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.

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Our Research Awards Panel comprises of experts who make recommendations for funding, either autonomously or based on the feedback of experts external to the panel and the lay Member Review Panel. The selection of proposals for funding by our Research Awards Panel, is based strictly on peer review evaluation of scientific excellence and against the criteria of our Research Strategy.

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Cider, wine, sherry, spirits, port and liqueurs are gluten free.

Experts agree that there is no physical way that pure distilled alcohol can contain gluten - this is because the gluten protein cannot travel through to the vapour produced by the prolonged heating in the distillation process and become part of the final alcohol product.

Distilled spirits only contain gluten if gluten containing ingredients are added after the distillation process and in this case, there is labelling legislation that ensures the product states CONTAINS wheat, barley, rye or oats on the label.

Increase in product recalls reflects increase in product availability in retail and most product alerts relate to mislabelling rather than problems with contamination. Both prescribed and non-prescribed products have to meet regulatory standards and in fact most companies supplying to the NHS also provide retail products. Contamination risks need to be properly controlled regardless of supply chain.

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.

We have spoken to the manufacturers of Tetley tea bags following concerns about the labelling on some of their green tea bags stating that they may contain gluten.

The manufacturer has told us that there is a risk of contamination with wheat gluten during production. They have labelled these products as a precautionary measure due to a risk of contamination in the tea bag. Any trace of gluten in the tea bag will be diluted in the brewed tea, so the level of gluten in the tea you are drinking will be well within the safe level for people with coeliac disease (20 parts per million or less).

Tetley are investigating the issue and trying to remove the risk of contamination. Once this is done they plan to remove the statement from the packaging, so you may see a mixture of packs on store shelves with and without the warning.

We understand how difficult it might be to manage without prescriptions. Gluten free staple foods like bread are key products in managing the diet from both a nutritional and practical standpoint so more care will be needed.

We are trying to make it easier by providing advice for managing a gluten free diet on a budget.

Our Fundraising Team will be able to help you with your donation - please phone 01494 796 136 to speak to one of our Team Members or email fundraising@coeliac.org.uk.

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.