This guidance changes slightly depending on whether you live by yourself or if other people (family, friends, roommates) are using the same space.
Gluten Avoidance
The safest method is to keep all gluten containing products out of your space, although this is not always practical if you live with others. There are a few ways to do this. Depending on your situation, the order may change, but these are mostly listed here from most effective to what creates the greatest risk or anxiety.
Unprocessed products (things that physically cannot have gluten inside them, such as uncut fruits & vegetables or cuts of meat)
Products that are certified gluten-free (typically <10 ppm gluten)
Products that are tested to be gluten-free (presumably <20 ppm gluten)
Products from someone you trust to prepare a gluten-free food
Products that claim to be gluten-free without verification (maybe gluten-free?)
Products that should be gluten-free but have not been tested (typically labelled as “may contain)*
*Wheat-based ingredients such as wheat starch may be naturally gluten-free, but easily contaminated if not pure, making them higher risk. The same goes for oats or anything processed in a shared facility without testing and verification.
Verification
“Gluten-free” as defined by the FDA means a product contains <20 ppm gluten. Most gluten-free certifications require <10 ppm gluten. If a product is certified gluten-free, the manufacturer has tested it and those results have been verified by a third party that provides the certification. Some manufacturers test below this level, as low as 5 ppm or 2.5 ppm using laboratory tests. Testing down to 10 ppm can be done at home for ~$11-13/test (EZ Gluten is one of those tests). For any verification, it is important to use a test or test provider that is qualified for the test in question. Specifically, laboratories should be accredited to ISO 17025 and test kits should have a PTMSM certification. These are the requirements used by certifying bodies to accept testing results as valid.
Education
Unless you are just beginning your gluten-free journey, you are probably already aware of most of this information. Whether you are just starting out or looking for more, it is important to be educated about gluten, what it is, why it is harmful to some people, and how to avoid it. Being well-versed also allows you to be an advocate for yourself, others, and for customers (for those of you who may be in food manufacturing or food service). If you are looking for additional information, you may seek out seminars, conferences, test kits manufacturers, and accredited testing laboratories (we are just one such laboratory) to answer questions and provide you with additional tools for navigating a gluten-free journey. We’ve also covered some of the basics in a previous blog post which you can find here.
We are always happy to provide information here or by answering your questions directly. Every single person at ELISA Technologies has worked with EZ Gluten, including multiple PhD scientists on staff with extensive backgrounds in medicine, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry. Most people here can answer your questions, and, if we don’t have an answer, we can likely find someone who does.