Understanding Gluten Free Food Labelling

When buying packaged food in the UK, manufacturers must list all the ingredients. These must be labelled following certain guidelines. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some food labelling and how gluten and other allergens are identified.

Allergy advice label on food packet
Allergy advice label on food packet

Food containing gluten and other allergens

Any allergens must be emphasised on the ingredients list. They usually appear in bold.

Food label highlighting allergens
Food packaging label with allergens highlighted

Food labelled as gluten free

Food can only be labelled as gluten free if it contains 20 parts per million (ppm) or less of gluten. This is safe for those with coeliac disease.

Gluten free and crossed grain symbol
Gluten free and crossed grain symbol

Foods with no gluten containing ingredients but risk of cross contamination

You may also see labels such as ‘may contain traces of gluten’ and ‘made in a factory also handling wheat’. The manufacturer has determined that there is a risk of gluten contamination to the product. These foods are best avoided if you have coeliac disease.

Food packaging ingredients label
Food Packaging Ingredients Label

Food with no gluten containing ingredients

Some foods naturally do not contain any gluten but are not labelled as gluten free. If these do not carry any warnings about cross contamination, they should be safe to eat for those with coeliac disease.

Food ingredients label
Food ingredients label
Food packaging label with allergy advice
Food packaging label with allergy advice

Gluten free wheat starch

Occasionally you may come across a product with gluten free wheat starch. This is where the wheat contains a level of gluten that is within the minimum requirements for coeliacs. An example is the label below from a packet of Juvela flour. It states that the wheat starch is complies with the Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten free food.

Gluten free wheat starch
Gluten free wheat starch

Is vinegar gluten free?

Vinegar always confuses me! Regular vinegar or white vinegar is usually labelled as barley malt vinegar. The ingredients list shows barley in bold to indicate that it’s an allergen. This immediately makes me think that I need to avoid this product.

Vinegar
Vinegar

However, according to the coeliac society, barley malt vinegar is safe to eat as it is made using a fermentation process. The level of gluten in the end product is below the safe level for those of us with coeliac disease.

Barley Malt Extract

Foods with barley malt extract will have barley highlighted in the ingredients list. It’s often found in breakfast cereals. As the levels can vary in different products, I only use the product if it specifies that it is gluten free or if I am able to confirm with the coeliac society that the product is gluten free.

Food label with barley malt extract
Food label with barley malt extract