Beer, lagers, stouts and ales contain varying amounts of gluten and are not suitable if you have coeliac disease. Specially manufactured gluten free beers are available, and you can find a list of gluten free beers, lagers and ales in the Drinks section of your Food and Drink Guide, or if you are a Member, on our online Food and Drink Information and our Live Well Gluten Free app.

Find out more about how gluten free beer and how it's made by clicking here.

Please remember that alcohol can have side effects whether or not you have coeliac disease. Check out Drink Aware for more information.

This advice has been discussed and continues to be approved by Coeliac UK’s Food Standards Committee, April 2020. 

Many of the fermented and hydrolysed foods eg cheese, plain yogurt, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar are made from ingredients that do not contain gluten and are suitable for a gluten free diet. It’s always best practice to check that no ingredients containing gluten have been added to these products.

Products made from gluten containing cereals (wheat, barley, rye) which have been fermented or hydrolysed such as beer, soy sauce are only suitable for a gluten free diet if they have been processed to remove gluten, have been tested to be 20 ppm or less of gluten and are labelled gluten free. The products made from gluten containing cereals must also have on their label the statement ‘contains wheat/barley/rye’ as appropriate so they can be distinguished from those made with naturally gluten free ingredients. While we find answers, you can make a choice that is right for you by using the label to see what is in the product and make a choice on whether you want to consume it.

Some of these products contain ingredients from gluten containing grains such as barley malt extract and barley malt vinegar. Where we have not been able to obtain information from the manufacturer that confirms the products have been tested and shown to have no more than 20 ppm gluten, and are labelled gluten free, they have been removed from our 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.

In the UK and EU you can identify gluten removed gluten free beers that have been made from barley as the label must state ‘contains barley’ as barley is a cereal containing gluten which is one of the 14 allergens in EU legislation and means it must be declared on the label.

In the USA, the FDA does not approve of the R5 Competitive ELISA test method for the quantitation of gluten in beer that is produced from a gluten containing grain, so they highlight that the beer has been ‘processed/crafted to remove gluten.’ This gives the USA consumer the information that a beer is made with a gluten containing grain where the gluten has been removed. Also in the USA, barley is not one of the 8 allergens that must be highlighted on the label according to US legislation.

We are also asking producers to provide additional information to help you make an informed choice. On beers advertised with Coeliac UK or listed in our Food and Drink Information you will see one of the following statements:

1.    Our gluten free beers are made from gluten containing grains where the gluten has been removed.

OR

2.    Our gluten free beers are made from ingredients that do not contain gluten.

For some people with coeliac disease with ongoing gut damage, a more restrictive gluten free diet may be discussed with their healthcare team. You might hear this referred to as a super sensitive diet or a hypersensitive diet which might be trialled after first putting your gluten free diet under the spotlight, to ensure there is no accidental gluten creeping in. The super sensitive diet involves trialling a gluten free diet where certain foods which are normally included on a gluten free diet are avoided, such as gluten free oats, barley malt extract and gluten free wheat starch.

There is limited published research available on super sensitive/hypersensitive diets but experience from clinical practice indicates that this dietary approach is only suggested for a very small minority of people with coeliac disease.

It is essential that if you are having ongoing symptoms you discuss this with your healthcare team. The first step would be to investigate what is causing your symptoms as this is essential to guide treatment before considering a more restrictive gluten free diet.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction and can be seen in response to foods, medicines and vaccines. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease and is not a food allergy.

Whether or not diagnosed with coeliac disease, people who have had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or a component of the COVID-19 vaccine, should not be given the vaccination. Anyone due to receive their vaccine should continue with their appointment and discuss any questions, serious allergies or any other medical conditions with the healthcare professional before having the vaccine.

Wheat is the basis of the staples in the diet and is therefore the most widely consumed grain in the UK. Removing gluten from the diet can therefore have significant impact on the diet.

Rates for adherence to the gluten-free diet can vary between 42-91% ^[1] and gluten free staples on prescription have been related to inadvertent adherence ^[2].  Non-adherence to the gluten free diet, the medical treatment for coeliac disease is associated with increased risk of complications including osteoporosis, infertility problems and in rare cases intestinal malignancy.

Research has shown that gluten free staple foods are 3-4 times more expensive than equivalents containing gluten ^[3,4]. Availability of gluten free food, particularly in budget supermarkets and corner shops is also limited or non-existent. These access problems underpin the need for provision of gluten-free staple food on prescription, particularly for those on a limited income or with limited mobility.

_{[1] Hall, N.J. Rubin, G. & Charnock, A. (2009). Systematic review: adherence to a gluten-free diet in adult patients with coeliac disease. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 30, 315-330.}

_{[2] Hall, N. et al. (2013). Intentional and inadvertent non-adherence in adult coeliac disease. A cross-sectional survey. Appetite 68 56-62}

_{[3] Singh, J. & Whelan, K. (2011). Limited availability and higher cost of gluten-free foods. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 24, 479-486.}

_{[4] Burden, M., et al., Cost and availability of gluten-free food in the UK: in store and online. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2015: p. postgradmedj-2015-133395}

Our Volunteering team at our High Wycombe office are dedicated to supporting you. They will provide you with the materials and tools you need to support you in your role.

All volunteers will be given relevant resources and training for their role. The Coeliac UK Volunteering team are on hand to provide ongoing help and support during your time as a volunteer. Email us at volunteering@coeliac.org.uk to find out more.

It can be completed in any store selling food within the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. This could be online or at a superstore, corner shop or even a garage.