Coeliac in Europe: the EU rules

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 the rules every EU country shares: the law behind “gluten-free”, what a “may contain” line means, oats, labels, eating out and the Crossed Grain, plus how the countries we cover differ.

The EU at a glance

What does “gluten-free” mean on a label in the EU?

Across the EU, “gluten-free” may only be used when the food as sold contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg (20 ppm), under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014. It applies directly in every member state, with no national version needed, and has applied since 20 July 2016.

“Very low gluten” is a separate, weaker label: up to 100 mg/kg, and only for foods made with cereal ingredients specially processed to reduce gluten, so it does not mean gluten-free.

These two statements are the only way to describe absent or reduced gluten, and they may be accompanied by “suitable for coeliacs”. “Specifically formulated for coeliacs” is reserved for foods specially made to reduce or replace gluten-containing ingredients, the classic gluten-free substitute bread and pasta.

You will meet the same rule in the local language: “glutenfrei” in Germany and Austria, “senza glutine” in Italy, always with the 20 mg/kg limit.

Can I eat food that says “may contain” in the EU?

In the EU a “may contain” line is voluntary and is not a rule for us: read the ingredient list, where every gluten-containing cereal must be named and emphasised, and look for “gluten-free”, which by law means 20 mg/kg or less.

EU food information law makes allergen labelling mandatory only for allergens added on purpose, as ingredients or processing aids; information on possible, unintended presence is voluntary, as the Commission’s 2022 notice explains.

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (Article 36) foresees EU rules for this voluntary information; meanwhile it must not mislead, must not be ambiguous and must, where appropriate, rest on scientific data. The Commission’s 2022 notice said harmonised rules were still pending and that food businesses are responsible for not making such information misleading.

Commission guidance, which is not binding, says precautionary allergen labelling should be used only where prevention cannot be applied effectively and the product may present a risk to allergic consumers, should rest on the manufacturer’s risk assessment, and should never replace preventive measures. Separately, EU hygiene law requires businesses to clean and check equipment used for an allergen, at least for visible debris, before using it for food without that allergen.

Are oats gluten-free in the EU?

Oats can be part of a food labelled gluten-free in the EU only if they were specially produced to avoid contamination by wheat, rye or barley, and those oats contain no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. Even then, oats must still be named and emphasised in the ingredient list.

The regulation’s own recitals say most people with gluten intolerance can include oats without adverse effect on their health, and that contamination with wheat, rye or barley during harvest, transport, storage and processing is the major concern.

How do EU labels show wheat, barley and rye?

Cereals containing gluten are a mandatory allergen across the EU: wheat (including spelt and khorasan), rye, barley, oats and their hybrids, and products made from them (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II). The narrow exceptions are wheat-based glucose syrups including dextrose, wheat-based maltodextrins, barley-based glucose syrups and cereals used for distilled spirits.

These cereals must be emphasised in the ingredient list, for example in bold, and with no ingredient list the label must say “contains” plus the cereal. Commission guidance says the specific cereal must be named, as in “barley malt vinegar”, and spelt, khorasan or durum must be identified as wheat.

For food sold without packaging, in restaurants, cafés, bakeries, at deli counters and by caterers, allergen information, gluten cereals included, is mandatory in every EU country, and each country may decide how it is given.

How do the EU countries we cover differ?

The label rules are shared, but eating out and help with costs are national. Here is what differs in the four EU countries we cover.

Outside the EU, Switzerland has its own law with the same 20 mg/kg limit for “glutenfrei”, but there a “may contain” note is compulsory when cross-contact could exceed 200 mg of gluten per kg. The UK kept the EU gluten-free rule in its own law and has not amended it since the end of 2020.

Which gluten-free symbol will I see across Europe?

The Crossed Grain Trademark is licensed to products across Europe by the national coeliac associations under the AOECS European Licensing System, and AOECS says over 23,000 gluten-free products are licensed. It is an association trademark, separate from the legal word “gluten-free”. AOECS says its online product lists are not being updated while its database is reorganised, and points readers to their local society for current data.

Who can help when I travel in Europe?

The federation of European coeliac associations, AOECS, publishes contact details of its national member associations, more than 40 of them according to the Italian association AIC.

For places to eat, browse the HTGF Atlas directory of gluten-free places by country, or go straight to Germany, Austria, Italy or Ireland. All countries: coeliac rules for every country we cover.