What Is the Need for Gluten-Free Certification?
Individuals who are easily carried away by just noting labeled food products as gluten-free, may not want to believe all that they see. This is because individuals who want to specifically stick to foods that are naturally gluten-free such as fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, legumes, plant proteins, or non-glutenous grains, need to ensure if they are following a gluten-free diet, whether their food is being processed in a gluten-free facility or not.
When individuals with gluten intolerance or celiac disease (a digestive and immune disorder that damages the small intestine) eat foods with gluten, their immune system can create a breach in the small intestine by inducing inflammation or damage that affects the digestion, absorption, and nutrition of the foods taken. For individuals with nonceliac sensitivity, gluten intolerance, or gastrointestinal issues because of gluten consumption, the safest strategy through diet would be to check the food product labels or food whether it is processed in a gluten-free facility or not.
How to Stay Safe With Any Commercial Purchase?
If a person is unsure of their commercial purchases, then the best way would be to prepare their own baked goods using gluten-free flour. This is to ensure that the flour is milled in a facility that is approved or third-party tested for gluten-free content or in some countries around the globe, such as the United States, where one can even subscribe to a gluten-free meal delivery service to stay safer.
Also, it is interesting indeed to know that gluten-intolerant individuals comprise a major fraction of individuals across the globe, and many manufacturers who are involved in such organizations or mills that aim to provide gluten-free content, are well aware of the individuals and their conditions like celiac disease or celiac or gluten consumption of gluten. This is because, for such allergic or predisposed individuals to gastrointestinal diseases, it would indeed be life-threatening to consume gluten even accidentally.
What Are the Different Certification Standards for Gluten-Free Foods?
According to the standard assessment and protocols established by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all gluten-free labeled foods should ideally contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten to be certified or possess the ‘gluten-free’ stamp. Some of the certification programs are as follows:
1. Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO): It is considered to be one of the many top-notch certification programs that can be vouched for the verification of quality and purity of specifically gluten-free products in modern-day food industries. GFCO logo - ‘certified gluten-free’ is one of the tested and reputed seals that mark a GF in a circle. For example, in a food, such as gluten-free ice cream, a ‘certified gluten-free’ seal from the GFCO on the label indicates that the product may not be completely free from gluten, but rather contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten in the food. For most individuals with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, this means it can be consumed safely. Therefore, consumers need to be aware that a gluten-free certification on the product can certainly help individuals suffering from gluten insensitivity to adapt well to the foods they consume.
Additionally, it is interesting to note that this certification provided for gluten-free products or safety requires yearly certification. This is an inspection process that includes the medical review of ingredients used in the products and is tested along with a plant-based inspection. Onsite inspections, testing, patient compliance activities, and random product testing are done for these products that the GFCO labels. It is only after these standard protocols that the programs allow a display of a seal of approval to be added to this ‘gluten-free’ product.
2. Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG): This is a specific program that is an inspection facility as well and provides the needed seal for products and manufacturing facilities for most of the gluten GFCO-certified foods. The aim of this test or program for the foods is to ensure they contain less than 10 ppm of gluten. Thus, it is important to note that while many GFCO-certified foods tests certainly have much lower gluten that is even less than 10 ppm and would be virtually zero, this additional program is done for some foods to completely ensure safety concerns in the gluten-intolerant population.
3. National Sanitation Foundation (NSF): This is another third-party organization that usually provides certification for a great number of different global products. It is not only a global stamp for many gluten-free products, but this certification process involves stringent measures and quality inspection or checks through their facilities. This stringency is maintained in regard to the gluten-free products listing or stamping to ensure the products meant for this specific population intolerant to gluten, should contain less than 15 ppm of gluten for them to have a digestible and safe diet.
4. Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS): It is a gluten-free certification program that ensures that those products designed to be gluten-free have met the regulatory requirements (based on the country the product is manufactured or sold). For instance, in the United States, the regulatory requirement for a product being considered to be gluten intolerant is less than 20 ppm, but in other countries like Australia and New Zealand, the ppm should be non-detectable.
Conclusion
Apart from the above enlisted high-quality programs or companies that certify food products to be gluten-free, many independent, third-party certification programs are aimed at testing foods with their own standards or ppm requirement to consider a product as gluten-free. Thus, it is important to be aware that for the gluten intolerant population, specifically the individuals who are averse to its effects such as those from celiac disease, nonceliac sensitivity or gluten allergy or intolerance, or even in many gastrointestinal disorders, care should be taken to refrain from consuming gluten in any form. Also, ingesting the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, barley, or even oats can damage the small intestine, making the gluten-free certification process a mandatory health protocol in the food industry. In addition, nutritionists usually recommend individuals with suspected gluten sensitivity to benefit from vitamin supplements as well as all the foods that are labeled gluten-free by a trusted third-party service provider.
