New Gluten Labeling Rules Do Not Give Peace of Mind

So, the US government, in their typical half-assed understanding of a problem, have developed a "gluten labeling" standard designed "give peace of mind" to those who suffer from celiac disease.

The policy requires manufacturers of food stuffs to meet a maximum gluten contamination level of 20 ppm (part per million) in a serving size.

Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad rule.  It's great that the government wants to try to control what it means to be "gluten-free".

HOWEVER,

As I have explained before, gluten-free does not necessarily mean gluten-safe.  This is because the immune system doesn't use a word dictionary to define an allergen.

It doesn't even use a chemical dictionary, as you might be inclined to think.

It uses a SHAPE dictionary.

The immune system works just like a blind person....but without the context clues.  It's like trying to grab on to a door knob floating in space and recognize it specifically as a door knob.

As you might imagine, this blind shaping matching ISN'T perfect.  This is why if you have an allergy to penicillin, you aren't prescribed any antibiotic in the penicillin family (e.g. Amoxicillin), which are all the antibiotics that are shaped similarly to penicillin.  Because it is very likely that you will react to ANY molecule of a similar shape.

This is why the strict definition of "gluten-free" does not mean that it is gluten-safe.

No, oats do not have a wheat gluten molecule in them.  They do have a similar shape (called an analog) to wheat gluten.  So, even though oats are technically "gluten-free", they are not gluten-safe.

The same is true of ANY of the following grains:

Amaranth
Spelt
Quinoa
Teff
Millet

And there are others.

If you're just eating gluten-free because it's better for your body, then by all means, chow down on anything labeled "gluten free".

If you have celiac disease, you will poison yourself by eating these foods.  You will increase the likelihood of developing intestinal cancer and other bowel issues.

So, FDA, GREAT job.  This new bill does NOTHING to help those with celiac disease.

In fact, you've just put them at risk, you MORONS!  Try asking an immunologist about an immune problem next time!