Gluten: reading a label

If a product is labeled “Gluten Free”, it is safe for people with celiac disease

Third-party certifications exist to monitor manufacturers, but thus far research shows that both labeled and certified GF foods are both safe for people with celiac disease

When a product is not labeled “gluten free,” you can determine if it is safe to eat by reading the ingredients label:

• Read the “Contains” allergen statement at the bottom of the label.
• If wheat is listed in the “contains” statement, the product is not gluten free.
• If wheat is NOT listed in the “contains” statement, you must look for the following ingredients:
  
  1. Always avoid:
     • Wheat, wheat starch
     • Rye
     • Barley, brewer’s yeast
     • Malt extract, malt vinegar, malt flavor
  2. Avoid if product is not labeled GF:
     • Oats, oat bran, oat flour
     • Yeast (autolyzed or extract)
     • Smoke flavor from barley
     • Natural flavor from barley

• Voluntary advisory statements

  • “May contain wheat” and “processed in a facility/on equipment that processes wheat” are voluntary statements NOT regulated by FDA.
  • Products labeled “gluten free” and with a voluntary advisory statement are safe for people with celiac disease.
  • Research indicates that these labels are unreliable. Many products without the advisory statement are just as likely to unsafe for people with celiac disease as products with the advisory statement. Gluten contamination was found most often in products containing oats and with an advisory statement, which is why oats should only be consumed when labeled “gluten-free.”

• Alcohol

  • Alcoholic beverages labeled “gluten free” are safe for those with celiac disease.
  • Those labeled “gluten removed” or “processed to remove gluten” are not safe for those with celiac disease.
  • Wine, fruit cider (without barley malt) and distilled liquor are all gluten free.
  • Beer and other malted beverages with barley are not safe for people with celiac disease.