BIG NEWS! The comment period is open for U.S. Food and Drug Administration re: labeling of gluten.
The tl;dr: the FDA has a comment period open NOW re: requiring labels to clearly mark ingredients with gluten on the ingredient list, and requiring cross-contact protocols on gluten-containing grains.
This would be a game changer. Do you have thoughts? Submit them before March 23rd 2026 here.
This is not any kind of commitment to change. This is the first step to assess public interest. Again. If they don’t hear from the public, there won’t be any changes.
What should your comments contain?
Just a few thoughts that your comments *might* cover:
- Have you encountered products that were mislabeled for gluten? Write about that.
- Have you encountered products that were problematic in some way? (I found a grain in a product with no grain containing ingredients) This is often an issue with lentils and other beans
- Have you had issues with products that you suspect are due to gluten/cross-contamination?
- Comments on oats & availability of gluten-free oat products
- Comments on barley, which currently *isn’t* required to be clearly labeled
- Has following a gluten-free diet increased the difficulty of shopping?
I’d love to hear other thoughts on what you’d plan to include in your letters—and I’ll link to sample letters when I write mine—I’m on a few tight deadlines.
Again, the comment form is here
Research, recipes & more
- If you missed it, new study on hEDS and nutrition
- Neat paper on mast cells in GI issues
- Chocolate banana bread: a great recipe for a snow day, and low fodmap if needed!
- Butternut squash soup (one of my favorites!)
- Missed this one last time: I did a podcast on nutrition for POTS with Jill Castle, MS, RD of the Nourished Child
Stay warm, dry, and off the roads today…
Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD. She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS, MCAS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great! Email or call 571-271-8742.