What the FDA has to say about wheat starch and hydrolyzed gluten

This post is part of a series covering the FDA’s Final Rule on Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed Foods. 

The rule is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17088/food-labeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-fermented-or-hydrolyzed-foods

Bottom Line:

Under the FDA’s 2013 gluten-free labeling rule, wheat starch is considered “an ingredient processed to remove gluten.”It is an allowed ingredient in foods labeled gluten-free as long as its use does not result in the final food product containing 20 parts per million or more of gluten.Fermented foods and ingredients made using gluten-free wheat […]

What the FDA has to say about testing for gluten

This post is part of a series covering the FDA’s Final Rule on Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed Foods. 

The rule is available at

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17088/food-labeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-fermented-or-hydrolyzed-foods

Bottom line

Currently (and according to FDA), it is next to impossible to accurately test food for gluten when it has been partially broken down into smaller protein fragments during certain processing procedures, such as fermentation and hydrolysis.

Examples of foods & ingredients that may contain gluten that has been partially broken down

Soy sauce (hydrolyzed wheat protein)Malt vinegar […]

What the FDA has to say about gluten-free labeling of foods containing bacteria, enzymes, & yeast grown on gluten-containing media

This post is part of a series covering the FDA’s Final Rule on Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed Foods. The information on growth media in the Federal Register document is located in multiple sections and is not 100% clear. This post may be updated as FDA provides additional clarification.

The rule is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17088/food-labeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-fermented-or-hydrolyzed-foods

Bottom line

Manufacturers, if you are labeling a food gluten-free that contains microbes or enzymes, please make sure that the growth media used in their development did […]

What the FDA has to say about gluten-free labeling of distilled foods and ingredients

This post is part of a series covering the FDA’s Final Rule on Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed Foods

The rule is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17088/food-labeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-fermented-or-hydrolyzed-foods

IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind the following points when reading this post and others on FDA and distilled spirits:

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulates distilled spirits.Under the TTB’s interim rule on gluten-free labeling, alcoholic beverages distilled from wheat, barley, or rye can be labeled “processed to remove gluten” as long […]

Updated statement from FDA on soy sauce

For years Gluten Free Watchdog (GFWD) has been asking FDA to clarify for manufacturers that soy sauce made from wheat can NOT be included in foods carry a gluten-free claim. We were advised that the agency would not be providing additional guidance until the publication of the final rule on gluten-free labeling of fermented and hydrolyzed foods and ingredients. FDA was true to its word and on August 13, the same day the rule was published in the Federal […]