Heineken International Updated Again...fyi

[Sterndogg]

"Does Heineken beer contain any gluten?

Beer contains gluten, which comes from the grain from which it is brewed. Only a fraction of the gluten that the grain contains gets into the beer. The proportion depends on the kind of grain that is used. The use of barley results only in traces of gluten in the beer whilst wheat contributes considerably more. It also depends on the brewing process. Generally speaking: the clearer and blonder the beer is, the less gluten it may contain. Some people are allergic to gluten and have to follow a diet that minimises or excludes their gluten intake. Whether beer can be part of such a diet or not, is dependent on the extent of the allergy and the beer type consumed. In many cases lager beers pose no problem for people who have a gluten allergy. However, it is up to the individual to assess his or her sensitivity."

The WHO standards are no longer listed on the Heineken International site under the FAQs...I have yet to email them but it seems that Heineken/Amstel Light is still a grey area. I know previous posts/emails have exhausted this topic so I guess it's just an FYI...I don't have any complications drinking a pint now and then, as I am quite sensitive to gluten...but still wary.

[darlindeb25]

sterndogg--sorry, but just because you didnt get any physical symptom from drinking the beer, it is still in there causing damage to you internally--i had a week long accident with barley in a corn cake and it didnt make me physically ill, but it was causing damage, you can be sure of that-- we cannot have beer--please take care of yourself-- deb

[astyanax]

i notice that only addresses heineken .. what about amstel ? if amstel light is gluten free according to the euro standard, that's fine with me. a lot of my food is from europe and i know some of my american food labeled "gluten free" have said they adhere to the european standard (the US having no standard). when i've been in europe (a total of 2 1/2 months) i have followed the labelling on products (there they say "suitable for coeliacs" instead of 'gluten free') without a problem.

[tom]

Do we really think the US has no standard ?

I think 0ppm is the standard in the US. If it says gluten-free in the US, the only way it may have any gluten is thru contamination, same processing equip etc.

Personally i detest the notion that a product can be called gluten-free while its manufacturer is actually certain that some gluten is in the product and i'm glad the US doesn't allow this.

[astyanax]

the US does not have a standard. that doesn't mean that some things labeled gluten free aren't truly gluten free, but just because something is, does NOT mean it is completely gluten free. some companies, like ensure for example, have told me they follow the european standard since the us does not have one.

someone on the board said canada's standard is truly 0ppm but not the US

here are 2 links i'm getting info from:

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=400

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[tarnalberry]

there currently is no US standard, and part of the food labeling law is to require a definition (standard) for the term "gluten-free" for use on labeling by, I believe, 2006.

[tom]

Ahhh but the numbers only come into play in parts b & c of the referred to Sec 2.1 that the 2nd link goes to.

Part a is the only one i'm interested in, personally. It's the one where no ingredients at all have any gluten-containing ingred.

Parts b & c are where talk of a standard becomes relevant. A ppm number IS required here because it's allowing products to be called gluten-free in spite of actually containing gluten.

consisting of ingredients from wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt or their crossbred varieties, which have been rendered

[Sterndogg]

Interesting link...food err rather drink for thought....

Various interviews but scroll all the way down:

"...current methods to determine gluten in beer are very unreliable."

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