Allergen Statements

Wheat is a top-8 allergen and is required, by law, to be listed on ingredient labels, but rye, barley, and oats are not. If there is wheat, in any form, it is required to be listed directly or in parenthesis when it is derived from wheat. The other top allergens that are required to be listed are: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, & soybeans. If the Food Labeling Modernization Act (FLMA) of 2021 (H.R.4917 and S.2594) passes, barley and rye will be added to the list of top allergens.

Allergen statements, beyond the required top-8 and the nutrition information, are voluntary. Statements like “may contain…” “processed in a facility that uses…” “made in a shared facility that uses…” “processed on equipment that uses…” are all voluntary.

Some products that carry an official 3rd party certification label may also have a “processed in a facility that uses…” or “made in a facility that uses…” on their packaging. The facility might be a huge warehouse with gluten containing products being produced at one end and gluten free on the other, never coming into close contact. They are trying to be transparent, but this can feel confusing, but the product is still considered safe.

The 3rd party certification label can still be trusted, click here to Learn More.