The ‘gluten’ and ‘may contain’ filters are set as default within the dietary preferences area within the app. If you also what to exclude products that contain certain products such ‘Codex wheat starch’ or ‘Gluten free barley’ then you need to switch the ‘Extra gluten’ filter to ‘On’. You can also choose to exclude any of the 14 recognised allergens as appropriate by switching the filter to ‘On’ so all search results will be tailored to your individual needs.  

Our Food Information Service provides information on over 150,000 food and drink products available in the UK. ‘Product not found’ means that the manufacturer has not provided us with any information about the product at that time. We recommend reviewing the on pack information to check it’s suitability. You can find our labelling video to help you here www.coeliac.org.uk/food-labelling-update/. If you’re still unsure, please get in touch via our Helpline and our team will be able to assist you.

Malt extract and malt flavourings are commonly made from barley, although they can be produced from other grains. You might find barley malt extract as an additional ingredient in breakfast cereals and chocolates.  

Foods that contain small amounts of barley malt extract can be eaten by people with coeliac disease if they contain 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten or less. These foods will still have barley highlighted in the ingredients list due to labelling laws, and you won’t be able to tell how much has been used from the list alone, unless the product is labelled gluten free.

Previously, we would only list products which contained barley malt extract if we’d received confirmation that the product contained 20 ppm or less of gluten. Under our new policy, we are asking food manufacturers who produce products made with ingredients from gluten containing grains, such as barley malt extract, to not only confirm to us that their products have been tested and shown to have no more than 20 ppm gluten, but also to label them gluten free. In the absence of a gluten free label they will no longer be included in our Food Information listings. We are continuing to engage with the manufacturers to achieve a commitment to enable these products to be labelled gluten free in the future and we will also be asking you for your views and experiences in a survey.

The Food Standards Agency provides guidance to manufacturers on when to label a product with a ‘may contain’ statement, such as: 

• may contain wheat (gluten)  Made in a factory that handles gluten 
• not suitable for consumers with coeliac disease 

When you see one of these statements or something similar on a product, the manufacturer should have carried out a risk assessment and has decided that there is a genuine risk that the product could be contaminated with a cereal containing gluten and the risk cannot be removed. In some cases the manufacturer may be able to provide more information on how the product is produced to help you make a decision about whether to eat the product or not.  

If you see a product labelled gluten free but also with a ‘may contain’ statement for cereals containing gluten, this indicates the product has met the requirements of the gluten free law. If a manufacturer chooses to include a ‘may contain’ statement alongside a ‘gluten free’, the gluten free claim must be maintained and contain 20 ppm or less of gluten.  

If you have coeliac disease or are following a gluten free diet, we do not recommend consuming products with a ‘may contain’ statement, for cereals containing gluten, based on the guidance that the Food Standards Agency provides to Food Businesses.  The use of both a Gluten Free statement and a precautionary allergen statement 
There are instances where manufacturers choose to label products with both a gluten free statement and a ‘may contain’ statement, for example: 

Gluten Free and May contain Wheat.  

Although this may appear conflicting, the gluten free label ensures the product meets the requirements of the law. The ‘may contain’ statement for ‘wheat’ is to alert those with a wheat allergy. In this scenario the gluten free claim will always supersede the ‘may contain’ statement and remains suitable for a person with coeliac disease, maintaining 20 ppm or less of gluten. 

Click here for further information on food labelling  

Cider, wine, sherry, spirits, port and liqueurs are gluten free.

Distilled spirits only contain gluten if gluten containing ingredients are added after the distillation process. In this case, there is labelling legislation that ensures the product label clearly states if wheat, barley, rye or oats have been added.

Distillation involves prolonged heating to produce a vapour and different components will vaporise at different temperatures so they can be separated. The vapour is then collected and cooled to form a distillate (liquid alcoholic drink). 

Gluten does not form a vapour so even if the starting ingredient is wheat, barley or rye, gluten does not pass into the final distilled liquid.  

Drinks with an alcoholic strength by volume (abv) of more than 1.2% do not have to list all ingredients. If they contain an allergen (including gluten containing cereals) they must declare this on the packaging, for example ‘contains wheat’.

An exception, is if the name of the drink contains the name of the allergen, for example ‘wheat beer’, then a statement, ‘contains wheat’ is not required. It should however be clear on the packaging which allergens are present.

Beer, lagers, stouts and ales are not distilled and undergo a different process known as fermentation and contain varying amounts of gluten and are not suitable for a gluten free diet but there are gluten free options available.

There are two types of gluten free beer, naturally gluten free beer and gluten removed gluten free beer. For both types, by law, manufacturers can only label a beer gluten free if it contains 20 ppm or less of gluten. In addition, a gluten removed gluten free beer made from barley must, by allergen labelling law, state on the label that it ‘contains barley’. For more information about fermented,  hydrolysed products please read our article.

Specially manufactured gluten free beers, lagers and ales are available and are listed in Section 1 of our Food and Drink Guide, in our Live Well Gluten Free app and online Food and Drink Information.

Alcohol can have side effects whether or not you have coeliac disease.  Information on sensible drinking can be found on the NHS website.

More information on alcohol can be found on our website.

Find out more about analysis of gluten in fermented and hydrolysed GF products here.

This information is based on the advice of our Food Standards Committee, Health Advisory Council and/or the Prolamin Working Group