Frito-Lay, which announced last year that it would place gluten-free labels on certain products, today took its gluten-free initiative one step further: The company says it has developed a gluten-free validation process to test ingredients and finished products to ensure they contain less than the generally accepted "gluten-free" standard of 20 parts per million of gluten.

An assortment of products from Fritos, Lay's, Doritos, Ruffles, Santitas, Tostitos and Cheetos all will carry gluten-free icons or statements, Frito-Lay says.

The gluten-free claim that Frito-Lay says it will add to qualified products will appear in the form of a "GF" icon and/or a statement on the back of the product's bag. These packaging changes are being phased in, and some products may not get their "GF" designation for some time, the company says.

However, the "gluten-free" product list maintained at Frito-Lay's website is accurate, the company says. As of today, there are 33 products on Frito-Lay's U.S. gluten-free products list. The list also includes more than 100 products that "contain no gluten ingredients," but which aren't tested for gluten.

Frito-Lay says it developed its 20ppm validation process with input from the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program and the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF).

The announcement from Frito-Lay is great news for the gluten-free community, but I need to add one caveat: these products meet the generally accepted 20ppm standard for gluten cross-contamination, but they are not certified gluten-free, which requires stricter testing, ingredient verification and a more stringent standard of no more than 10 parts per million gluten in the product.

There are plenty of people who react to the trace gluten found in foods tested to only 20 parts per million or even to 10 parts per million (see: I'm eating gluten-free, but I still have gluten symptoms.  Why am I getting sick? for more information). The bottom line is, your mileage may vary, so you might not want to consume that whole bag of Cheetos at once.

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This spring, Omission Beer announced it would be launching a "gluten-free" beer made from de-glutened barley in the U.S. beer market, starting in Oregon. The beer joins Estrella Damm Daura, another barley-based beer being marketed as gluten-free, and between the two, they aim to provide options to those who want their beer to taste like "real" beer but yet remain gluten-free.

From the reviews out there, both beers seem to succeed pretty well in the taste department. But do they succeed in the "gluten-free" department? That's not clear, but there are some troubling (but unverified) reports online involving glutenings the writers attributed to Daura beer.

Omission says its proprietary brewing process brings the gluten level down well below the generally accepted standard of 20 parts per million (although the company doesn't name a figure). Daura states it contains 6 parts per million of gluten -- again, well below 20ppm.

I should state up front that I'm not going to review either of these beers -- I'm much too sensitive to willingly drink something with detectable levels of gluten in it. But I know many readers are interested in these beers, and some may even have tried them. If this describes you (or if you have an opinion on this subject), I'd love it if you'd vote in this one-question poll:

Also, if you have more thoughts on this (or even reviews of these beers), share them in the Comments section below. And if you're looking for information on what different beers are available, see my article Gluten-Free Beer.

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Photo © Getty Images/Pat LaCroix

Just in time for National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, the extremely-gluten-free-friendly supermarket chain Wegmans is becoming even more gluten-free friendly by introducing its own line of gluten-free products, all of which seem pretty reasonably priced to me (a real benefit).

For example, gluten-free spaghetti, fusilli, penne and elbows (all corn-based) will sell in 1 lb. boxes for $2.49, while cake mixes in vanilla and chocolate (each of which will make one 8-inch round cake layer) will sell for $3.49.

Meanwhile, the new gluten-free sugar cookie mix will cost $3.49 (it makes 22 cookies), and the double chocolate brownie mix will make one 8-inch square pan of brownies and retails for $3.49.

Wegmans says it tested and tweaked the recipes for a year before choosing the first products in the gluten-free line. The company says it does not test its products to make certain they're free of gluten cross-contamination, but instead works with its suppliers to make sure they are extremely diligent about keeping any potential source of gluten out.

Wegmans shoppers will find the new pasta and mixes in both the Nature's Marketplace store section and in the regular pasta and baking aisles. The 80-store chain has outlets in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.

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Photo © Wegmans

Scientists have been speculating about a potential link between gluten and the severe psychiatric illness schizophrenia for decades (ever hear the term "bread madness"?), but they haven't found many clear connections.

However, a new study from scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore report there is a link ... between antibodies to gluten in the mother and schizophrenia in her children.

The new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, doesn't conclude that gluten antibodies in the mother cause schizophrenia in her offspring. But the research indicates that high levels of such antibodies in the mother may increase the risk of schizophrenia in her children.

The study examined 764 birth records and neonatal blood samples of Swedes born between 1975 and 1985. A total of 211 study subjects had documented schizophrenia and delusional disorders, while the rest were considered control subjects.

Using the blood samples, the researchers measured levels of IgG antibodies to milk and wheat. IgG antibodies are not considered specific to celiac disease (although they're frequently found in people with celiac), but can be used to detect immune system activity against gluten, such as might be found in non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Children whose mothers had high levels of IgG antibodies against wheat had nearly twice the risk of schizophrenia later in life, the study found. The risk of schizophrenia was not elevated for children of mothers who had high levels of antibodies against milk protein.

The research team already is working on follow-up studies to determine the mechanism behind the increased risk of schizophrenia, and whether that increased risk occurs only in people with specific genes.

For more information on schizophrenia and how it relates to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, see my article Gluten and Schizophrenia.

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Photo © Getty Images/Lisa Valder