an abstract photo of a curved building with a blue sky in the background

Gluten-free International Standards

“Gluten” is a collective term for the proteins of wheat, rye, barley, oats or their crossbred varieties and derivatives, according to EU regulations.

Though some argue that the protein in oats shall not be classified as the same as gluten, the processing facilities of oats are often shared with that of wheat, rye and barley. Such cross contamination makes oat cannot be gluten-free unless the production facility is separated.

According to the EU regulations (No. 1169/2011), when a product is labelled “gluten-free”, it means it contains 20 mg/kg (or 20ppm) of gluten or less. (source 1)(source 2)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (source), United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (source) and India (source 1)(source 2) followed the same EU standard on “gluten-free”.

China currently lacks national gluten-free labeling legislation but is actively developing a standard aiming for a threshold of 20mg/kg for "gluten-free" products (source 1)(source 2).

Japan has no formal regulation on labelling “gluten-free” food but many manufacturers target <10 ppm in self-regulated gluten-free claims to avoid liability (source).

Australia and New Zealand follow the strictest regulation as they demand the product must contains no detectable gluten. Oats and wheat starch are not permitted in gluten-free products (source).

Note:

A product can be gluten-free but still contain wheat and oat components. By EU regulations the manufacturer must highlight that in bold to identify such ingredient as possible allergens.

For those who are allergic to the specific substances, you shall read food labels carefully before making any purchase.

Crossed Grain Trademark (CGT)

Products bearing the Crossed Grain Trademark (CGT) must contain 20 mg/kg (ppm) or less of gluten. The Crossed Grain Symbol represents the manufacturer produces pre-packaged food products by meeting the Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS) Standard for Gluten-free Foods and the Crossed Grain Symbol’s licensing rules. AOECS is a not-for-profit umbrella organization representing about 40 coeliac societies in Europe and beyond.

Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO)

Finished products bearing the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) logo must contain 10 ppm or less of gluten. The Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) is a voluntary program developed in 2005 by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) of North America, a non-profit association funded by private donations.

(source)