Volume 13, Number
9 - September 2013
Greetings from Food Label News.
This month we report food label history with the recent
publishing of the final rule on gluten-free labeling after
nearly 10 years in the making. Read our lead article for
what food labelers need to know. You'll also find a bonus
installment of our Nutrition Analysis series: a helpful
one-pager about rules of thumb for database nutritional
analysis. Questions? Comments? Please post them in the
Food Label Community on LinkedIn and see what fellow
food labelers have to say.
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Finally, a Final Rule for Gluten-free
Its been since 2004 that the industry has awaited clear
regulatory requirements for gluten-free labeling. As part of
the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA)
of 2004, the U.S. Congress directed FDA to begin the rule
making process for use of the term gluten-free on food
labels. In 2007, FDA issued a Proposed Rule that industry
has used as guidance for the past 6 years. The Final Rule
just published contains a few changes.
Highlights of the Final Rule:
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Gluten-free labeling claims are voluntary and
thus there is no established icon or placement
requirement. |
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The threshold to claim gluten-free is less than
20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, consistent
with already-established standards in Canada and EU. |
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A food inherently free of gluten (e.g.,
milk, lettuce) may carry a gluten-free claim. |
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If any ingredient is from a whole or refined
gluten-containing grain (specified as wheat,
rye, barley, and crossbred hybrids), then the
food may not be labeled gluten-free even if
the amount is below the 20 ppm threshold.
Note that oats is not among the
gluten-containing grains. |
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If an ingredient is processed to remove gluten
(e.g., wheat starch) and results in a finished
food with less than 20 ppm of gluten, then the
food may be labeled gluten-free only if
there is an accompanying statement that the
gluten has been removed from the grain. |
See the
Federal Register announcement and
FDAs new
Q&A guidance on gluten-free labeling. |
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What's News in the
Food Label Community
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Judges pressure FDA to take a stance on
GMOs in 'natural' foods |
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FDA updates guidance on medical foods |
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Can fresh herbs be labeled as spices? |
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When is it necessary to include water as an ingredient? |
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Ingredient labeling challenges for very small packages |
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Country-of-origin: what counts as
'substantial transformation'? |
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Connect with
other food labelers on LinkedIn |
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Reader Favorites
U.S./Canada Organic Equivalency Agreement |
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Search answers
to food label questions |
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With the publication of this Final Rule, companies have
until August 5, 2014, (one year after publication) to comply with FDAs
requirements for gluten-free labeling. |
Nutrition Analysis Series - Bonus
Rules of Thumb for Database Nutrition Analysis
As a bonus to the just completed series on due diligence
with database nutrition analysis, we provide guidelines
to help you account for missing nutrition values. These
guidelines developed over the past 20 years have been
used reliably for thousands of Food Consulting Company
client products and includes such items as trans fat
calculations, moisture loss and vitamin retention.
View/print
the
BONUS one-pager.
View/print
the entire
Due Diligence Guide.
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Reader Q&A
Find
answers to our readers'
questions or send us
your question for an
upcoming issue.
Q. |
My client wants to use OG as an abbreviation for organic
in the ingredient statement, for example, stating OG
Cocoa Butter instead of Organic Cocoa Butter. They said
someone from the confectionery field told them that this
type of abbreviation was okay. Is that right?
− C.V., Oregon, Product Development
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A. |
No. There
is no provision in the organic labeling rules to
abbreviate Organic as OG. Find the
National Organic Program rules
here. See
other reader
questions about organic
here and
here. |
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What matters in food labeling
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now in its 13th year, is a monthly e-newsletter reaching
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about food labels:
www.foodlabels.com/subscribe
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food label partner
Food Consulting Company,
founded in 1993, provides nutrition analysis, food labeling,
and regulatory support for more than 1,500 clients worldwide.
Our
guarantee: 100% regulatory compliance.
Contact us
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© 2013. Food Consulting Company, Del Mar, CA. All rights reserved.
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