Wheat in the United States: label rules and introduction guidance

Is wheat on the FDA's list of 9 major food allergens?

The US rule names wheat itself, not 'cereals containing gluten' as the EU and UK do. FDA's Edition 5 guidance defines wheat as any species of the genus Triticum, which brings in common wheat, durum wheat and semolina, club wheat, spelt, einkorn, emmer, Khorasan and triticale. Each must be traceable to wheat on the label, for example 'flour (wheat)', which is one of FDA's own examples, or a 'Contains wheat' statement. Barley, rye and oats are not on the US major allergen list, so they appear in the ingredient list by name but are not repeated in the 'Contains' statement. A 'gluten-free' claim is governed by a separate FDA rule and is not the same thing as the allergen declaration.

In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the FASTER Act, names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. A packaged food has to declare each one either in parentheses after an ingredient, such as 'whey (milk)', or in a 'Contains' statement printed immediately after or next to the ingredient list.

• FDA: Food Allergies
• FDA: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens (Edition 5, January 2025)

What CDC guidance says about introducing wheat

CDC includes wheat in its four examples of potentially allergenic foods and advises introducing them when you introduce other foods. Wheat often turns up in ordinary first foods such as infant cereal, bread or pasta, so its first appearance can be easy to miss in a busy week. The NIAID addendum does not cover wheat. Wheat allergy and coeliac disease are different conditions, and the allergen label is written for the first; if either runs in your family, ask your paediatrician about timing.

US advice on first foods comes from several places. CDC's page for parents says to introduce potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other foods. For peanut specifically, an expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published addendum guidelines in 2017. Neither replaces a conversation with your paediatrician about your own baby.

• CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods

Logging wheat in the app

Set your region to the United States and the app's allergen schedule follows the FDA's nine. In the schedule, wheat appears as Wheat. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Wheat often arrives in several foods in one week; logging each one keeps the first exposure clear. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.