Editorial Policy

How to Gluten Free is written for people whose health depends on getting this right. That earns you rules we hold ourselves to on every page.

Evidence rules

• Every factual claim carries a source and a last-verified date. Restaurant listings additionally carry operating status, exact address, the kitchen's gluten-free protocol and an evidence tier.
• We never call food or places simply "safe". We describe evidence: the tier, the protocol, the date it was last checked. The judgement stays with you — we make it an informed one.
• Where evidence is thin, we say so instead of rounding up.

The labelling baseline — jurisdiction-aware

• The regulated gluten-free label claim (Codex/EU/UK framework, 20 ppm or less) is the bar. A product that carries it is suitable for coeliacs wherever that claim is regulated.
• Certification marks (AOECS Crossed Grain, GFCO and similar) are audited bonuses on top of the claim — valuable, never a requirement.
• Precautionary "may contain" statements are voluntary and carry no legal threshold. We read them per jurisdiction — our UK-scoped content follows Coeliac UK's more cautious advice; EU content explains the legal reality.
• Rules differ by country — US allergen law does not cover barley and rye (we flag malt-type terms), Australia and New Zealand run stricter rules. Our guidance names the jurisdiction it applies to.

Three languages, one standard

English, German and Italian content follows the same evidence rules. Italian safety guidance is anchored to the Codex/AOECS scientific framework.

Corrections

Found an error? Tell us via the contact page. Corrections are made in the text, and the page's updated date changes — we don't silently rewrite history on safety-relevant points.

Commercial content — disclosed, never in the way of safety

• Safety information is never paywalled. Membership and the shop fund the depth of this work, not access to the essentials.
• Affiliate links, where used, are disclosed and never influence what we recommend or how a venue is tiered.
• Venues cannot pay for listings, tiers or placement. See the methodology.

Our tools are guidance, not medicine

The Translator, Label Lab, Ingredient Decoder and recall tracker are practical aids. They don't replace your dietitian or doctor, and they say so on-face.