Did you know that 3.3 million U.S. consumers may have celiac disease, but only 4,700 have received an official diagnosis? And an additional 20 million could be affected by a gluten sensitivity and not know it? Yet an estimated 30 percent of Americans are avoiding gluten and are expected to spend $7 billion in 2017 on Gluten-Free foods, especially as more discount chains like Walmart offer a wider variety of products at discounted prices.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease causes an autoimmune reaction with gastrointestinal symptoms caused by gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale. A gluten-free diet is primarily used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Some people who don’t have celiac disease also may have symptoms when they eat gluten, however. This is called non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity may benefit from a gluten-free diet. But people with celiac disease must be gluten-free to prevent symptoms and disease-related complications. Certain grains, such as oats, can be contaminated with wheat during growing and processing stages of production. For this reason, doctors and dietitians generally recommend avoiding oats unless they are specifically labeled gluten-free.
Cross-contamination occurs when gluten-free foods come into contact with foods that contain gluten. It can happen during the manufacturing process, for example, if the same equipment is used to make a variety of products. Some food labels include a “may contain” statement if cross-contamination is likely, but this type of statement is voluntary.
Foods may also be labeled as “gluten-free.” If a product carries a gluten-free label, the Food and Drug Administration requires that the product contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. However, products labeled “wheat-free” may still contain gluten. To help reduce confusion among consumers, FDA issued strict guidelines three years ago for certifying and labeling a food as “gluten-free.”
A gluten-free lifestyle has become one of the most popular diet trends in the U.S. One in five people now reduce or eliminate gluten. Women are more likely than men to avoid gluten, and the diet is more popular among 20- to 39-year-olds. It’s also popular among world-class athletes: 41% of 910 world-class athletes and Olympic medalists said they followed a gluten-free diet at least half the time, and most had self-diagnosed their gluten sensitivity in a recent survey.
Certification Helps Consumers Trust Gluten Labeling
Because gluten-free labeling is voluntary, more consumers are demanding a Gluten-Free Certification Program trademark. An advanced automated integrity management system now brings gluten-free safety to the next level. It is the Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP), managed by the Allergen Control Group (ACG) and endorsed by North America’s two most trusted consumer celiac societies. The GFCP verifies a facility’s ability to safely manage the production of gluten-free products with an annual third party audit against globally recognized and science-based food safety protocols. Thus, products permitted to display the GFCP trademark are reliably gluten-free and without the risk of potential gluten cross-contamination.
ACG’s certification currently controls labels of over 5000 products and certifications for 270 plus manufacturing facilities.
Safe Food Certifications Offers Gluten-Free Certification
Safe Food Certifications (as sister company of Safe Food Alliance) is now offering a third-party review of ingredients, product testing and plant inspection services for gluten-free certification and labeling. Safe Food Certifications, LLC is a licensed Certification Body trained by ACG (Allergen Control Group located in Canada) to conduct Gluten-Free certification audits.
This Gluten-Free Certification Program is accepted by US and Canadian regulators (e.g. Health Canada, CFIA, FDA and USDA). ACG’s Gluten Free Certification Program is endorsed by two leading celiac organizations in North America, the Beyond Celiac (BC) and the Canadian Celiac Organization (CCA).
Gluten was among the top three allergens in products labeled ‘Gluten-Free’ recalled by the UK in 2016, so consumers are increasingly demanding certification. Here’s what they expect:
- A seal of approval like the GFCP trademark that certifies the product is Gluten-Free
- A third-party certification body that guarantees a stringent, risk-based system
- Certification that indicates lowest gluten level detectable by commercial test standards
- Assurances of best-practices from manufacturers and brands that raw ingredients are sourced to avoid cross-contamination by gluten products
Signing on to work with Safe Food Certifications ensures a gluten-free certification program can provide consumers with all of the above assurances. Safe Food Certifications’ Gluten-Free Certification Program is voluntary and verified annually by a third-party facility audit process that provides continued compliance which further increases consumer confidence. For more information, contact Safe Food Certifications, LLC. To learn more about this program first-hand from experts, plan to attend Safe Food California Conference 2017 in Monterey at the Hyatt Regency on June 6-8. Registration is available at safefoodcalifornia.com
