Is barley gluten-free? No, and here’s where it hides

No. Barley contains gluten. Its gluten protein is called hordein, and it triggers coeliac (celiac) disease just like wheat gluten. Barley, wheat and rye are the three cereals you avoid.

Where barley hides

• Malt, malt extract and malt flavouring: made from barley. Common in cereals, sweets, malted drinks and some chocolate.
• Beer and most lagers and ales: brewed from barley. Gluten-free beers are brewed from other grains or specially treated, and the label tells you.
• Barley malt vinegar: only suitable when it’s tested and labelled gluten-free.
• Barley water and some squash drinks.
• Pearl barley in soups and stews. (The pasta called orzo is wheat, so it contains gluten too; only in Italian does “orzo” mean barley.)
• Barley coffee (caffè d’orzo in Italy): made from roasted barley.

On labels

In the EU and UK, barley has to be named in the ingredient list and highlighted as an allergen, so a quick read finds it. In the US, allergen law covers wheat but not barley, so look for the words barley, malt and brewer’s yeast yourself.

Barley is one of the three to avoid. The good news: rice, corn, buckwheat, millet and oats labelled gluten-free fill the same spots in soups, porridge and baking.

Keep reading

• The Hidden-Gluten Watchlist: the 15 forbidden names and the ones to check
• Which grains are gluten-free? The full list
• Is malt extract gluten-free?
• Is vinegar gluten-free?
• Gluten-free beer

Sources: Codex Alimentarius (gluten-free = 20 mg/kg or less), EU Regulation 828/2014, Coeliac UK, NHS. We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions, your doctor or dietitian has the last word.