Questions related to: Is it compulsory for manufacturers or caterers to indicate whether a product is suitable for people with coeliac disease?
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Which products can't display the Crossed Grain symbol?
The Crossed Grain symbol can be licensed only for multiple ingredient and/or processed products. Products cannot be licensed if they are composed of a single ingredient or are unprocessed in nature. For example, fresh fruit and vegetables cannot be licensed as they are naturally gluten free; but fruit bars can be licensed as they have undergone a process which may hold a risk for gluten contamination. For a full list of products that are not permitted to display the Crossed Grain symbol please see Appendix One of the Licensing Information Pack.
How can my catering business become accredited?
We have a great gluten free accreditation in place that is widely recognised and trusted by the gluten free community. You can become GF accredited by applying and adhering to our gluten free standards.
To find out more on how to become accredited, head over to our gluten free accreditation page.
How can I get my products tested for gluten?
It is strongly recommended that you use a UKAS accredited laboratory for testing. To find an accredited laboratory please visit the UKAS website.
You can find out more information on the recommended tests here.
Why aren’t some manufacturers or brands listed in the Guide?
We have endeavoured to increase the number of products and manufacturers listed in this year’s Food and Drink Guide by contacting over 200 manufacturers and sourcing product information from a third party, Brandbank. By changing the way we collect the information for the Guide we are pleased to list over 20,000 products. If you can’t find a particular brand in the Guide this may be because they have not provided us with information and have not provided information to Brandbank. It might also be because the product contains gluten.
If you are unsure whether you can eat a particular product you can check the label. For more information on reading labels please visit www.coeliac.org.uk/labels.
Do I need to label gluten free on my menu?
There is no legal requirement to do so. However, as with vegetarian food, it is very helpful for your customers to be able to easily see what is gluten free. Any changes in recipes and ingredients may change the suitability of the menu choice, so menu labelling will need to be kept up to date.
The best way to show that your menu is gluten-free is to apply for Coeliac UK accreditation which enables you to use our trademarked symbols on your menu, website and marketing materials. More information on accrediting your business can be found on our accreditation page.
Food businesses must provide allergen information for the meals they serve. This means if a recipe uses cereals containing gluten such as wheat, rye, barley or oats in the ingredients, they must provide this information. Read more about the changes to food information provision from December 2014.
I’m confused by the ‘very low gluten’ label. Can I eat foods labelled as this?
This covers foods containing between 21 and 100ppm gluten.
Specialist substitute products (such as breads and flour mixes) that contain a gluten reduced ingredient (gluten free wheat starch) with a gluten level above 21 and up to 100 ppm may be labelled as ‘very low gluten’. There aren’t any foods currently labelled ‘very low gluten’ in the UK.
The first law around the use of the term gluten free was published in January 2009 and introduced in January 2012. This law is based on the revised international Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten free, published in 2008.
What should I do if my local restaurant hasn’t heard about the law on gluten-free?
Give them more information about the law or pass them onto us and we can help. We have lots of information in our Food Industry Professionals section.
Welsh Assembly Member and Coeliac UK Governor Dai Lloyd asked the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport for a statement on gluten-free prescriptions. What was the response?
Vaughan Gething AM said:
Gluten-free products are an essential part of the clinical treatment of coeliac disease. National prescribing guidance was published in 2013 to support healthcare professionals in the management of patients with coeliac disease. Coeliac UK has supported the development of the guidance including the updated version published in March 2016.
Read in more detail at:
30 June 2017
13 July 2016
www.assembly.wales/en/bus-home/pages/qnr.aspx?meetingid=3617&assembly=5&c=Record%20of%20Proceedings
Why isn’t Coeliac UK taking legal action?
In England, health policy is localised and in the last 12 months we have taken legal action where a CCG policy presented a blanket ban on gluten free prescribing. Once the results of the consultation are known we will consider next steps. The grounds for making a legal challenge may be very restricted if the implementation of change follows the law on the required consultation approach and appropriate changes in the regulations.