Food Labels

Reading food labels as a coeliac is a skill, not just a habit. The rules vary by country, the terminology can be misleading, and the difference between “gluten-free” and “no gluten ingredients” is not a technicality — it’s the difference between a product manufactured to a standard and one that simply wasn’t made with wheat on purpose.

How to Read Labels as a Coeliac

In the EU and UK, food labelling law requires the 14 major allergens — including wheat, barley, rye, and oats — to be emphasised in the ingredients list, usually in bold or a different typeface. This applies whether the allergen is an ingredient or a component of an ingredient. So “soy sauce (wheat)” must flag the wheat. This is useful. It is not, however, the whole picture.

“Gluten-free” as a label claim means the product meets the legal threshold of fewer than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. That standard exists across the EU, UK, and many other jurisdictions. Products carrying the certified Crossed Grain symbol have been independently verified. A product simply labelled “gluten-free” by the manufacturer without certification has been self-declared — it may well be fine, but the verification level differs.

“No gluten-containing ingredients” is not the same as gluten-free. It means the recipe doesn’t include gluten sources. It says nothing about cross-contamination in the factory. Many products with this phrase are made on shared production lines with wheat. For some coeliacs, that’s a problem.

“May contain gluten” or “may contain traces of wheat” is a voluntary precautionary allergen label. Manufacturers add it when cross-contamination is possible in their facility. It tells you the risk exists. It doesn’t tell you how likely or how much. It is voluntary, unregulated, and not a measured result — in the EU it carries no legal weight. The reliable signal remains the “gluten-free” claim; a bare “may contain” line on a gluten-free-labelled or naturally gluten-free food can generally be disregarded.

Natural gluten-free foods — fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, potatoes — don’t need a label to be suitable, but processed versions of these foods always require label scrutiny. Seasoning blends, marinades, stock cubes, and sauces are frequent hiding places for gluten.

What This Means for You

The fastest shortcut when shopping is to look for the Crossed Grain symbol or a certified GF label. When that’s not present, read ingredients carefully and check for any allergen emphasis on wheat, barley, rye, or oats. And treat “no gluten-containing ingredients” as a prompt to read further, not a green light.

Related in the Coeliac Alphabet: “May Contain” Labels · Parts Per Million · Label Reading FAQ · back to the full A–Z.