<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I have notice how the celiac community has grown and evolved since 1995. Major research centers have started, distribution centers have emerged, tour groups have begun and the number of restaurants that are aware of the need for gluten free dishes is emerging. Incidence studies have been published and have received media attention. My concern is that there is no third party certification agency which will certify a product as gluten free. Recently I saw a product described as gluten free buy a grocery when the package stated that it was made in a plant with wheat products. Perhaps this is acceptable to some people but it was not for us. I see organic food with the description of "certified organic by a third a third party". I also note different levels of understanding of what constitutes gluten free from 1. No added gluten ingredients 2. No undefined natural flavors or unidentified ingredients such as the sources of citric acid or mono and diglycerides etc. 4. No use of any gluten containing manufacturing aids or packaging. 5. Cleaning of equipment specified to certain standards. 6. No manufacturing of gluten containing products in the same facility. 7. Tracing of all the ingredients to their source and defining milling and shipping procedures. 8. Testing for gluten. Perhaps there could by a non-gluten rating from A to G with A meaning all the 8 had been cleared and G meaning only that there was no added gluten. So a product would be NG A to indicate the highest level or all standards had been met and NG G to mean that only 1, had been met People could then choose which level standard they want to follow. However the raters would not be the manufacturers. The same idea of rating level could be applied to restaurants. Does any one want to be entrepreneurial and start a certification agency. It could work with current groups, physicians the dietitians, the FDA for advice and food technologists etc. In some cases the codes may already exist but are not being monitored. Foreign imports of additives have reached massive proportions and I am not sure we now know what is in some of the products. Just a thought. Models of how to do this already exist which I can describe and give links to if any one is interested. Perhaps we could explore what this would require. I do not have any interest in forming such an agency as I am still busy with my profession. Irma Irma *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*