Where did the 20ppm standard for gluten contamination come from?  Did you ever think about how that standard came into being?

Well, let me tell you a tale!

In 2008, a research team began an investigation. They wanted to find out how much gluten a celiac could consume without harming their systems.  Three groups consumed varying amounts of gluten in a capsule for 90 days.  One group had 0mg of additional gluten. Another group had 10mg of additional gluten. The third group consumed 50mg of additional gluten.

The study concluded that celiac patients should consume less than 50mg of gluten per day. This amount helps prevent relapse of symptoms. It also prevents damage to their small intestine.  This study is considered the seminal study of gluten consumption and damage to celiac patients.  Study link here -> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523278806

In 2011, Alessio Fasano wrote an open letter to the FDA. He supported the 20ppm designation for gluten free foods.  That letter is titled “In Defense of 20 parts per million”.  It’s a PDF everywhere and hard to link. A quick google search will help you find it. 

Then in 2013, the FDA defined what gluten free meant in the US. Besides the limit of gluten to 20ppm, the following must be true:

1. The food cannot contain an ingredient that is any type of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds.
2. The food cannot contain any ingredient derived from these grains that has not been processed to remove gluten.
3. An ingredient is derived from these grains and been processed to remove gluten. The resulting food cannot contain more than 20ppm of gluten.

In August 2014, food manufacturers had to begin complying with these rules and their labels 

The certified gluten free label came into being in 2005 with Gluten Free Certification Organization.  Their certification guarantees products are below the 20ppm gluten threshold.

Just a little bit of history on where the 20ppm standard in gluten free foods came from!