Comparing the FASTER Act with the Celiac Safety Act - Two Bills, Major Differences, Millions of Lives at Stake
- Jon Bari
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Below are some of the key differences between the Food Allergy, Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2026 (FASTER Act of 2026) and the Celiac Safety Act:
FASTER Act requires that Oats are labeled as a Major Food Allergen along with Barley and Rye. Oats are required to be labeled in many other countries including in Canada, in Mexico, in the United Kingdom and across the European Union.
FASTER Act requires the HHS Secretary to issue a comprehensive report on Celiac Disease (diagnostics, treatment, research, prevention of new cases).
FASTER Act requires FDA to update the Compliance Policy Guide.
FASTER Act does not have any special interests behind it (i.e., "Big Food" like General Mills which is the largest seller of Oats)
FASTER Act is designed to better protect and estimated 26.2 million Americans have some type of food allergy or intolerance to gluten: 3.3 million with Celiac Disease, 20 million with gluten intolerance, 2.4 million with an IgE-mediated wheat allergy with potential cross-reactivity to barley, rye, and oats, and 0.5 million with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
For additional information on the global best practices for labeling Gluten-containing grains including wheat, barley, rye and oats, see the UK's Food & Drink Federation's "Gluten Labelling Guidance: Best Practice for Prepacked Foods which Include or Exclude Cereals Containing Gluten."
Additionally, please see the following article, "Hey FDA - Let's Follow the UK's Food Standards Agency and the UK's Food & Drink Federation: Best Practices for Labeling Gluten on Packaged Foods."
The FASTER Act of 2026 is modeled after the FASTER Act of 2021 (which required Sesame labeling as the 9th Major Food Allergen) in which the Congressional Budget Office estimated the new FDA staffing and related expenses would cost about $5 million over the 2021-2025 period.
