What does certified gluten-free really mean?

What does certified gluten-free really mean?

The familiar mark is being updated. By 2022 products will bear the new mark.

The familiar mark is helpful to quickly identify gluten-free products, but what does it really mean?

The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) maintains a program for the certification of gluten-free products called the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). The non-profit organization has been providing gluten-free certifications for nearly 50 years. Their mark has become the go-to for quickly ensuring a product is gluten-free, and we wanted to discuss why their certification is the gold standard for gluten-free products.

In today’s world of global consumerism, it turns out that it is nearly impossible for a food to be 100% gluten-free. Even natural products, like apples, can contain trace amounts of the protein just from coming into contact during its life from the tree to your kitchen. These trace amounts are, however, not going to hurt anyone, but a limit must be defined somewhere. The FDA sets that limit at 20 parts per million (ppm). Check out the video below for an easy way to visualize how much a PPM is. Hint: it isn’t very much.

A product must meet the FDA’s standard in order to have any kind of gluten-free labeling. The gluten-free label you see on some products is a quick way to determine if the product contains any ingredients that contain gluten and to ensure that it isn’t manufactured in a facility that processes gluten-containing products. That isn’t the end of the story, though, otherwise, why would we have other gluten-free certifications at all. The FDA does not have the resources to check every single product to verify that it complies with this standard. The FDA can only audit food manufactures to determine if their foods are meeting certain requirements, gluten-free being just one of them. For some particularly sensitive people, the FDA standard simply does not cut it. To truly guarantee that you are eating safe foods, a stricter standard was necessary.

Enter the GFCO. Their standard is twice as strict compared to that of the FDA, requiring at most 10 ppm. Furthermore, every single product line must go through the certification process. In addition to individual products, the GFCO makes sure that the company producing the goods is using a facility that meets their lengthy requirements. In fact, the whole supply chain must be in accordance with their standard to ensure that all the ingredients that go into a product are also safe, as well as the shipping and handling of the product.  This means that a product bearing the GFCO mark can be trusted to be completely safe to eat. You can find the whole standard on the GFCO website by clicking the link below.

Is the GIG legit?

Companies that buy the certification must provide annual training to their employees on gluten and its health effects. The companies must also provide annual reviews of the program and its effectiveness to ensure that they remain in accordance with the standard. Each certification includes a contract that holds the company legally responsible for upholding the standards of the GFCO. The GIG has established itself as the leading organization for gluten-free programs and has the responsibility to uphold its standards.

Can you trust the GFCO? The food industry is notoriously corrupt, however, the GIG prides itself on being a socially responsible organization. For example, their certification can cost upwards of $10,000 dollars for enterprise businesses, but they reduce the cost for smaller companies so that more gluten-free products can hit the shelves. The GIG’s revenue goes directly toward giving back to the community in the form of programs that educate the gluten-free community.

A final word of warning

If you are very susceptible to gluten, it is worth checking the GFCO website for safety alerts. A section of their website where they inform the public of companies that are incorrectly bearing the GFCO mark. Unfortunately, there are companies that try to gain a quick advantage at the expense of their consumers, at the end of the day you are the only person who can guarantee your safety.