Malt Barley

[jstaib]

I am new to teh gluten-Free Diet. I took my self of of it 6 or more month ago. I had chest pain for 21 years and no one could tell me why. I happened on an article giving the symptoms of Celiac and decided the to stop gluten. I am felling much better.

Back to my question. What about malt barley? I see that Rice crispies has it. Can I have them or is malt barley harmful?

Confused!!

[Lisa]

I am new to teh gluten-Free Diet. I took my self of of it 6 or more month ago. I had chest pain for 21 years and no one could tell me why. I happened on an article giving the symptoms of Celiac and decided the to stop gluten. I am felling much better.

Back to my question. What about malt barley? I see that Rice crispies has it. Can I have them or is malt barley harmful?

Confused!!

I'm sorry, you will have to give up the Rice Crispies. Wheat, Rye, Barley, Malt and some Oat are not to be consummed if you are on a gluten free diet.

There are several, equally as good, options to Rice Crispies. So, it's not a loss, just a trade off.

[irish daveyboy]

I am new to teh gluten-Free Diet. I happened on an article giving the symptoms of Celiac and decided the to stop gluten. I am felling much better.

Back to my question. What about malt barley? I see that Rice crispies has it. Can I have them or is malt barley harmful?

Confused!!

Hi 'jstaib',

This is a reply from the Irish Coeliac Society to a similiar question.

.

It is very informative.

.

The products may not be labelled as containing gluten as the the protein in barley malt extract is hordein and not gluten, so in fact this labelling is correct. But malt/malt extract and malt flavouring are not suitable for Coeliacs.

EU Directive on Allergen Labelling

In order to achieve a high level of health protection for consumers and to guarantee their right to information, it must be ensured that consumers are appropriately informed as regards foodstuffs, the most common food allergens are found in a wide variety of processed foods. From 25th November of this year (06), it will mean that "if gluten is present in a foodstuff it will appear on the label".

The list of allergenic substances recognized by the Committee as causing problems are - Cereals containing gluten (i.e. wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains), Mustard, Celery, Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Soybean, Sesame Seed, Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphites (>10mg/kg).

Foods sold unwrapped or wrapped on the premises will not be covered by this legislation. Foods that do not contain gluten e.g. orange juice, coconut milk, jam etc will not have a "gluten free" guarantee on the label.

Foods that are manufactured in an area adjacent to gluten containing products may be labelled "may contain traces of gluten" Foods that are at risk of being cross contaminated will be labelled "may contain traces of gluten" Starch-based liquid sweeteners derived from a wheat source - Glucose syrup, maltodextrin, dextrose, the labelling regulations currently, do not require the origin of the starch to be declared on the label, these liquid sweeteners are considered safe for coeliacs.

The Gluten Free Food List still plays a vital role in determining the gluten status of products, food production has become very complex, cross contamination issues require in-depth and lengthy investigation especially when dealing with companies outside of EU

We assist new Irish and foreign companies producing gluten free products onto the market, fully checking their products.

We encourage companies to implement and improve manufacturing practices.

The Food List also provides our members with an assurance that each of the products listed have been fully investigated by our Food List Team.

www.eufic.org/gb/food/pag/food49/food494.htm

_________________

Coeliac Society Administrator

[blueeyedmanda]

Sorry no malt barley. There is a very good rice crispy recipe floating around here somewhere.

[Tequila]

While we are on the topic of breakfast cereal..... Almost all mainstream breakfast cereals have some sort of gluten in them. Read the labels carefully. Even the ones you think couldn't possibly have gluten in them, do.

[dsaltzm]

My nutritionist at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia let me know from her recent conversations with the FDA they are now saying that Modified Food Starch, MaltoDextrin, and Carmel Color are all safe unless it is in a protein. I.E If it is managed by the FDA it is safe. If it is managed by the USDA it to be questioned and avoided. I hope this helps some people. It has allowed me to put alot of foods back into my diet.

[nutralady2001]

Most maltodextrin in Australia comes from maize and our labelling laws for products produced /manufactured/packaged here here make it compulsory to say if a product contains gluten /wheat/barley etc