Coeliac Australia is advocating that the government redefine the gluten-free standard in Australia.
The organisation has approached FSANZ and the ACCC to alter the standard to meet the internationally accepted definition of gluten-free, which is less than 20 parts per million (ppm). Currently, for a product to be labelled ‘gluten-free’ in Australia it needs to contain less than 3ppm (currently the lowest level the testing can detect). This can create problems, according to Coeliac Australia, because products labelled gluten-free in Europe may not necessarily be gluten-free in Australia, restricting the amount of foods that can be safely eaten by those with coeliac disease.