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Yes, coeliac disease can affect children of any age after foods containing gluten have been introduced into the diet. 

Whilst most Bisto Best products are not made with gluten containing ingredients, you will notice that the manufacturer, Premier Foods, has included a ‘May Contain’ statement on the packaging. This is in line with best practice guidance for including gluten contamination advice on labels.

Bisto Best is made on equipment which is also used for products containing wheat flour. Although there are controls in place to reduce the risk of cross contamination, Premier Foods cannot remove the risk of gluten contamination completely.

Previously, we have listed Bisto Best products that were not made with gluten containing ingredients as the product when prepared for consumption, would be suitable for a gluten free diet. Under our new policy, we are asking food manufacturers who include a ‘May Contain’ to consider the threshold for gluten free (< 20 ppm gluten) and if they have determined their products consistently have no more than 20 ppm gluten, to also consider labelling them gluten free. In the absence of a gluten free label they will no longer be included in our food information listings. We are continuing to engage with the manufacturers to achieve a commitment to enable these products to be labelled gluten free in the future.

Premier Foods have a Bisto gravy which is labelled gluten free, this product can be found in most Free From supermarket sections.

If you need more information, please contact Premier Foods on 0800 234 6328.

There are a number of supermarket own brand cereals which contain small amounts barley malt extract.

Foods that contain small amounts of barley malt extract can be eaten by people with coeliac disease if they contain 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten or less. Cereals which contain barley malt extract will still have to highlight barley in the ingredients list due to labelling laws, and you won’t be able to tell how much has been used from the list alone, unless the product is labelled gluten free.

Previously we would list some supermarket own brand breakfast cereals which contained barley malt extract in our Food Information listings if we’d received confirmation that the product contained 20 ppm or less of gluten. Under our new policy, we are asking food manufacturers who produce products made with ingredients from gluten containing grains, such as barley malt extract to not only confirm to us that their products have been tested and shown to have no more than 20 ppm gluten, but also to label them gluten free. In the absence of a gluten free label they will no longer be included in our Food Information listings. We are continuing to engage with manufacturers to achieve a commitment to enable these products to be labelled gluten free in the future.

Some retailers have their own Free From breakfast cereals these can be found over on our online Food and Drink Information page and dedicated ready made lists for gluten free breakfast cereals.

Kellogg’s regular cereals contain barley malt extract as a flavouring. Barley malt extract and malt flavourings are commonly made from barley, although they can be produced from other grains. Kellogg’s gluten free cereals are listed in the food and Drink Information Service.

Foods that contain small amounts of barley malt extract can be eaten by people with coeliac disease if they contain 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten or less. However, these foods will still have barley highlighted in the ingredients list due to labelling laws, and you won’t be able to tell how much has been used from the list alone, unless the product is labelled gluten free.  

Previously, we listed products which contained barley malt extract in our Food Information listings if we’d received confirmation that the product contained 20 ppm or less of gluten. Under our new policy, we are asking food manufacturers who produce products made with ingredients from gluten containing grains, such as barley malt extract, to not only confirm to us that their products have been tested and shown to have no more than 20 ppm gluten, but also to label them gluten free. In the absence of a gluten free label they will no longer be included in our Food Information listings. We are continuing to engage with the manufacturers to achieve a commitment to enable these products to be labelled gluten free in the future.

Some retailers have their own Free From breakfast cereals these can be found over on our online Food and Drink Information page and dedicated ready made lists for gluten free breakfast cereals.

Products made from gluten containing cereals (wheat, barley, rye) can only be labelled gluten free if they have been processed to remove the gluten and contain no more than 20 ppm gluten. The grain wheat/barley/rye must also be labelled and will be emphasised in the ingredients list if it is in a food. If you are looking at a beer, there will be a ‘contains wheat/barley/rye’ statement. This helps the consumer to distinguish between products made with naturally gluten free ingredients and those with a gluten removed grain, so they can make a personal choice.

We are also asking producers to provide additional information to help you make an informed choice. On beers advertised with Coeliac UK or listed in our Food and Drink Information you will see one of the following statements:

1.    Our gluten free beers are made from gluten containing grains where the gluten has been removed.

OR

2.    Our gluten free beers are made from ingredients that do not contain gluten.

There is individual sensitivity amongst people with coeliac disease. Symptoms can be due to a range of issues. For anyone experiencing symptoms it is important that they speak with their local healthcare team as they are best placed to advise on an individual’s personal circumstances.

There have been no formal clinical investigations on how different types of beer might be tolerated by people with coeliac disease. It is unlikely that it would be ethically possible to develop a clinical trial where volunteers are requested to drink alcohol. An alternative may be an observational study, monitoring the different diets of the coeliac population and any impact on health outcomes.      

Our new app will be available from 4 January 2023.  

If you have auto-update enabled on your phone, then you will automatically get the new app as soon as it’s released from the relevant app stores. If you have auto-update disabled, then you will need to manually update the app.  

Please note the new app is a replacement of the current Gluten Free Food Checker. Please note that once the new app has been installed on your phone, the app image icon will be the Coeliac UK logo and the name will be Coeliac UK. 

By law, manufacturers can only label their beer gluten free if it contains 20 ppm or less of gluten. Laboratory testing is the best way to assess the amount of gluten in a product, but there can be difficulties when testing beer using the usual R5 ELISA Sandwich method (commonly used for foods), due to the gluten being broken down. An alternative method is available (R5 ELISA Competitive) which is a more effective way to measure the gluten in beer and other hydrolysed or fermented products.

Scientists continue to explore other techniques to try to further advance the analysis of gluten in food and drink products such as mass spectrometry, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), aptamers. There are pros and cons with all testing methods and we look to the experts for the very best and latest advice such as the Prolamin Working Group , Codex Alimentarius and our Food Standards Committee. The approved method for testing gluten in beers is currently the R5 ELISA Competitive method but Coeliac UK and producers remain engaged with experts and global research exploring potential new test methods.

Find out more about how gluten free beer is made by clicking here.

This information is based on the advice of our Food Standards Committee, Health Advisory Council and/or the Prolamin Working Group.

Find out more about analysis of gluten in fermented and hydrolysed GF products here.