Change to Codex Standard

Following the recent 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) in Germany, the following outcomes were agreed:

­The existing international Codex Standard (1981, amended 1983) allowing up to 200mg/kg gluten (<200ppm) in gluten-free products is to be replaced with the following:

• Naturally gluten-free foods and products where the gluten level does not exceed 20mg gluten/kg (<20ppm) can be labelled as gluten-free.

• Gluten threshold of foods that have been specially processed to reduce gluten will have a gluten level of above 20mg/kg but no more than 100mg/kg. 

 • Products that contain gluten above 20 and up to 100mg/kg must not be labelled as gluten-free.
An appropriate labelling description is due to be discussed at EU level and implemented in the UK by the Food Standards Agency. 

 • The revised Codex standard will be called the 'Codex Standard for Foods for Special Dietary Use for Persons Intolerant to Gluten'.

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Coeliac UK has said: "The decision to change the Codex Standard has been debated for 13 years - far too long. Coeliac UK has worked closely with the Food Standards Agency over the past two years to provide an evidence base to move the standard on and we are delighted with the result."

The new standard is expected to be adopted in June/July 2008. Coeliac UK is now closely involved in discussions to agree the timeline of the labelling of products above 20 and up to 100mg gluten/kg and subsequent communication to consumers and the food sector.

For more information on this, please contact us with our online form, or call our helpline on 0870 444 8804.

You can also check out the Codex website.