Labelling of 'gluten free' foods

The European Commission, using recent internationally recognised scientific evidence, has introduced compositional and labelling standards (Commission Regulation (EC) No. 41/2009) that set levels of gluten for foods claiming to be either 'gluten-free' or 'very low gluten', which came into force in January 2012. These levels are:

• 'gluten-free': at 20 parts per million of gluten or less
• 'very low gluten': at 100 parts per million of gluten or less - however, only foods with cereal ingredients that have been specially processed to remove the gluten may make a 'very low gluten' claim

These regulations apply to all foods, pre-packed or sold loose, such as in health food stores or in catering establishments.

The new labelling standards are an important public health measure to help protect the long term health of coeliacs. These labelling standards will enable coeliacs to make informed choices about the foods that are safe for them to eat.

Where caterers are unable to justify 'gluten-free' or 'very low gluten' claims because of the risk of cross-contamination, if steps have been taken to control this contamination, caterers will be able to indicate which foods do not have gluten-containing ingredients, allowing coeliacs to make choices based on their individual levels of sensitivity.

To help industry and enforcement authorities understand the new rules and encourage the provision of information for coeliacs, the Agency has developed two sets of guidance. One will cover compliance with the Regulations, and the other will give advice to caterers on providing gluten information for unpackaged foods (see links below). The Agency has also developed information for consumers to help raise awareness of the rules that came into force in January 2012.