In Australia Oats are not able to be labelled Gluten free because of the cross contamination issues. We have one brand that are considered gluten free with the growing and testing they do but they are still not allowed to label them as gluten free. Some brands try to use Wheat free labels but they are not gluten free.
Thanks for sharing, Dee! I had heard that Australia had much stricter labeling rules when it comes to oats. I wish the US would adopt a similar practice!
Great information Christina. Important to be educated on these things especially for those with Celiac or other allergies. Our food labels are not always what they seem to be and the allowances that the FDA approves as safe can affect our overall health and well-being.
Thank you, Danni! I hope the FDA makes changes in the future to how it labels gluten-free food. You really do have to become an expert in label reading if you have any kind of food intolerance or allergy.
I love my oats and would be sad to give them up! I am blessed that I just have gluten intolerance and regular oats don’t bother my stomach! This article is very educational! Thanks, Christina!
Thank you for reading, Jenny! Oats are such a nutritious ingredient, it’s a shame it’s so confusing to decipher which ones are celiac-safe in the US. I’m so glad you’re able to eat regular oats!
Over time oats have waxed and waned in popularity in gf foods in the US- but controversy is never far behind! For a long time the only safe oats were from Europe where testing, labeling, and oversight was (and is) much tighter. Then US gf oats became safer with purity protocol, until mechanical sorting, confusing labeling and supply chain issues took over. It’s really caused a lot of confusion. We navigate this at home, in my classes and as a volunteer with a gluten-free summer camp. For the camp our menu planning and ingredient sourcing team has had to navigate this issue. It’s been quite an adventure! I definitely support all the movements for better labeling and testing standards for gluten free products of all kind in the United States it would make such a difference
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective! I agree, it’s very confusing, and I hope labeling laws here in the US get an update. Even just a few months ago, I bought Quaker oatmeal because it said gluten-free on the label—and a few days later, a celiac dietitian I trust made an Instagram post about how Quaker Oats aren’t celiac-safe (even though the box says gluten-free) due to mechanical sorting! I also hate that oat milk has become such a standard in coffeeshops. There’s only one brand in the US I’m aware of that uses gluten-free oats (Oatly), and not every coffeeshop uses that brand. I often wonder when I order coffee drinks if I’m getting inadvertently cross-contaminated due to them using non-gluten-free oat milk to make drinks. It’s often too busy for me to ask for a fresh pitcher or for them to do an extra thorough clean. I feel for tour camp team having to thoroughly research ingredients!
This is a really interesting article and subject. I'm fascinated how the labeling of gluten-free oats is peformed in the US and I wonder if we have the same issues in the UK. To be honest, I do eat oats and have never experienced any problems at all with any products labelled as GF and containing oats. I have severe sensitivity to gluten most of the time but have never had any adverse reactions. On that basis, I like to think it can't be too bad over here. Time for me to do some further research though!
Thank you for reading! I was chatting with a celiac who recently moved from the US to UK and she mentioned that the labeling in the UK isn’t as confusing and she’s able to eat pads there just fine. I believe in Australia, a product isn’t able to be abled gluten-free if it contains oats. When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, I didn’t realize that oats in the US could he cross-contaminated so I was drinking oat milk and eating oatmeal that didn’t contain gluten-free oats (even though they said gluten-free on the packaging!). I never got sick, but I’m more careful now just to be extra safe.
So interesting about cheerios! Doing your own research really is so important. We are big (bobs red mill) GF oat eaters so this is a super helpful article, thanks for sharing!
In Australia Oats are not able to be labelled Gluten free because of the cross contamination issues. We have one brand that are considered gluten free with the growing and testing they do but they are still not allowed to label them as gluten free. Some brands try to use Wheat free labels but they are not gluten free.
Thanks for sharing, Dee! I had heard that Australia had much stricter labeling rules when it comes to oats. I wish the US would adopt a similar practice!
Great information Christina. Important to be educated on these things especially for those with Celiac or other allergies. Our food labels are not always what they seem to be and the allowances that the FDA approves as safe can affect our overall health and well-being.
Thank you, Danni! I hope the FDA makes changes in the future to how it labels gluten-free food. You really do have to become an expert in label reading if you have any kind of food intolerance or allergy.
I love my oats and would be sad to give them up! I am blessed that I just have gluten intolerance and regular oats don’t bother my stomach! This article is very educational! Thanks, Christina!
Thank you for reading, Jenny! Oats are such a nutritious ingredient, it’s a shame it’s so confusing to decipher which ones are celiac-safe in the US. I’m so glad you’re able to eat regular oats!
Me too! Especially since I don’t like the texture of GF oats :(
Over time oats have waxed and waned in popularity in gf foods in the US- but controversy is never far behind! For a long time the only safe oats were from Europe where testing, labeling, and oversight was (and is) much tighter. Then US gf oats became safer with purity protocol, until mechanical sorting, confusing labeling and supply chain issues took over. It’s really caused a lot of confusion. We navigate this at home, in my classes and as a volunteer with a gluten-free summer camp. For the camp our menu planning and ingredient sourcing team has had to navigate this issue. It’s been quite an adventure! I definitely support all the movements for better labeling and testing standards for gluten free products of all kind in the United States it would make such a difference
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective! I agree, it’s very confusing, and I hope labeling laws here in the US get an update. Even just a few months ago, I bought Quaker oatmeal because it said gluten-free on the label—and a few days later, a celiac dietitian I trust made an Instagram post about how Quaker Oats aren’t celiac-safe (even though the box says gluten-free) due to mechanical sorting! I also hate that oat milk has become such a standard in coffeeshops. There’s only one brand in the US I’m aware of that uses gluten-free oats (Oatly), and not every coffeeshop uses that brand. I often wonder when I order coffee drinks if I’m getting inadvertently cross-contaminated due to them using non-gluten-free oat milk to make drinks. It’s often too busy for me to ask for a fresh pitcher or for them to do an extra thorough clean. I feel for tour camp team having to thoroughly research ingredients!
This is a really interesting article and subject. I'm fascinated how the labeling of gluten-free oats is peformed in the US and I wonder if we have the same issues in the UK. To be honest, I do eat oats and have never experienced any problems at all with any products labelled as GF and containing oats. I have severe sensitivity to gluten most of the time but have never had any adverse reactions. On that basis, I like to think it can't be too bad over here. Time for me to do some further research though!
Thank you for reading! I was chatting with a celiac who recently moved from the US to UK and she mentioned that the labeling in the UK isn’t as confusing and she’s able to eat pads there just fine. I believe in Australia, a product isn’t able to be abled gluten-free if it contains oats. When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, I didn’t realize that oats in the US could he cross-contaminated so I was drinking oat milk and eating oatmeal that didn’t contain gluten-free oats (even though they said gluten-free on the packaging!). I never got sick, but I’m more careful now just to be extra safe.
So interesting about cheerios! Doing your own research really is so important. We are big (bobs red mill) GF oat eaters so this is a super helpful article, thanks for sharing!