labelling of gluten-free foods
New rules relating to claims about the gluten content of food
came fully into force on 1 January 2012.
EU Regulations concerning the composition and labelling of
foodstuffs suitable for people intolerant to gluten and the
corresponding national regulations provide for two claims to be
used when describing the gluten content of foods specifically
marketed for people intolerant to gluten:
- ‘very low gluten’, where the level of gluten is 100mg/kg or
less and which contain cereal ingredients that have been specially
processed to reduce the level of gluten
- ‘gluten-free’, where the level of gluten is 20mg/kg or less,
either through substitution of cereals containing gluten with
cereals that do not contain gluten, or through reduction in the
levels of gluten in the cereals containing gluten.
The ‘very low gluten’ claim can only be made on foods that are
specifically prepared for people with a gluten intolerance. The
‘gluten-free’ claim may be made both on foods specifically made for
someone with gluten intolerance and ‘normal’ foods that meet the
gluten limit.
The legislation covers all food labelled ‘gluten-free’ or ‘very
low gluten’ sold either pre-packed or non pre-packed in both the
retail and catering sectors and applies irrespective of whether the
gluten is present as a deliberate ingredient or as a result of
cross-contamination.
From 1 January 2012 no other claims which highlight the
suitability of foods for people intolerant to gluten will be
allowed. The term ‘suitable for coeliacs’ and the Coeliac UK logo
will no longer be allowed to be used on their own to indicate
suitability for coeliacs, but they may be used to supplement the
‘gluten-free’ and ‘very low gluten’ claims.
However, where a food does not contain any gluten-containing
ingredients and where good cross-contamination controls are in
place, it is acceptable to use a factual statement such as ‘no
gluten-containing ingredients’ provided the label does not indicate
suitability for those with a gluten intolerance or mention levels
of gluten.
The allergen labelling rules which require products containing
gluten-containing cereals to make this clear on the label will
continue to apply alongside rules for gluten claims.
Foods specifically prepared for people intolerant to gluten must
be described with either a ‘gluten-free’ or ‘very low gluten’ claim
and must be notified to the Department of Health when placed on the
market for the first time or if they were already on the market
when the legislation came into force. This applies to both
pre-packed and non-prepacked foods.
From 1 January 2012, any foods still carrying old labels which
are not compliant with the new rules must be removed from sale.
