What's The Actual Difference Between Gluten-Free And Gluten-Friendly?

Checking the labels is a big part of what it's like to live gluten-free. Making sure food items don't contain gluten is not as easy as it seems — first, there are certain foods you may think are gluten-free but aren't. And second, the labels themselves can be confusing. Most of the products catering to customers who don't consume gluten will either carry a gluten-free or gluten-friendly label, but the two are very much not the same thing. The gluten-free label is regulated by the FDA and officially signifies that the product is safe for those with celiac disease. The gluten-friendly label is neither official nor regulated, therefore it's use is left entirely up to manufacturers.

The FDA's regulation of the "gluten-free" label has only been around since 2013 and aims to protect people with celiac disease — an autoimmune disorder for which the only treatment is a diet completely free of gluten. Other labels that fall under this regulation include "without gluten," "free of gluten," and "no gluten." Should a product bear any of these labels, you can be certain it contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten, a range that's internationally recognized as safe. The gluten-free label is therefore more reliable than gluten-friendly and should be the main compass for people with the worst case of gluten allergy.

The gluten-free market is rapidly growing every single year, and gluten-free options tend to cost more. Consequently, more food manufacturers want to highlight on the packaging when their product doesn't contain any glutenous ingredients — but that is not the same as it being certified gluten-free per the FDA's standards. This is why companies and restaurants will use the label "gluten-friendly" instead; it signifies that the ingredient list itself doesn't contain gluten, but the place where the food is prepared could be cross-contaminated. Contamination happens when foods that include gluten are prepared in the same space, often with the same equipment — utensils, machines, cutting boards, trays, etc. Particles of glutenous flour could also stay in the air and so contaminate the food. People with celiac disease should not be consuming any food that's only labeled as gluten-friendly.

That rule doesn't apply to non-celiac gluten sensitivity, though. That's a form of food intolerance that affects approximately 6% of Americans, and people with this type of sensitivity have a wider range of gluten tolerance — meaning, they could still consume a smaller amount of it and not experience symptoms. They are also not at risk for getting sick from cross-contamination. For them, food labeled as gluten-friendly is usually completely safe.