Reading Labels In England

[frec]

Hi--I am going to England this summer (I hope) and I was wondering about the fine points you have to know to stay gluten free when reading food labels there. The Coeliac UK website says that modified starch and maltodextrin are gluten free in England. In the United States one does not know if they are safe unless the derivation is shown e.g. maltodextrin (corn). The UK website also seems to be more lenient about trace amounts and mentions how some celiacs/coeliacs tolerate gluten more than others. That is a bit scary. I'd appreciate any advice people could give. Thank you.

[gfp]

Hi--I am going to England this summer (I hope) and I was wondering about the fine points you have to know to stay gluten free when reading food labels there. The Coeliac UK website says that modified starch and maltodextrin are gluten free in England. In the United States one does not know if they are safe unless the derivation is shown e.g. maltodextrin (corn). The UK website also seems to be more lenient about trace amounts and mentions how some celiacs/coeliacs tolerate gluten more than others. That is a bit scary. I'd appreciate any advice people could give. Thank you.

This is very tricky.

1/ By law now, allergens must be labelled and wheat and barley are classed as allergens.

2/ No external testing is done ... its left to a honor system with the food manufacturers.

3/ C-UK are meant to be a charity, the directors also own a company at the same address dealing in gluten-free food and consulting. This company pays no rent ...

(I mention this because the directors of C-UK are crooked but the members are ... well just members, many of the regional groups do great jobs)

So we have a strange situation, C-UK are self appointed advisors to the government for legislation. They beleive only biopsy proven celaics are celiac, they do not beleive in neurological effects, they don't beleive a small amount of gluten hurts anyone <200ppm. They campagned against better labelling saying their "product" (Gluten Free directory) is the only safe way for celiacs. Most of their revenue is donations from the food industry. (as a charity their revenue has to be disclosed)

and the worse part, they sponsor research BUT only publish what they want (they have sponsored some studies that proved neurological connections and are listed as sponsors yet they hide the results and the paper is only available because it was published as a medical paper.

They also have gagging orders on volunteers for releasing any of this info...

So what we are left with is a self regulating industry, the directory is 100% untested by C-UK or independently tested. The manufacturers are asked to list thier gluten-free foods, noone checks, that's it.

In other words they pretty much tow the line from10 years ago and don't want it to change. Their main product is the directory, if food was properly labelled then they have no product so they campaigned against better labelling on the grounds it was too complicated for us.

So where does this leave us .... In combination with the CODEX alimentarius (another food industry sponsored body) it leaves us in a damned confusing position!

Pretty much we have voluntary labelling .. EU law dictates we must label allergens so this has to happen BUT often does not. Its often vague... but the worst thing is its confusing. I bought some chips (we call them crisps) the other day which said "safe for coeliacs" however on the labelling it said MSG from wheat.

They are not labelled gluten-free because of another quirk....

Officially gluten-free means ... that they have had a gluten containing ingredient replaced with an ingredient less than 200ppm gluten. Hence, said chips/crisps are not gluten-free because they didn't have gluten removed but added.

If however it was a product usually containing gluten then it can be labelled gluten-free. (even though in many cases the substitute contains gluten but <200ppm)

In a large amount of cases gluten-free actually means the inverse....watch out for gluten-free labels. In order to stick to the letter of the law for instance a corn tortilla is not gluten-free but .. if they add some wheat starch <200ppm gluten then it is! If not they can legally label it as "naturally gluten free" but not gluten free!

(I realise how mad this sounds ... but its the result of C-UK, the Codex and a lot of industry meddling... and a government (or actually governments) thathave just accepted C-UK as the voice of coeliacs in the UK. (Membership is automatic if you get a biopsy)... at one point they claimed to represent 90% of coeliacs in the UK which I forced them to retract ... (Since only 10% of celiacs are diagnosed they cannot possibly represent 90% of coeliacs)

They could have then said "diagnosed coelaics ... but they just dropped the claim)

OK, now you know this what to do?

You can buy gluten-free foods from DS (dietry specials) they seem to have gluten-free/wheat free across the board.

For pasta several supermarkets home brand gluten-free stuff is just corn or rice flour and water ... I think this is fairly safe simply because having tried making pasta from corn I can't see how it can share a production line with real pasta.

Even though wheat and barley must be listed and rye is rarely used here its best not to assume.... I tend to go for products that have some items in their ranges that say "malto-dextrine from wheat" ... legally they should always say unless its from anon allergenic source.. in practice as noone checks I strongly suspect that many of those that don't mention the source simply don't know.

Noone has ever sued a company for hidden gluten... until someone does and wins then they have no reason to really check and every interest in plausible deniability so its a case of passing responsibility. If they did get taken to court they would just pass the responsibility to the supplier of maltodextrine or other additive who would say they were not specifically asked...and all the time they have the 200ppm limit to hide behind.

Eating out

Knowledge is pretty scarce. C-UK have a gluten free on the go ... unfortunatly its opt-in for resto's in terms of they need to pay to be in the guide. For London this results in three choices. La Tasca (a chain of mediocre at best Tapas), Smolensky's (burgers and the like -(actually not bad as a diner/grill) and one other resto owned by a TV Chef.

Round the corner I have a small family run Italian... they even have gluten-free pasta and will tell you which sauces are gluten-free and which they are not 100% sure and which they are. They are not listed ... as they can't afford to pay.

Knowedge varies enormously, the UK service attitude though not quite at US levels (but compared to Europe) is "the customer gets what they ask for"

Unfortunatly this all to often results in "we will tell the customer what they want to hear".

Within London language is a problem, very few waiters and waitresses speak English well though they can read the menu they don't have the vocabulary for protein, gluten etc. I try and find a waiter or waitress where I at least speak their language and I have made the effort to learn these terms.

Although not the most common finding an Italian waiter/ess is usually the easiest because they know what celiac disease is.

I was out for a meal with a girl (herself an immigrant working in restos) where the waiter was English and knew about celiac disease. This was rare enough to be a topic for discussion!

There are actually quite a lot of good places that can do gluten-free.. they are just damned hard to find...

[rpf1007]

Wow- thanks so much for all that info. I am also heading to Scotland this summer (my brother lives there) but it will be the first time there since on a gluten-free diet. It sounds a little nerve wracking! Thank you for the heads up on labelled gluten-free items. That would probably have been what I stuck with. Thanks again.

[MDRB]

Hi,

Thanks 'gfp' for the information. I am only recently gluten free and I'm usually in England for a few months every year. I just assumed that because of the large population, the UK would have a lot more gluten-free options and be a haven for celiacs. apparently I was wrong!

[kbtoyssni]

Hi,

Thanks 'gfp' for the information. I am only recently gluten free and I'm usually in England for a few months every year. I just assumed that because of the large population, the UK would have a lot more gluten-free options and be a haven for celiacs. apparently I was wrong!

They do have labeling laws in England, though. So at least gluten free products are labeled gluten-free, and they can be found in any grocery store. The caveat is the the definition of gluten-free is something like 200ppm so things that aren't 100% gluten-free can be labeled gluten-free. This is how it will be in the United States in a year or two as well, so going to England will be good training for you! One thing England gets right is the cookies/cakes. Store bought ones generally taste pretty good.

[gfp]

They do have labeling laws in England, though. So at least gluten free products are labeled gluten-free, and they can be found in any grocery store. The caveat is the the definition of gluten-free is something like 200ppm so things that aren't 100% gluten-free can be labeled gluten-free. This is how it will be in the United States in a year or two as well, so going to England will be good training for you! One thing England gets right is the cookies/cakes. Store bought ones generally taste pretty good.

Its not that simple.... it is illegal to label a carrot as gluten free or a corn tortilla UNLESS they add gluten, then it can be called gluten free. This is why it is so confusing...

If you (like me) can't eat the 200ppm stuff then ignore anything that say's suitable for coeliacs or gluten free ... and read the fine print on the back...

[frec]

Thank you! I'm printing these replies out and taking them with me to England. And I thought American labels were complicated...

[gfp]

Mainly just stick to the details in fine print instead of looking for the gluten-free label.

The rest you have to just bear in mind as to the background bcause it will seem a little crazy ...rest assured, its the labelling laws not you

[jo-england]

Hi i live in england, i cant tolerate the codex wheat starch 200ppm and i get loads of stuff that says gluten free and is!! its just made from different grains thats all. Its really not that complicated, if its not on the label then it cant legally be added. i just read labels, if its not on then i have it and im fine. I know that spelnda (type of maltodextrin) is def gluten free coz i phoned the compnay the other day and asked, i think its made from corn.

Yes all big supermarkets have a gluten free range and loads of ordinary chocolate is gluten free like galaxy and loads of cadburys stuff, and those that arnt say so on the label or say "may contain traces of wheat". and modified starch is gluten free coz they dont have to tell you the starch unless it is wheat/gluten.

Hope this is helpful. its raining and foggy now, hope the weather pciks up for you!!

[georgie]

So if I am reading this correctly - you need to read the labels and make sure it says gluten-free and wheat free ?

[gfp]

So if I am reading this correctly - you need to read the labels and make sure it says gluten-free and wheat free ?

Yep quite a few brands actually do that... wheat free is meant to mean just that .... its the gluten free label that's confusing.

i get loads of stuff that says gluten free and is!! i

Some of it is and some of it isn't .. wherein lies the problem. I bolded the partswhich add confusion...

1.3 - So the Corn Tortilla, Rice cake cannot be labelled gluten-free... except ... 2.1 then say's they can add these if they "have been rendered "gluten-free" " which is the immediate cop-out.. To label the ricecake or corn tortilla as gluten-free they can just add wheat starch which is <200ppm otherwise it can't be labelled as gluten-free.

So as a Brit take our national dish which I think is now curry It shouldn't contain wheat (although obviously this is open to debate) but it can be added as a thickner. Where exactly does a curry prepared specially gluten free fit? It's not a food natually containing gluten. Just as importantly if its prepared in a kitchen with gluten then there is also a risk of CC. Imagine being a manufacturer making a specifically gluten-free curry and making sure it has no CC but then you are not allowed to label it as gluten-free.... unless you add some item where the gluten has been "reduced to <200ppm".

Here is the problem... the curry could be labelled "naturally gluten free" BUT that then means it is not subject to controls on CC. Its also confusing... which sounds the safest to the consumer one labelled as Gluten Free or one saying "naturally gluten free" ?? The only other option for them is to use a cereal that is naturally gluten-free (5.2) but this doesn't exactly go with curries since cereals are not normally part of the curry.

The easiest way to legally label the curry as gluten-free is unfortunately by applying 2.1 (a).

CODEX STANDARD FOR "GLUTEN-FREE FOODS"

CODEX STAN 118-19811

1. SCOPE

1.1 This standard applies to those processed foods which have been specially prepared to meet

the dietary needs of persons intolerant to gluten.

1.2 The standard refers only to the specific provisions related to the special dietary purpose for

which these foods are intended.

1.3 This standard does not apply to foods which in their normal form do not contain gluten.

2. DESCRIPTION

2.1 Definition

Gluten-free food is a food so described:

(a) consisting of or containing as ingredients such cereals as wheat, triticale, rye, barley or

oats or their constituents, which have been rendered "gluten-free"; or

( in which any ingredients normally present containing "gluten" have been substituted by

other ingredients not containing "gluten".

2.2 Subsidiary Definitions

2.2.1 For the purpose of this standard, gluten is defined as those proteins, commonly found in

wheat, triticale, rye, barley or oats to which some persons are intolerant.

2.2.2 For the purpose of this standard, gluten-free means that the total nitrogen content of the

gluten-containing cereal grains used in the product does not exceed 0.05 g per 100 grammes of

these grains on a dry matter basis.

3. ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

3.1 A gluten-free food shall be based on or shall contain:

(a) gluten-containing cereals such as wheat, triticale, rye, barley or oats or their

constituents, which have been rendered "gluten-free" according to Section 2.2.2; or

( ingredients which do not contain gluten in substitution for the ingredients containing

gluten which are normally used in food of that kind; or

© any mixture of two or more ingredients as in (a) and (.

3.2 Gluten-free foods substituting important basic foods like flour or bread, must supply

approximately the same amount of vitamins and minerals as the original foods they replace in

accordance with the national legislation of the country in which the food is sold.

4. LABELLING

In addition to the general labelling provisions contained in the General Standard for the

Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985, Rev. 1-1991, Codex Alimentarius Volume

1), and any specific labelling provisions set out in a Codex standard applying to the particular food

concerned, the following provisions for the labelling of "gluten-free foods" shall apply:

4.1 The Name of the Food

The term "gluten-free" shall be given in the immediate proximity to the name of the product.

4.2 List of Ingredients

4.2.1 A complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order of proportion

except that in the case of added vitamins and added minerals, these shall be arranged as separate

groups of vitamins and minerals, respectively, and within these groups the vitamins and minerals

need not be listed in descending order of proportion.

4.2.2 The nature and source of the starch or starches shall be declared on the label. In the case of

starch prepared from gluten-containing cereal grains the declaration of this starch shall be

accompanied by a statement "containing not more than 0.3% protein in the dry matter".

4.3 Declaration of Nutritive Value

The label shall include the following nutritional information:

4.3.1 The amount of energy, expressed in calories (Kcal) or kilojoules (kJ), and the number of

grammes of protein, carbohydrate and fat per 100 grammes of the food and where appropriate per

specified quantity (e.g. one biscuit) of the food as suggested for consumption.

4.3.2 In addition to any other nutritional information required by national legislation, the total

quantity in the final product of those vitamins and minerals which have been added in accordance

with Section 3.2 shall be declared per 100 g as well as according to the serving size of the food

suggested for consumption.

4.4 Date Marking and Storage Instructions

4.4.1 The date of minimum durability (preceded by the words "best before") shall be declared by

the day, month and year in uncoded numerical sequence except that for products with a shelf-life of

more than three months, the month and year will suffice. The month may be indicated by letters in

those countries where such use will not confuse the consumer. In the case of products requiring a

declaration of month and year only, and the shelf-life of the product is valid to the end of a given year,

the expression "end (stated year)" may be used as an alternative.

4.4.2 In addition to the date, any special conditions for the storage of the food shall be indicated if

the validity of the date depends thereon.

Where practicable, storage instructions shall be in close proximity to the date marking.

5. CLAIMS

5.1 A food prepared according to Section 3.1 may be called a "gluten-free food".

5.2 A food which naturally has no gluten may not be called "gluten-free"; however, a cereal or a

food product containing a cereal which naturally has no gluten, may be labelled to show that it is

naturally free of gluten and is suitable for use in gluten-free diet.

6. PACKAGING

6.1 The product shall be packed in containers which will safeguard the hygienic and other

qualities of the food.

6.2 The containers including packaging material shall be made only of substances which are safe

and suitable for their intended use. Where the Codex Alimentarius Commission has established a

standard for any such substance used as packaging material, that standard shall apply.

7. METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING

See Codex Alimentarius Volume 13.

[georgie]

How confusing ! So if rice cake #1 is made from 100% rice it cannot be labelled as gluten-free but rice cake #2 which is made from rice and wheat and had the wheat replaced by Codex standard gluten-free wheat .... can be labelled as gluten-free ? How strange !

I won't even begin to think about glucose syrup

Here is Australia the opposite is happening. I asked an assistant in a cafe re their milk ( some milks have wheat added to froth the cappuccinos and I was checking) and she got the packet fro the fridge ( I could see from the packet it was pure milk) and was desperately searching for the gluten-free label on the milk - thinking she couldn't serve it to me...

Then last week - in the supermarket I saw a popular brand of rice labelled as gluten-free ....

[jo-england]

oh my god, info overload, perhaps im thick, but this all just confuses me to death.

personally i eat mostly things that arnt specifically gluten free (too expensive and totally unnecessary) and dont say gluten free on them, i just read labels and they obviously are. i have lists from manufacturers of curry sauces (uncle bens) pasta sauces, confectionary that is gluten free, they just dont say on the label. thats what i do anyway and that causes no problems. I work in a hospital dietitians department and we run coeliac clinics, all we say is read the labels, if ingredients are gluten free then produt is, end of!

i really dont understand all the detail but feel there is no need to or half the coeliac world would have no chance!

forgive me if i am just being thick, my brain cant cope!

[gfp]

oh my god, info overload, perhaps im thick, but this all just confuses me to death.

personally i eat mostly things that arnt specifically gluten free (too expensive and totally unnecessary) and dont say gluten free on them, i just read labels and they obviously are. i have lists from manufacturers of curry sauces (uncle bens) pasta sauces, confectionary that is gluten free, they just dont say on the label. thats what i do anyway and that causes no problems. I work in a hospital dietitians department and we run coeliac clinics, all we say is read the labels, if ingredients are gluten free then produt is, end of!

i really dont understand all the detail but feel there is no need to or half the coeliac world would have no chance!

forgive me if i am just being thick, my brain cant cope!

Your certainly not thick if it doesn't make sense ..! Quite the reverse ....because it reallydoesn't make sense UNLESS you imagine it was written by someone who thought gluten free food means gluten-free pasta or gluten-free bread. Like you I pretty much stick to things that are not "replacement foods" but the reason these foods can't say gluten-free on the label is the CODEX which is taken in the UK as "The Law" as it were ... the fact it doesn't make sense seems neither here nor there!

So your summary is what I'm saying all through... read the labels top to bottom.. don't rely on it saying gluten-free because this itself is misleading (see above information overload definition). Because of the wheat starch thing a lot of stuff labelled Gflegally actually isn't and a lot of stuff which is gluten-free naturally (like a curry sauce or pesto) cannot legally be labelled gluten-free.

Like I say, if this was written by someone who thinks that gluten-free means bread and pasta and knows nothing of CC it makes sense but ... obviously we know this is really just a tiny part of keeping gluten-free.

[jo-england]

oh my goodness i see what your saying (finally my brain is slow to work!), its all so complicated labelling laws and stuff! im glad im not in the food industry. Nobody dare claim anything these days coz were all so scared of being sued, but at the same time some companies that do make random claims are quite random! Wow you certainly know your stuff!

[gfp]

oh my goodness i see what your saying (finally my brain is slow to work!), its all so complicated labelling laws and stuff! im glad im not in the food industry. Nobody dare claim anything these days coz were all so scared of being sued, but at the same time some companies that do make random claims are quite random! Wow you certainly know your stuff!

I just read it .... the info overload is the CODEX entry on gluten-free.

The Codex was written in the 60's and then updated about 1983 (The exact dates are on their website)... back then we had far less additives and far less was known about celiac disease. (This might seem impossible given we know so little even now).

It was also written BY the food industry who sit on these panels for the FAO. In effect they designed something that was easy for them. 200ppm was chosen because it was the limit for the cheapest testing, no scientific reason... and the FAO board looking over this probably had no idea what gluten-free food means in a real world case. Lets face it most GP's today don't realise being gluten-free does not man just not having bread with a meal... or no pasta it means a whole load of hidden gluten. Back in the 60's corn tortila and rice cakes were somewhat exotic ... (in the UK at least) and one didn't pop to Sainsbury's to buy a ready meal curry ...

celiac disease was thought to be so rare as 1:10000 at the time, etc. etc. ... in other words a completely differenet world for food.

When it was updated in 1983 it was just updated! The definitions were kept and things were just added or changed and still even mid 80's (bad hair, Queen) people didn't eat somuch readymeals and celiac disease was still pretty much unknown.

IMHO, CODEX STANDARD 118-19811 needs to be rewritten from scratch for todays world because it can't be updated when its based on gluten-free bread and pasta when there is so much more gluten in circulation. It doesn't make sense because its not written for today's world and today's food industry.

[monkeypuss]

OMGGGG!!! *freakout* i never want to eat again!! so confusing!! i'm obviously going to have to be soo careful about this!! does anyone know if doves gluten free and rice flours are truly gluten free? thats what i've been using to bake with but i'm not so sure now :/

also i was wondering if anyone knew about meat? if animals are fed on gluten, can their meat contain it?

[psawyer]

also i was wondering if anyone knew about meat? if animals are fed on gluten, can their meat contain it?

No, the meat does not contain gluten. The animal digests whatever it eats, and uses the nutrients to grow tissue. The resulting tissue is definitely gluten-free. It is possible for contamination to occur if the contents of the animal's digestive tract are mixed with the meat, but the process is designed to prevent this.

Welcome to the board, by the way.

[MDRB]

No, the meat does not contain gluten. The animal digests whatever it eats, and uses the nutrients to grow tissue. The resulting tissue is definitely gluten-free. It is possible for contamination to occur if the contents of the animal's digestive tract are mixed with the meat, but the process is designed to prevent this.

Welcome to the board, by the way.

The only thing I would watch out for is minced beef as this is sometimes mixed with flour (no idea why but if you buy it from a supermarket it should state if it is 100% meat product or not).

Oh and as always watch out for flavored/seasoned meat of any kind.

[psawyer]

That is so true, Michelle. The meat starts out gluten-free, but processing and seasoning can introduce gluten into the mixture. Many pre-formed beef patties have bread crumbs as a binder. Always check to make sure that what you are buying does not have anything added that would be a source of gluten.