On April 26, 2023, the Food Labeling Modernization Act (FLMA) of 2023 (H.R. 2901 and S. 1289) was introduced in the 118th Congress by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined as original cosponsors of the legislation in their respective chambers. This legislation would update front-of-package food labeling requirements, require updates to the ingredients list on packaged foods, and apply consumer friendly labeling requirements, including the disclosure of gluten-containing grains.
Certain food ingredients pose risks to people with medical conditions, including the more than three million Americans with celiac disease, a serious genetic autoimmune disease. It’s currently far too difficult to figure out whether and how much of these ingredients are present in foods. For those with celiac disease, ingesting gluten- a protein found in wheat, barely and rye sources- causes damage to the villi of the small intestine, leading to long-term health complications, including heart disease and cancers.
Food labels can play an important role in managing diet-related diseases, yet federal labeling rules have not kept up with the changing marketplace, and current food labels do not provide the simple, straightforward information that celiac patients need to evaluate products and make healthy choices.
Please join us in asking your Members of Congress to support the Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2023, to make it easier and safer for individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to purchase food items by disclosing if foods contain gluten.
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