Common errors in reading food labels

Food labeling is crucial for people who must avoid gluten, as they must ensure that the products they consume do not contain gluten. Labels are required to declare the presence of any of the 14 allergens recognized in international regulations. Gluten is one of them. However, reading food labels can be confusing.

Here are some common mistakes people can make when reading gluten-free food labels:

• Not reading the full list of ingredients: Sometimes, people only read the list of ingredients highlighted in bold and not the entire list. This can be a mistake, as some ingredients may contain gluten, but not be highlighted in bold.

• Confusing the terms Gluten-Free and Low-Gluten: Although they look the same, these terms have different meanings. Gluten-free means that the product has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, while low gluten contains 20 ppm to 100 ppm and is not suitable for celiacs. It is important to understand the difference between these terms.

• Not checking the label every time: Sometimes people may buy a product they know is gluten-free and not check the label every time they buy it. However, recipes and ingredients can change over time, so it is important to check the label each time a product is purchased.

• Not reading the label on a new product: Someti