Ingredient Lists In The U.s.a.

[mizzilie]

Hi,

I am from Germany. Here I know how to read the ingredient lists. There are some standard rules in Europe and when you know them it is easier to interpret the information from ingredient lists printed on food packaging.

Now, I will do my first gluten free trip to the U.S.A. but I don't know how food labelling is done in the States. Are there any helpful links or information that you can recommend or tell me?

Thanks in advance!

Tinka

[lovegrov]

As far as gluten, any wheat in food MUST be listed, although it's not required on restaurant menus. Oats and rye will not be hidden. And barley will almost always be listed as malt or malt flavor or some variation thereof, although not absolutely 100 percent always. Maltodextrin sounds like malt but it isn't. It's safe.

Our main law is that the 8 most common allergens MUST be listed: wheat, eggs, milk, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, soy, and peanuts.

richard

[mizzilie]

Hi Richard,

thank you.

Oops, in Europe gluten MUST be listed in the ingredient list on packaged food wares.

So in the U.S. I will be careful with "hidden" gluten not coming from wheat.

That was an important information.

Is there anywhere a list of more products made of barley like malt, ...

I have to learn the vocabulary.

Kind regards,

Tinka

[lovegrov]

If there's barley in there, it will usually say barley or malt. I really don;t think of malt as a hidden source because it's so common that the malt comes from barley. On occasion there are hidden sources, like "natural flavors."

richard

[kendon0015]

I have a gluten free app on my ipod touch with a great list of ingredients marked ok/not okay. I bring it food shopping as I can't rely on food labeling.

[psawyer]

As Richard said, wheat must, by federal law, be disclosed using the word "wheat." Rye and oats don't hide. There is a chance of hidden barley.

Many out-of-date lists have ingredients which are no longer a concern, either because of the law requiring wheat to be disclosed, or newer understanding of what they actually contain. A few examples are modified food starch, maltodextrin, and caramel color.

[Lisa]

This might be helpful:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/forbidden-gluten-food-list-unsafe-ingredients-r182/

https://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html

[Jess]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

I am originally from Germany myself (Cologne area). Labeling in the US is indeed a bit more tricky than in Germany, but especially the big companies are pretty good about listing gluten ingredients and not just wheat.

I guess, if you have any questions about a specific product or group of products (e.g. cereals), you can write me a message, and I'll try to help.