Questions related to: What is gluten free wheat starch?
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Can I buy a kit to test the level of gluten in my food?
There are companies that produce testing kits to test the level of gluten in ready prepared foods.
These tests are marketed for testing meals in restaurants and can detect a level of gluten of 20 parts per million or less.
Reliability of these kits should always be considered, not because the kits do not do what they are reported to do, but because the user may not maintain control of the conditions needed for accurate testing. For example, testing a small sample of a certain meal will not necessarily represent the gluten content of the complete meal. It is also important to make sure that all gluten is extracted from a food before testing using the chemicals provided. It is therefore very important to follow the manufacturer's guidance on using the test kits.
More information about testing food and auditing requirements can be found over on our Food Businesses page.
Are the products listed in the vegetarian chapter suitable for a vegan diet?
The Vegetarian Chapter contains gluten free foods that are suitable for a vegetarian diet. Some products may also be suitable for a vegan diet, please refer to the manufacturer.
Why do you not provide product information for some brands and manufacturers?
We now provide product information and it's suitability on nearly 150,000 gluten free and mainstream products by contacting over 200 manufacturers and sourcing product information from a third party, Brandbank. If you can't find a particular brand within our services, this may be because they have not provided us with information or it might be because the product contains gluten.
If you are unsure whether you can eat particular products you can always check the label. For more information on reading labels why not check out our food labelling video, produced in association with the Food Standard Agency.
If you find that the product is suitable which isn't listed in our Food and Drink Guide, then do let us know about it and we can work towards listing the product on our website and in our Live Well Gluten Free app.
Which foods are listed in Section 1?
Section 1 lists foods that are gluten free. They contain gluten at a level of no more than 20 parts per million (ppm). Products listed here comply with the law (European Regulation EU 828/2014). Foods in this section are tested to make sure they are gluten free.
You will find the following types of foods in Section 1:
- specialist, substitute foods:
- foods carrying the Coeliac UK Crossed Grain symbol
- some mainstream foods that are labelled gluten free.
- on prescription
- in the Free From section of the supermarket
What should I do if a product I have bought contains gluten although it is listed in the Food and Drink Guide?
Manufacturers sometimes change their ingredients without notifying us. Please contact us on 0333 332 2033 and select option 2 so that we can investigate. To be able to investigate your query we will require the following information: brand and product name, pack size, barcode number and the nature of your query e.g. may contain statement, contains wheat etc.
What is the Crossed Grain symbol?
The Crossed Grain symbol is used under licence by companies and organisations on food and drink products which meet our criteria. The symbol is a quick and easy way to identify safe food and drink. We highlight products using the Crossed Grain symbol throughout our Food and Drink Guide.
Can I eat yeast?
Fresh yeast is naturally gluten free. We are now aware of some brands of dried yeasts that now contain wheat starch in the ingredients so they are not gluten free. We therefore now list dried yeasts on our Food and Drink Information Service that do not contain gluten.
Do I still need to update my Food and Drink Guide?
It is important to check for updates as products do change and many new products are added throughout the year.
Product information on our digital versions are updated in real time however we also provide monthly updates to the Food and Drink Guide and these can be found:
- on our Food and Drink Information page on our website
- by following the links on our monthly email newsletters
- through our Live Well Gluten Free app
- on our social media platforms.
What was the outcome of the Westminster debate on gluten free prescribing?
You can find a full transcript of the debate here.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health committed to completing a review of the issue within six months of the debate, which was held on 1 November 2016. The Department of Health consultation was issued on 31 March 2017. Coeliac UK was not contacted during the intervening period.