Providing gluten-free meals

There is an abundance of naturally gluten-free whole foods available as well as many readily available alternatives.  Improvements in food labelling legislation aim to make ingredients as transparent as possible.  You may already be offering gluten-free choices without realising it!  With a bit of thought, it’s quite easy to cater for the needs of a gluten-free customer.

Naturally gluten-free foods

Many foods are naturally gluten-free and lend themselves perfectly to healthy, tasty and satisfying meals.  These include:

• fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses
• meat, poultry, fish
• eggs, soya, milk, cheese, natural yoghurt, cottage cheese, cream
• rice, corn (maize), tapioca, polenta, buckwheat, sago, arrowroot, cornflour, gram flour, potato flour, soya flour, teff, quinoa
• butter, margarine and cooking oils.

For a complete inventory, see our click here.

Contamination

Contamination of gluten-free foods with gluten-containing foods can be a major problem for people with coeliac disease.

Although some flours are naturally gluten-free, they can be milled in places where wheat flour is also milled.  Contamination can then occur, either because of wheat flour in the atmosphere or due to traces of it in storage vessels.  Therefore, it is possible flours made from pulses, such as gram and buckwheat flour, may be contaminated although they are naturally gluten-free. Check with the supplier to ensure that these ingredients are from a reputable source.

Gluten-free Alternatives

There are a wide range of gluten-free alternatives to the usual staples such as bread, rolls and pasta. If you cannot obtain them from your main suppliers, try contacting some of the specialist suppliers in our annual Food and Drink directory of products and services or contact us directly. Alternatively, most major supermarkets have a range of 'Free From' products. Gluten-free pizza bases, muffins, cakes, biscuits and cereals are also available.

Foods to avoid

Avoiding foods that contain gluten is essential for people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people with coeliac disease also need to avoid oats. Most oats commonly found in the shops are not suitable for use in a gluten-free diet as they are contaminated with wheat and/or barley. Conventional, gluten-containing bread, pizza, pasta, crispbreads, crackers, buns, biscuits, cakes, and pastries should not be eaten or served.

Other foods and drinks to be aware of that also contain gluten are beer, lager and stout, soy sauce, fish & chips, sausages, some breakfast cereals, ready meals, ready made gravies and sauces. Always check the labels on ready-prepared or processed foods before you use them in a gluten-free meal – manufacturers of pre-packaged foods are obliged to list all deliberate ingredients in food products. They also have to identify any allergenic ingredients present, including any gluten-containing ingredients. More information on allergen labelling can be found here.