Responding to recent changes in Food & Drug Administration rules, Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau said it was revising its policy on when the term “gluten free” would be permitted on labels and in advertisements for wines, distilled spirits, and malt beverages regulated under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act).
The main points of TTB Ruling 2020-2 are:
- The term “gluten-free ”continues to be authorized if the product would be entitled to make a “gluten-free” labeling claim under the definition in FDA regulations.
- In light of changes to FDA’s regulations, the term “gluten-free” can be used for distilled spirits distilled from gluten-containing grains as long as good manufacturing practices are followed that prevent the introduction of any gluten-containing material into the final product.
- Labels and advertisements for products fermented from gluten-containing grains may continued to bear a claim that the product was processed (or treated or crafted) to remove gluten, if the claim includes an appropriate qualifying statement and necessary documentation is available to substantiate the claim.
This ruling does not require any changes to approved labels, TTB said. Instead, it allows greater flexibility for industry members who wish to make voluntary “gluten-free” claims on labels or in advertisements of distilled spirits distilled from gluten-containing grains, subject to the conditions of this ruling.