US trade body lobbies for all spirits to be able to carry ‘gluten-free’ label

America’s spirits sector trade body has welcomed a new ruling that means that distilled foods made from gluten-containing grains can be labelled as “gluten-free”.

It means that some goods such as vodka and gin could be labelled “gluten free”, provided they have been further processed to remove some or all of the gluten.

The FDA has ruled that “distillation is considered a process to remove gluten and it is unlikely that residual gluten may be present in the final distilled products”.

Chris Swonger, the president of the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), said: “We commend FDA for this consumer-friendly ruling that will allow ‘gluten-free’ labelling claims to be included on distilled foods made from gluten-containing grains, and urge TTB to act swiftly to align policies allowing the same for distilled spirits products.”

However, the FDA’s ruling so far only covers fermented foods, or foods that contain fermented ingredients, which are made using gluten-containing grains such as rye, barley and wheat. As such, spirits can only use the gluten-free labelling if they were made from ingredients that do not contain gluten – such as grapes, corn or potatoes – or if they have undergone an additional process to remove gluten from the end product.

This is despite the fact that the distillation process for spirits removes any trace of gluten, even if it includes an ingredient like barley. This is because if an alcohol is distilled, proteins from the starting materials that provided the starch or sugar are removed in the distillation process.

A number of groups such as the National Celiac Association state that distilled alcohol, even if it is made from a gluten-containing grain, such as wheat, rye or barley, is considered gluten-free and should be considered safe for those who are intolerant to it.

However, The US’ Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau states in a 2014 ruling that some people who have more extreme gluten allergies could get sick from spirits made from grains such as wheat.

DISCUS is now urging the regulatory body to further amend the 2014 ruling so that spirits made from grains that contain gluten can also use the term on packaging.

Swonger said that allowing distillers to add a ‘gluten-free’ label to products made from gluten-containing grains will “provide additional clarity for consumers to make informed choices about which products meet their dietary needs”

“We urge TTB to act quickly to revise their 2014 interim policy on gluten content statements to align with FDA’s final rule and begin allowing ‘gluten-free’ statements on distilled spirits products made from gluten-containing grains.