Wherever you are in this gluten filled world…does your country’s Coeliac Association have a directory
Coeliac UK Food&Drink Directory
which provides info for coeliacs on safe gluten free products by brand and/or supermarket? The UK does thanks to the fantastic and hard working Coeliac UK. The Food and Drink Directory which Coeliac UK compiles each year can be found both in hard copy or electronically on the Coeliac UK site. Newly diagnosed Coeliacs in the UK can sign up for 6 months free membership (which can be renewed for £10-20 per year) giving them access to this directory searchable by brand or supermarket. It provides an extensive list of products which they have found to be safe for coeliacs.
In Section One of the directory are products which adhere to the new gluten free labelling legislation passed in 2009 and becomes mandatory on January 1st, 2012. These products contain less than 20ppm of gluten. Recent evidence indicates that people with coeliac disease can eat unlimited amounts of foods containing less than this amount.
Section Two is much larger and lists products, searchable by brand and supermarket own brand. These products are foods which have been made with no gluten-containing ingredients and with controls in place to minimise cross-contamination risk. Coeliac UK speak to manufacturers about the environment in which their products are produced, how they label their foods and the ingredients. Only products deemed safe enough for coeliacs are included.
Personally I think this directory is fantastic! Every country in the world should provide something similar to coeliacs living in or travelling to their country! I’m sure many others do so please let me know if you’ve come across something similar in your country or somewhere you’ve travelled to…
The United States now has something similar. Triumph Dining have put together a book to help gluten free travellers in the US make informed decisions and buy safe products.
