Oat Biscuits

[bikegirl]

Hi, I'm new to gluten free and egg free, also just started dairy and soy free in the hope that my intestines will stop complaining. No joy yet.

I was about to chew on some Nairn's oat biscuits (Scottish) which advertise 'wheat free' on the front of the pack. Still holding the offending item to my lips I just-in-time spotted the detail on the back below the ingrediants which says 'contains gluten'.

I imagine this is due to the barley malt syrup in the ingredients, but not sure, as I've been told barley grass is OK. I suppose that shows I don't really kno wanythign about barley.

I'm confused as to why a manufacturer would highlight wheat free if there's gluten in a product - why not go the whole hog and cut it out?

Any ideas?

The warning also states 'manufactured on equipment that handles milk' so I think that would also remove it from my menu anyway. It's not easy is it!

[RiceGuy]

Simply put, wheat-free just means there's no actual wheat used as an ingredient. But barley, rye, and oats can still be ingredients in such a product because they're technically not wheat. A product labeled wheat-free will still contain gluten if it has barley or rye in it, and although oats are supposed to be tolerated by most individuals with Celiac, not everyone can eat them. In addition, all oats should be considered contaminated unless they are specifically grown and processed to avoid contamination, which most are not.

So besides wheat, barley and rye do contain a type of gluten which individuals with Celiac must avoid. And again, oats are questionable, so you'll have to be careful to test with certified gluten-free oats to be sure whether you can tolerate them.

[ravenwoodglass]

Put the cookie down and go wash your hands. Barley malt is not okay nor are oats unless they are certified gluten free. Many of us also can not handle oats even if they are gluten-free so wait until you are well healed before trying certified gluten free oats. By the by, barley and wheat grass may technically be considered gluten free but you still should stay away from them. Also if you are in Europe be aware that many of us get very ill from products with Codex Wheat Starch also even though that is also considered gluten-free.