[2]In 2018, fate shined a bright light on the juxtaposition of food privilege and food insecurity through the lens of our family’s new Celiac community. Unlike other food allergies, one cannot outgrow Celiac, and there is no rescue medicine (i.e., epinephrine or antihistamine) to take for accidental ingestion. But that similar safety gap does exist with the voluntary labeling of barley, rye, and oats for millions of American Celiacs like Jax. To that end, Jax’s Citizen Petition (FDA-2023-P-3942) is requesting that FDA better protect more than 3.3 million Americans with Celiac by labeling gluten (wheat, barley, rye, and oats) as a major food allergen on all packaged foods, just like labeling gluten is required to be labeled in 87 other countries. 555.250 of its Compliance Policy Guides Manual, “Statement of Policy for Labeling and Preventing Cross-contact of Common Food Allergens” to address both labeling and cross-contact issues related to food manufacturing practices.

Source: New York Times March 08, 2024 16:50 UTC