Gluten-free shopping tips (for the EU)

Things to be considered when shopping for food

Daily food shopping is no easy task for sufferers of coeliac disease; the diverse range of products seems to be almost infinite, but each selected product presents the same question: Can I really eat this? The following tips and information will help you to fill your shopping basket correctly:

• Since November 2005, the 14 most important allergen substances, which are often found in foodstuffs, must be specified on the product label – independent of contained form and amount. For this reason you should read the label thoroughly before purchasing selected foodstuffs, even though it costs a little time and effort.

• Attention: Products that were manufactured before the aforementioned date are still allowed to be sold; gluten-containing ingredients are not necessarily specified on the product label in this case! And: The compulsory certification is only applied to packed goods and not to goods that are sold without packaging or rather individually.

• If one or more of the ingredients on the label are not familiar to you, we recommend that you should leave the product on the shelf.

• If you should find the designation "starch" or "modified starch" on the label, the starch in question is gluten-free in accordance with the EU ordinance from February 2000; gluten-free starch content has to be declared specially since this date.

• The general rule is: The fresher or more natural the food is, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-free; and vice versa: The more the food is processed, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-containing.

• Even if the product is usually gluten-free in its natural form, please take into consideration that the food may be contaminated, i.e. in the case of gluten-free grain, flour or bread and pastries. (Side note of blogger: when the product might be contaminated then the company has to state that on the product label.)

• Products that are provided in various regions or countries by large-scale foodstuff manufacturers are usually labelled with the same brand name, but the respective products may possibly contain differing ingredients. For this reason, please exercise caution when buying familiar products abroad. The rule applied here is also: Study the label or request information via the respective National Coeliac Society.

• All medication is gluten-free as a basic principle. Thus, you can take medication without any problems (the current standards set by the European Pharmacopoeia (compliance with which is verified by Office IV of the Italian Ministry of Health) are considered suitable for those affected by coeliac condition (gluten intolerance), as are medicinal products containing wheat starch).

• Obtain detailed shopping lists of the most commonly provided products on the retail market and take the list with you when you go shopping. These lists can be obtained from the respective national Coeliac Disease Societies of many countries. Such foodstuff lists are provided, for instance, by the German coeliac disease society known as Deutschen Zöliakie Gesellschaft, the Austrian coeliac society known as Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zoeliakie, the Italian coeliac society known as Associazione Italiana Celiachia, the British coeliac society known as Coeliac UK and the Spanish coeliac society known as Federación de Asociaciones de Celíacos de Espana.

• If you really want to be on the safe side, you should preferentially buy safe products made especially for coeliac disease sufferers, such as those provided by Schaer. (Side note of blogger: very good products, I eat them almost daily.)

(www.schaer.com)