Food shopping
When you have to remove gluten from your diet one of the most daunting things is going food shopping. And just so you know, we have lots of tools to help you – whether you want to call our helpline and speak to our food advisors, use our Live Well Gluten Free app or our Food and Drink Guide.
The difficult bit is getting over the first few weeks and those first shopping trips. It does get easier, we promise.
We can help you choose safe foods and support you as you learn more about living without gluten in your diet
- Learning what to look out for on food labels is really important. These are covered by allergen labelling which is designed to help you make safe choices.
- You can download our Live Well Gluten Free app so you can take all of our advice and knowledge with you when you shop – scan items to check if we list them in our Food and Drink Information.
- We have two video guides that walk you through reading food labels and common myths so you can shop with confidence.
- Use our Food and Drink Guide which lists thousands of foods you can eat, so we’ve done the hard work for you.
- Look out for our Crossed Grain symbol. This is licensed by manufacturers who are going that extra mile to highlight that a product is gluten free.
- Some supermarkets also produce lists of gluten free foods on their websites or you can ask for them in store. Products may be kept in a specialist free from aisle or placed among the rest of the food, or sometimes even both – so give yourself time to investigate.
Coeliac UK has been working with major supermarkets to increase availability of gluten free food in stores to try and reduce the number of shops you may need to visit just to get staple items.
The Gluten free Guarantee (GFG) is a commitment by supermarkets to having eight core items in stock across all their stores. These eight gluten free staple items are: white bread, pasta, cereal, flour, cereal bars, rolls, crackers and one other bread (brown or seeded).
Helpline
If you are unsure about a particular food when you’re out shopping, you can call our helpline on 0333 332 2033 to speak to our team of food advisors and dietitians.
Our helpline is an important part of the support we provide for anyone who needs help living gluten free or getting that all important diagnosis. Our expert team of dietitians and advisors offer information and support on a range of subjects.