LABEL READING

 

Gluten-free food labels

When you are buying processed foods, you need to read labels to determine if they contain gluten. Foods that contain wheat, barley, rye or triticale — or an ingredient derived from them — must be labeled with the name of the grain in the label's content list.

Foods that are labeled gluten-free, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules, must have fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten. Foods with these labels may include:

• Naturally gluten-free food
• A prepared food that doesn't have a gluten-containing ingredient
• Food that has not been cross-contaminated with gluten-containing ingredients during production
• Food with a gluten-containing ingredient that has been processed to remove gluten

Alcoholic beverages made from naturally gluten-free ingredients, such as grapes or juniper berries, can be labeled gluten-free.

An alcoholic beverage made from a gluten-containing grain (wheat, barley, rye and hybrid grains such as triticale) can carry a label stating the beverage was "processed," "treated" or "crafted" to remove gluten. However, the label must state that gluten content cannot be determined and the beverage may contain some gluten. These beverages may not be labeled gluten-fre