Many people have been asking us at the cafe if we offer Gluten-free products. There is a rise in cases of Celiac and other intestinal ailments around glutens.
Gluten is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. These exist, conjoined with starch, in the endosperms of some grass-related grains, notably wheat, rye, and barley. Gliadin and glutenin comprise about 80% of the protein contained in wheat seed. Being insoluble in water, they can be purified by washing away the associated starch. Worldwide, gluten is an important source of nutritional protein, both in foods prepared directly from foods containing it, and as an additive to foods otherwise low in protein.
Shaklee scientists are hard at work testing our nutritional supplements for the presence of gluten so we can make a “Gluten Free” claim for those products that pass the test—great news for our gluten sensitive customers and for Distributors and Business Leaders marketing our products to people who are or may be sensitive to gluten.
To date, there has been no legal requirement to test for gluten to make a “Gluten-Free” claim, nor has the FDA provided a final definition of what “Gluten Free” means or established a gluten threshold standard to test against. Despite these facts, many companies have marketed gluten-free products basing their claims simply on the absence of ingredients that contain gluten. While generally reliable, that practice has never met Shaklee’s quality standards. However, with the passing of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act in 2004, the FDA has now issued a proposed rule defining the claim “gluten free” for voluntary use in labeling food and dietary supplements. The proposed rule also included an established “gluten threshold” to test against. Although a final rule is still pending, based on the proposed rule, established testing standards and the increase in demand from Shaklee consumers, we are now able to test for the presence of gluten in Shaklee nutrition products and make “Gluten Free” claims on products that meet the label claim criteria.
It should be noted that the majority of Shaklee nutrition products do not have gluten containing ingredients, with the exceptions of Herb-Lax®, Vita-E® 400 IU Tablets, Iron Plus C, Zinc, and the Cinch™ Meal-in-a-Bar products.
We are excited to announce that Shaklee has begun testing our products and as a result, customers will begin seeing new labels with the “Gluten Free” claim on selected products over the next several months, with the first appearing on Shaklee Vita-C Sustained Release in late April or early May.
