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This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dive Brief:<\/p>\n The Trump administration is exploring whether food packaging should disclose whether products contain gluten, one of a litany of policy ideas in a long-awaited “Make America Healthy Again” strategy report<\/a> released on Tuesday. Dive Insight:<\/p>\n Around 2 million Americans have Celiac disease, a chronic digestive and immune disorder triggered by foods that contain gluten like pasta, bread and cake. While companies can voluntarily disclose when their products are gluten-free<\/a>, there is no requirement to say when the ingredient is present.<\/p>\n New Zealand and Australia are among the few countries<\/a> that require the disclosure of gluten in food. In the U.S., companies are only required to disclose when products have one of nine major allergens<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gluten isn\u2019t considered a major allergen, though wheat \u2013 which contains gluten \u2014 is. While the Trump administration’s proposal is light on details, it could require companies to undertake costly packaging redesigns to comply and open the door to further disclosure requirements for other ingredients. The document did not specify which \u201cestablished food allergens\u201d could also be targeted for labeling requirements beyond gluten.<\/p>\n For the most part, MAHA\u2019s policy roadmap stresses the need for research and private sector collaboration over regulation. However, the administration teased the possibility of putting certain rules in place, including the gluten disclosure requirement and limits on marketing unhealthy foods to children<\/a>.<\/p>\n The report contains 128 strategies on a variety of topics, largely outlining previously announced goals of the FDA. The agency, for example, is working on a definition for ultraprocessed foods<\/a> and eliminating the GRAS ingredient approval process<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThe FDA will make recommendations about requiring food packaging to state when products contain ingredients “that impact certain health conditions, such as gluten for those with Celiac disease, and other established food allergens.”
\nThe proposal was one of the few potential regulations outlined in a White House report to improve children’s health. The 20-page report largely stressed voluntary action and expanded consumer education on issues including ultraprocessed foods and artificial dyes.<\/p>\n