The Future of Food Labeling in the U.S. Depends on You

Celiac.com 11/12/2022 - It is the issue that unites every family affected by celiac disease: The need for clear and understandable food labeling in the United States. At a time when so few celiacs receive a diagnosis, those that do often fend for themselves when learning the gluten-free diet. Mistakes are made, and the person with celiac disease can face debilitating symptoms and health problems later in life.

After years of working to raise awareness, the celiac disease community felt the floodgates open when the U.S. celiac disease prevalence study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Since February, there has been a significant amount of news coverage on celiac disease, including a segment on the Today Show, articles in the nation’s most prominent newspapers and news segments on local television stations across the country.

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A key group of advocates has come together to build on this momentum, specifically by calling on Congress to enact legislation that would significantly improve food labeling for consumers affected by celiac disease and food allergies.

The American Celiac Task Force is comprised of research institutions, support organizations and industry representatives (14 organizations in all) that have been working since March to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy on food labeling. The Task Force is lead by highly experienced advocates who have a track record of success on Capitol Hill and are personally affected by celiac disease.

The primary objective of the Task Force is to influence the development of legislation that addresses the most important issues of the celiac community in a manner that is likely to be approved at the committee level and in both houses of Congress, and then signed into law.

While many celiacs have noticed that companies such as Kraft have voluntarily begun to identify the eight major food allergens in their foods (dozens of companies have voluntarily done the same), this arrangement has been at the initiative of the manufacturer, and many food companies are not doing so.

The American Celiac Task Force has decided to join forces with the food allergy community to work towards a comprehensive bill that will require companies to label the eight major food allergens in their foods. Wheat is one of those allergens, and it is the ingredient that causes the most headaches and heartaches for the celiac community (rye is almost never labeled as anything but, and barley, when not labeled barley is most often listed as malt).

This approach is most ideal because it has already received some industry support (evidenced by voluntary labeling) and it is not a piecemeal approach to labeling, unlike legislation that calls for labeling only the sources of spices and natural flavors. The American Celiac Task Force strategy would effectively encompass that and far more.

The reality of enacting food labeling legislation for celiacs is that a label stating "gluten-free" will not be acceptable to lawmakers and the industry (think of the last time you called a company and they said "we cannot guarantee that this product is gluten-free"). Eliminating the fear of lawsuits is the key to developing—and passing—food labeling laws. While we would all wish it to be the case, it is not possible to legislate away all of the work that a celiac has to do in order to go grocery shopping.

You can imagine, however, what a tremendous burden would be lifted if you could read a statement that says “this product contains wheat.” Many celiacs and their families are experiencing this now when they purchase a Kraft product, for instance.

What you imagine today could become real in the near future, but not without your help. Join the efforts of the American Celiac Task Force and speak with one voice to educate and influence members of Congress. You can find out how by going to www.celiaccenter.org/taskforce.asp and registering to receive regular updates. You can go to www.capwiz.com/celiac to send your member of Congress a letter urging them to support better food labeling laws.

Most importantly, if you receive publications, mailings or are a member of an organization on the American Celiac Task Force (such as the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program) you can be assured that you will be hearing more about the American Celiac Task Force and what you can do to help this tremendous effort. Each organization is working to educate its own constituency directly, in addition to a public effort to urge families to join this effort.

Make sure you do your part.