for that matter – want to hide what’s in their products (that is what they’re doing if they aren’t willing to clearly disclose the ingredients) when allergic customers will get sick from consuming them. That seems more than unethical no matter which way you look at it. Selling products that will make people sick is simply bad business.

Read more about this important issue here. To find out how you can help keep the proposed labeling law changes in Canada from being changed to suit the beer industry, please check out this petition. Just today, Anaphylaxis Canada reached out to the Prime Minister about this urgent issue with this letter.