<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

WOW!  I received tons of responses to my initial query.
Below is a summation of the e-mails I received and personal
research I did on the subject.

The Codex Alimentarius provides the gluten-free standard
for European food manufacturers.  Codex Alimentarius is a
Geneva-based International organization jointly run by the
World Health Organization and FAO , and its aim is to
establish worldwide standards for foods in the broadest sense.
Food legislation in many countries is based on Codex Standards,
although it is not mandatory to implement them in all cases.
The Codex does not overrule the authority or laws of the member
countries. In the US, the FDA is the authority; the FDA has NEVER
adopted a specific standard on gluten-free foods and, if and when it
does, it may or may not adopt any part of the Codex Standard.

The oldest Standard dates from 1981, and it says that foods may be
labeled as "gluten-free" only if the nitrogen content of the protein
derived from wheat is less than 50 mg N/100 gm on dry matter,
which may be equivalent to about 20-30 mg gliadin in wheat starch.
Section 4.2.2 allows starch from gluten-containing grains (i.e., wheat
starch) up to 0.3%, which translates to 300 ppm gluten in the wheat starch
itself. This is a "purified" wheat starch they allow over there, not common
wheat starch. Then, the definition in Section 2.2.2 allows no more .05%
gluten in the product as a whole, this translates to 50 ppm.  By comparison,
the Canadian and Australian official standards are "NDG" (no detectable
gluten). The current lowest level detectable by testing is 20 ppm.

There is no validated analytical method (ring-tested) available to check
compliance to this level.  In 1993 the National Food Alliance (UK NGO)
produced a report titled "Cracking the Codex." This report stated that even
though the voting in Codex is nationwide, and quite often by consensus,
there is a large impact of the producer lobby, especially in the preliminary
stages of decision making. The conclusion is that in many countries food
labeled as "gluten free" will almost definitely contain gluten.

Two studies were conducted:
The conclusion is that in many countries food labeled as "gluten free" will
almost definitely contain gluten
SPECIAL NOTE: European Codex Alimentarius quality wheat starch was
used in both of these studies.

Conclusion from Study I:  Wheat starch-based gluten-free products are well-
tolerated in coeliac disease patients, provided that their diets are
otherwise
strict.

Conclusion from Study II:  Wheat starch-based gluten-free flour products
were not harmful in the treatment of coeliac disease and dermatitis
herpetiformis.

One person, commenting on these studies, added this prospective:
These studies were paid for by the companies making the wheat starch!
Independent studies in Australia showed that there WAS an adverse effect.

Someone else noted:  The USA does not have a 0 tolerance policy.
There can be a certain number based on parts per million of percentage
even if they claim GF.
Someone who just returned from Ireland noted that there were many
baked products and pre-mixed flours that followed Codex guidelines
in normal grocery stores, even in the small towns.

In regards to ordering products from another country, one person
suggested there may be a delay getting the products through customs
and that import tax may be another consideration.

While no one wrote to say that they have ordered product from
Lifestyle Foods, I sincerely appreciate all the information you sent
regarding the Codex Standard.  I learned a lot.  Ultimately, it is up to
each individual to decide whether or not they wish to purchase
products with "gluten-free" wheat starch.

Connie Sarros

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List *