<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Thanks to Irma De Bruyn's post, I looked over H. R. 3200 going through
Congress.  These things can be confusing as written, but on the surface
it seems to want to streamline food labaling procedures, not make them
more in-depth.  To do this it allows as much or more "use of synonyms"
for products than now.  This would mean even more "modified food
starch" for everything under the sun, not less.  It also says that a
product doesn't have to list ingredients in any more detail than now or
separately on the product other than in the list of ingredients unless to
protect public health.  This would seem to stifle putting gluten free or
wheat free on a container, since us getting really ill doesn't seem to
constitute a public health menace.
 
Overall seems like a bad bill for us.  Less and looser labeling rather than
more stringent and informative.  The only good part is that the FDA is
required to consult regularly with other countries on how they label their
food products.  May be that'll enlighten them.  Doubt it, since the reason
for the consultations is to figure out how to streamline like other nations.
Jere Cordell