Good news for people who like grocery shopping, have celiac disease or who have issues with carbs: the FDA has decided which foods are allowed to be labeled gluten-free and which are not.
According to the FDA, this new definition will get rid of all those imposter gluten-free products out there by determining how little something has to have before it’s called “gluten-free”:
It requires that, in order to use the term “gluten-free” on its label, a food must meet all of the requirements of the definition, including that the food must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. The rule also requires foods with the claims “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “without gluten” to meet the definition for “gluten-free.”
The New York Times reports that the gluten-free market is a $4 billion a year market, making three times the sales it was doing in 2008. Manufacturers have a year until they have to change their labels or risk fines. And for all of you who jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon late, please remember that cutting gluten out of your diet hasn’t actually been proven to help you lose weight. Moreover, said bandwagon might actually be hurting the people who actually do have celiac disease. (We’re looking at you, Gwyneth.)
Image via M.L. Johnson/AP
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