<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Health Canada has a specific Food and Drug Regulation for the labeling of "gluten-free" foods . Regulation B.24.018 states "No person shall label, package, sell or advertise a food in a manner likely to create an impression that it is gluten-free unless the food does not contain wheat, including spelt and kamut, or oats, barley, rye or triticale or any part thereof". The Bureau of Food Safety and Consumer Protection of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has a "Fair Labelling Practices Program" that monitors label claims. The "Gluten-Free" claim is being monitored, including random testing for gluten using the enzyme immunoassay for gliadin. The CFIA uses a kit that tests to a level of 20 ppm. Products labelled gluten-free must fall under the 20 ppm level. The Codex Alimentarius is an international group formed in 1962 by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.Over 160 countries including Canada and the USA are members of the Codex. The Codex committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Use is currently reviewing the standard for gluten- free.There is considerable debate about what the acceptable level should be. Currently there are Draft Revised Standards for Gluten-Free Foods. These include the following: Foods Gluten-Free By Nature ( e.g., rice, corn, tapioca, flax, amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, etc.) may not contain more than 20 ppm gluten (ie. 10 ppm gliadin = 1mg gliadin per 100 grams of food) Foods Rendered Gluten-Free ( foods made from ingredients that contain gluten such as wheat, rye and barley- e.g., wheat starch) may not contain more than 200 ppm gluten ( ie. 100 ppm gliadin = 10 mg gliadin per 100 grams of food). To put this into perpective, one slice of white bread has been reported to contain 1500mg gliadin = 15,000 ppm gliadin. The Draft standard also contains a statement that the total intake of prolamins should not exceed 10mg gliadin/day. It should be noted that Canada and the USA DO NOT permit the use of wheat starch in foods labelled "gluten-free". Shelley Case, B. Sc. RD Consulting Dietitian Case Nutrition Consulting Author: Gluten Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide www.glutenfreediet.ca <http://www.glutenfreediet.ca> EMail: [log in to unmask]