Dear FDA Gluten-Free Guidelines,

We can be happy and healthy if we avoid gluten free cross contamination risks.

Thank you for the steps ahead for gluten-free guidelines as the entire gluten-free community does appreciate your efforts, but there is still way too much confusion out there since there was no major public announcement to educate the good people of the world. Why not?

I feel that FDA definition of gluten-free guideline for August 2014 is truly loose and misleading for those industry leaders who are involved and the everyday public as a whole to keep interpreting. There seems to be very hazy policing protocol or standard examples that show right and wrong for brand labeling and restaurants and their silly menus with disclaimers. I've traveled to see how restaurants and brands and I won't eat out 99% of the time.  

Without clear and present danger, the restaurant industry serves food to the public without any repercussions. Is that fair? Many brands continue to voluntarily label gluten-free without responsibility, is that fair? So what will happen in August 2014 of those that get "caught" on mislabeling or in restaurants?  Restaurants that claim separate utensils, ingredient line cooking and take extra care is promising, but how will they "verify gluten-free" from airborne, hands and aprons in the kitchen moving around like race cars? Having gluten-free menus that have cross contamination can not be the future of the great USA can it really?  It all feels like a bad movie. 

Most of the gluten-free community doesn't even know what gluten is because people choose their own paths and are inherently naive to complicated matters. It takes research and dedication to learn and it's not taught in schools. That's a separate issue. There will always be late adaptors who just don't know. That doesn't bother me as much of the lack of regulation that is going on to help guide those who are empowered to promise safe food to the public. The gluten-free community who actually suffer from legit illness will continue to accidentally get poisoned each and every day with each risk they take at restaurants/brands whom offer misleading safe food, but take no responsibility. Medical studies show that gluten-free consumers are still unhealthy and it's likely because of a universal lack of education by food authorities and trust too often to fit in socially. 

As for the brands who received 3rd party gluten-free verifications (<20 ppm, but preferrably <10 ppm or <5 ppm) for each batch and dedicated efforts to contamination free facilities, thank you so much! We love you! Your products will continue to be supported and please contact me anytime to review and share truly all-natural verified products for me to share with my fantastic community. We'd love to hear from you directly!

It's an individual's decision to put food in their own mouth, buy a product or receive anything and consume it. However, responsibility and transparency is needed and let's utilize gluten-free labeling as an example forward to avoid innocent "cross contamination" for all with legitimate labeling for a community supported governing system that enables our freedoms and dreams.