Gluten from wheat and other grains still hides in foods, despite changes in food labeling laws. As of 2006, food manufacturers have been required to state whether any of the top eight allergens are in a food, and list any of the top eight allergens that the food contains.
Top Eight Most Common Allergens on Food Labels
The current list of the top eight allergens consists of fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, dairy, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) website, accessed April 24, 2010. Wheat is one of those top eight allergens, and wheat is usually listed on food labels, but gluten doesn't always come from wheat.
Gluten can also come from barley, rye, and triticale. It can hide in foods and cause harm to people who have celiac disease and to other people who are sensitive to gluten.
What to Look for to Avoid Gluten
Readers who must avoid gluten should take great care, and call food manufacturers whenever there is doubt as to a food's contents. The following are just some of the terms that may be used on food labels to indicate that a product may contain wheat or gluten:
- Any term that contains the words wheat, bran, germ, cereal, cracker, or bread in any form.
- Any term that contains the words flavor, color, broth, bullion, or sauce.
- Any term that contains the flavors themselves, such as malt, caramel, butter flavor, chocolate, or vanilla flavor.
- Any term that contains the words couscous, pasta, or noodles (unless it specifies that the pasta is gluten free pasta, such as that made from rice or corn).
Terms That Mean Wheat or Wheat Flour
Flour does not always come from wheat, but in most commercially-produced foods, it does. Wheat flour generally contains gluten (some argue that the gluten can be removed, others say not completely).
If the ingredient list does not say that the flour is from another source, such as "brown rice flour," or "soy flour," it is likely that the flour is ground wheat. Many terms can mean wheat or wheat flour:
- Edible Starch
- Einkorn
- Enriched Flour
- Durum
- Farina
- Fu
- Graham Flour
- Granary Flour
- Hard triticum
- High Gluten Flour
- High protein Flour
- Hordeum
- Kamut
- Semolina
- Spelt
- Triticale
- Udon ( wheat noodles)
- Vital Gluten
Surprising Sources of Gluten
Food labels of every type and brand of chili carried in a particular store were examined by Suite101 in April 2010, and only one was found to be gluten-free. The rest of them contained wheat flour, wheat protein, or some other gluten-containing ingredient. Not all of the labels clearly revealed the gluten content. Two were clearly labeled: "Contains wheat." Others listed the flour or wheat protein in the ingredients list, and some merely listed the gluten content as "natural flavors."
Chili may be a surprising place to find gluten. Other foods that may seem to be unlikely places for flour to hide are potato crisps, beef jerky, sausage, and candy.
Some food ingredients may be surprising sources of gluten and/or wheat:
- Chocolate, pudding, candy, and frosting
- Creamer substitute
- Dextrin, dextrose
- Filler
- Food dyes
- Herbs, spices
- Hydrolysates or hydrolyzed anything
- Miso and other soy products, such as soy sauce and teriyaki sauce
- Modified Food Starch (can be from other sources)
- MSG
- Mustard Powder
- Nitrates, nitrites, sulfates or sulfites
- Oat Flour or oats
- Starch, vegetable starch
- Vitamins
Avoiding Accidental Glutening
Staying gluten-free can be difficult, even for those with years of experience following a gluten-free diet. Accidental glutenings can happen, and in the case of an accidental glutening, a Celiac or allergic person should seek medical attention.
Labeling laws have helped reduce the number of accidental glutenings, and voluntary labeling of foods as "gluten-free" by food manufacturers also makes it easier for gluten sensitive people to differentiate between safe and unsafe foods. Requiring food manufacturers to list gluten on food labels would further help those who have a strong need to follow gluten free diets.
Jennifer Harshman - With more than 20 years of experience and education in her fields, she's also read more than one book for every day she has lived.
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