Coeliac in Austria

The names gluten hides behind are the same in every country, so we keep them in one place: our hidden gluten ingredients list. This page covers what changes in Austria: the law behind “gluten-free”, what a “may contain” line means there, oats, labels, symbols, help with costs and the national coeliac association.

Austria at a glance

What does “glutenfrei” mean on an Austrian label?

“Glutenfrei” may only be used when the food as sold contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg (Regulation (EU) No 828/2014), and “sehr geringer Glutengehalt” means up to 100 mg/kg, which is not gluten-free.

Austria’s food agency AGES checks “glutenfrei” on loose food sold in restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops and cafés. In campaign A-702-26 (final report dated 11 August 2026), 3 of 61 samples did not comply with the regulation. In the earlier campaign A-703-23 (report dated 17 October 2023), 19 of 99 samples from across Austria were objected to, all because of gluten, and six were rated harmful to health because of their high gluten content. It is worth asking how a gluten-free dish is made.

Can I eat food that says “kann Spuren von Gluten enthalten” in Austria?

In Austria, as everywhere in the EU, a “kann Spuren von Gluten enthalten” line is voluntary and is not a rule for us: the ingredient list and a “glutenfrei” label (20 mg/kg or less) decide.

EU law makes allergen labelling mandatory only for allergens added on purpose, so a “kann Spuren von … enthalten” line is voluntary information. It must not mislead or be ambiguous, and harmonised EU rules for it were still pending in the Commission’s 2022 notice. Commission guidance, which is not binding, says it should be used only where prevention cannot be applied effectively and the product may present a risk to allergic consumers, and never instead of preventive measures.

The Austrian coeliac association, ÖAZ (Österreichische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zöliakie), gives the same starting point for processed foods without the gluten-free symbol: check the ingredient list on the pack, because gluten-containing ingredients must be declared on every pack.

Are oats gluten-free in Austria?

By law, oats in a “glutenfrei” food must be specially produced to rule out contamination and contain no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.

ÖAZ is stricter than the law: because conventional oat products are often heavily contaminated, it recommends only oat products certified with the international gluten-free symbol, whose registration number under the symbol starts with “OATS”.

How do Austrian labels and menus show gluten?

Gluten-containing cereals are a mandatory allergen: wheat (including Dinkel, which is spelt, and khorasan), rye, barley, oats and their hybrids (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II).

For unpackaged food and restaurants, Austria’s Allergeninformationsverordnung (BGBl. II Nr. 175/2014) requires businesses to give allergen information without being asked, or to post a visible notice that it is available orally; oral information must come from trained staff, with the training documented, and rest on written records.

ÖAZ notes that on Austrian menus gluten-containing ingredients are usually marked with the letter “A”, and still recommends asking.

Which gluten-free symbols will I see in Austria?

In Austria the international gluten-free symbol, the crossed grain, is licensed by ÖAZ under the AOECS standard: a yearly product analysis by an independent accredited lab, the 20 ppm legal limit and a yearly audit. Genuine use is shown by the registration number under the symbol.

ÖAZ points out that company logos that resemble the symbol, or a plain “glutenfrei” label, have no external checks or production guidelines behind them, although such products must legally be gluten-free.

Is there help with the cost of gluten-free food in Austria?

Austrian income tax rules set a flat 70 euros per month for the extra cost of a coeliac diet, without proof of actual costs. Where the reduction in earning capacity is under 25 percent, the amount counts only after the deductible (Selbstbehalt).

Who is Austria’s coeliac association?

ÖAZ (zoeliakie.or.at) has a gastronomy database for members listing hotels, restaurants and pastry shops that offer gluten-free dishes and have acknowledged its information sheet on preparing gluten-free food; it is a listing, not a certification. Members of other coeliac societies can ask its tourism contact, tourismus@zoeliakie.or.at, for holiday information, and ÖAZ provides a short gluten-free information sheet in 13 languages for ordering food abroad.

Where can I eat gluten-free in Austria?

For places to eat, the HTGF Atlas has hand-picked gluten-free places in Austria, each with dated evidence. Travelling on? See coeliac in Germany, coeliac in Switzerland, where the rules differ, or the EU rules for Europe. All countries: coeliac rules for every country we cover.