Free from the grains wheat, barley, rye, and their derivatives, and thereby safe for those with celiac disease to eat.
As yet, the U.S. FDA has no firm rule for the use of the term "gluten-free" on food packaging, although a proposed rule would set the maximum allowable level of gluten in such products at 20 ppm (parts per million). The Codex Alimentarius, which regulates food labeling in much of the rest of the world, is in the process of changing to a limit of 20 ppm for products labeled "gluten-free" and 21 to 100 ppm for products labeled "very low gluten."
Sources:
Celiac Sprue Association. Product Labeling: Defining the Term Gluten-Free. Internet Resource. 17 June 2009.
Coeliac UK. Codex Standard for Gluten. Internet Resource. 17 June 2009.
