Questions related to: Which foods are listed in Section 2?

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What is Coeliac UK's Food and Drink Information Service?

Our Food and Drink Information Service gives you reliable, independent and timely product information to live well gluten free and it includes: 

  • regular food alerts and product updates
  • new product launches, with exclusive member only offers  
  • tried and tested recipes 
  • product ingredients and nutritional information
  • product suitability from nearly 150,000 gluten free and mainstream food and drink products. 

 

Why aren’t Walkers crisps listed in the Food and Drink Guide?

Walkers cannot guarantee that any of their crisps are suitable for people following a gluten-free diet.

The law on gluten-free labelling means a strict criteria has to be met if manufacturers want to indicate the suitability of their foods for people with coeliac disease.

In order to label ‘gluten-free’ or ‘suitable for coeliacs’ products would have to ensure that they contain no more than 20 parts per million gluten. As Walkers cannot meet this requirement, they have removed their ‘suitable for coeliacs’ label. In addition, they have added an advisory statement on packs that states that the crisp products have been made in a factory where there are gluten-containing ingredients.

You can contact Walkers directly for more information by calling their careline on 0800 980 8235.

If products in Section 1 contain 20 part per million or less of gluten, what is the level of foods in Section 2?

We do not have gluten levels for the products in Section 2. The products in Section 2 are not specialist products and the manufacturers do not provide test results. They do not contain any gluten in the ingredients list and manufacturers follow advice from the Food Standards Agency on assessing and managing the risk of cross contamination with allergens including gluten containing cereals.

If you are unsure whether you can eat a particular product you can scan the bar code using our Live Well Gluten Free app or read the ingredients label. For more information on reading labels why not check out our labelling video that is produced in association with the Food Standard Agency. 

What should I do if a product I have bought contains gluten although it is listed in the Food and Drink Guide?

Manufacturers sometimes change their ingredients without notifying us. Please call us on 0333 332 2033, selecting option 2, or email us on foodanddrink@coeliac.org.uk so that we can follow this up. To assist with your query we will need the following information: brand and product name, pack size, barcode number and the nature of your query e.g may contain statement, contains wheat etc. 

Why do products in Section 1 have the Crossed Grain symbol next to them?

We have around two hundred manufacturers supporting our Crossed Grain scheme. Our Crossed Grain symbol is a sign of safety and integrity and so it is important to us to share to the broad range of products that carry our licence.

New companies are licensed regularly, so don't forget to check our monthly updates for any additions. You can find a list of all companies using the Crossed Grain symbol here.

Does this mean the printed publication has changed?

Yes, following feedback from our members, we've made it easier for you to find what you are looking for within the printed Food and Drink Guide and across our digital services. As our product information has grown we've needed to make changes to the printed edition. We simplified the contents with Section One listing prescription products and products containing our Crossed Grain Licence, and Section Two listing supermarkets own brands that are made without gluten containing ingredients. These changes reduce the number of monthly updates you will need to make to the printed version.

Within the Food and Drink Guide we've also improved out information on reading labels, ingredients checklist and understanding more complex foods and ingredients so you have more support information to hand for your gluten free diet. Plus we've included a new product offers section giving you money off coupons and more information on our symbol of safety so you can be more assured when looking for suitable options when when away from home. 

And don't forget you can contact our Helpline on 0333 332 2033 or email us on foodanddrink@coeliac.org.uk with any food query you may have. 

Can I only eat products that Coeliac UK listed in the Food and Drink Guide?

No, you do not have to limit yourself to products listed in the Food and Drink Guide. The gluten free diet is made up of naturally gluten free foods such as fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and poultry, eggs, cream, milk, rice potatoes, pulses and beans. We do not list every brand of these in the Food and Drink Guide but you can find a list of naturally gluten free ingredients on Page 6.

If you are unsure whether you can eat a particular product you can scan the bar code using our Live Well Gluten Free app or read the ingredients label. For more information on reading the labels why not check out our labelling video that is produced in association with the Food Standard Agency. 

And don't forget you can contact our Helpline on 0333 332 2033 or email us on foodanddrink@coeliac.org.uk with any food product query you may have. 

If a product says it is gluten free on the label, but is not listed in the Food and Drink Guide, can I eat it?

Yes. There is a strict law that covers the use of the labelling term gluten free. When you see gluten free on a label, you know these foods are suitable on a gluten free diet.

Why aren't Booth, Budgens, Iceland and Lidl listed in this year's Food and Drink Guide?

We are regularly in touch with these companies but at this time they have been unable to provide us with information on their own brand products. If you would like information on gluten free products sold in these supermarkets, please contact their customer service team directly. If you are unsure whether you can eat a particular product read the ingredients label. For more information on reading labels why not check out our labelling video that is produced with association with the Food Standard Agency. 

Booths

0800 221 8707

www.booths.co.uk

 

Budgens

0844 507 5506 

www.budgens.co.uk

 

Iceland

0800 328 0800

www.iceland.co.uk

 

Lidl

0800 977 7766

www.lidl.co.uk

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