--- title: FDA 'Gluten Free' Regulations Now in Place description: An FDA regulation on "gluten free" food labels kicked in Tuesday. canonical: https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-05T12:27:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T09:30:10.278Z article:section: Health og:title: FDA 'Gluten Free' Regulations Now in Place og:description: Before manufacturers decided what "gluten free" meant og:url: https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d4aec300f8e6974/69869e66cd6848b650095ee5/175749960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: FDA Defines Gluten-Free in Food Labeling og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: FDA 'Gluten Free' Regulations Now in Place twitter:description: Before manufacturers decided what "gluten free" meant twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d4aec300f8e6974/69869e66cd6848b650095ee5/175749960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Gluten Free' Label Now Actually Means Gluten Free > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e7b92b50-a74a-452c-88d4-5fcbf99299f2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Aug 5, 2014 12:27 PM UTC  "Gluten Free" appears on the packaging for General Mills Inc. Betty Crocker brand cake "Gluten Free" appears on the packaging for General Mills Inc. Betty Crocker brand cake Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Aug 5, 2014 12:27 PM UTC Starting Tuesday, the label “gluten free” will actually mean “gluten free.” Before Aug. 5, there were no standards or regulations governing the use of gluten-free claims placed on packaged foods. As of Tuesday, however, the Food and Drug Administration [determined](http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm367654.Htm) that the claim can only be used for foods containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten. The FDA said that the term will still be voluntary, but that companies must market foods as gluten-free “in a truthful and not misleading manner.” Any food packaging that fails to meet its requirements “will be subject to regulatory action.” This rule is particularly meaningful to those suffering from celiac disease, who will get sick if they eat foods containing gluten. While previously wheat was labeled on foods, [the AP reports](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/gluten-free-labeling-standards-kick-24842619), barley and rye hadn’t always been labeled. “A decade ago, our research determined that the prevalence of celiac disease in the United States was 1 in 133,” said Dr. Alessio Fasano, Director of the Center for Celiac Research at MassGeneral Hospital, in a [statement](http://www.1in133.org). “Even then it was obvious that patients could not safely manage their diet without better labeling requirements. The FDA has devoted years of work to make sure the standard issued today was safe for celiac patients. Our research supports that standard.” The FDA regulation was issued in August 2013, but wasn’t enforced until a year later. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/"},"headline":"'Gluten Free' Label Now Actually Means Gluten Free","datePublished":"2014-08-05T12:27:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:30:10.278Z","description":"FDA enforces rule saying the claim can only be used for foods containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten","url":"https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/","keywords":["diet","FDA","health","Regulation","Gluten"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d4aec300f8e6974/69869e66cd6848b650095ee5/175749960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d4aec300f8e6974/69869e66cd6848b650095ee5/175749960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"FDA Defines Gluten-Free in Food Labeling","caption":"FDA Defines Gluten-Free in Food Labeling","creditText":"Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/diet/","name":"diet"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3082227/gluten-free-label-now-actually-means-gluten-free/","name":"'Gluten Free' Label Now Actually Means Gluten Free"}}]}] ```