How to Decode Food Labels Like a Pro
Is that item *really* gluten-free? Here's how to tell.
Grocery shopping can be tricky when you have celiac disease. It’s not always so obvious from the label if something has gluten in it in the US. You have to do your due diligence and learn how to decode what’s on the packaging to determine if an item is gluten-free and celiac-safe.
I consider myself a pretty experienced label reader these days since I’ve been gluten-free for almost five years and regularly write about celiac disease and gluten-free living. Ahead, I put together what I’ve learned over the past few years about label reading so you can become more confident at the grocery store.
How does the FDA regulate gluten-free food items?
First things first: Let’s explore how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handles gluten-free labeling on packaged foods. “Gluten-free” is a voluntary claim that manufacturers can decide to put on their food labels.
If a manufacturer uses a gluten-free designation, it’s “responsible for using the claim in an accurate and not misleading manner, and for complying with all requirements established by the regulation and enforced by FDA.”
What, exactly, are these requirements? Since 2014, to be labeled “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten,” a product must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, the lowest level that can be reliably detected in foods (and the limit someone with celiac disease can safely consume daily).
In addition to meeting this 20 ppm standard, a manufacturer can label its products gluten-free so long as they don’t contain the following:
Wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains
Ingredients derived from these grains that haven’t been processed to remove gluten
Ingredients derived from these grains that have been processed to remove gluten but contain more than 20 ppm
How can you tell if a packaged food item is gluten-free?
There are three different categories packaged gluten-free food can fall into. Here’s a breakdown of each one:
Certified gluten-free labels
A certified gluten-free label means a product has been tested by a third party to fall under the FDA’s 20 ppm limit and is generally considered celiac-safe. One such certification to look for on a product is the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)’s Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) logo.
According to GIG, products that hold its certification have gone through rigorous testing and contain no more than 10 ppm of gluten—this is stricter than the FDA’s 20 ppm limit.
Gluten-free labels
Next up are products that are labeled gluten-free. These need to contain no more than 20 ppm of gluten, according to the FDA. Most celiac experts agree that in general, items with this label on them are celiac-safe. Things get complicated, however, when it comes to oats (which I share more about in the “red flags” section of this article).
No gluten-containing ingredients
A food doesn’t need a gluten-free label to be celiac-safe. In fact, plain meat, poultry, eggs, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, rice, milk, and cheese are all naturally gluten-free and likely won’t have this label.
Additionally, packaged items that aren’t labeled gluten-free may be safe to eat, so long as none of the ingredients contain gluten. Of course, there are many potential hidden sources of gluten, so you have to get comfortable with deciphering ingredients to determine what’s safe (more on that below!).
What are the top gluten red flags you should be aware of?
In general, if a packaged food has a certified or gluten-free label, it should be celiac-safe. But you should be aware of some red flags on food labels, particularly when looking at packaged foods that aren’t labeled gluten-free.
1. “May contain wheat” or “processed on equipment that handles wheat”
These are voluntary statements from the manufacturer that it may use to be transparent about its processes or to let customers who have wheat allergies (not celiac disease) know, according to GIG.
If either of these statements is on a packaged item that’s certified or labeled gluten-free, this doesn’t affect its gluten-free status, per GIG. Even if one of these statements is present, the product still needs to fall under the 20 ppm limit to have a gluten-free label.
If a packaged food isn’t labeled gluten-free and has a “may contain wheat” or “processed on the same equipment that handles wheat” statement, there’s a chance it might not be safe. In this case, you should skip eating it altogether or reach out to the manufacturer for more information to determine whether it’s safe.
Another voluntary statement some manufacturers put on their products for transparency is “made in a shared facility with wheat.” But facilities are large—and just because a product is made in the same building as something with gluten doesn’t mean it’s not celiac-safe.
“When safe manufacturing protocols are in place, it is possible to safely manufacture gluten-free food for people with celiac disease in a shared facility,” notes Beyond Celiac.
If a product has a certified or gluten-free label and has this statement on it, there’s really nothing to worry about as a celiac since the item has to adhere to the 20 ppm limit to carry either label.
If a product doesn’t have a gluten-free label but has this statement on it, contact the manufacturer for more information if you don’t feel safe eating the food. You can also look on the brand’s website to see if there’s a gluten-free claim there (some companies will note this on the website but not on the packaging).
2. Oats
One of the most controversial—and confusing—ingredients in the celiac community? Oats. As I reported previously, if a product contains regular oats and is labeled gluten-free, it’s still not necessarily celiac-safe. What?!
Here’s the deal: Pure, uncontaminated oats are naturally gluten-free—but the issue has to do with how oats are grown and processed. According to Beyond Celiac, mills that process oats also usually process gluten-containing grains like wheat, leading to a large risk for cross-contact.
Case in point: Gluten-Free Watchdog, an independent program run by Tricia Thompson, RD, recently commissioned testing on Trader Joe’s rolled oats and organic rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds (both of which have a gluten-free label on the packaging)—and found that these products exceeded the 20 ppm threshold of gluten. Some samples contained as high as 120 ppm of gluten!
Due to the high risk of cross-contact, at this time, experts recommend only choosing oat products that are certified gluten-free (this means the final product has been tested by a third party to fall under 20 ppm of gluten) or explicitly state gluten-free oats in the ingredient list.
Gluten-free oats (often called “purity protocol oats”) are harvested and manufactured separately from wheat and are generally thought to be celiac-safe.
3. Wheat starch
Another controversial and confusing ingredient? Wheat starch. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen posts in online groups from outraged celiacs wondering how wheat could be in a product labeled gluten-free.
I cleared up the misinformation in this recent article, but here’s an abbreviated rundown of what to look for on a food label:
The FDA defines wheat starch as “an ingredient made from wheat that has been processed to remove gluten.” For a product with wheat starch to be labeled gluten-free in the US, it must contain less than 20 ppm of gluten in the finished food, according to the FDA.
Erin Kenny, RD, founder of The Celiac Space, explains in a recent Instagram video that wheat starch can be gluten-free and celiac-safe—so long as the product it’s in is either certified gluten-free or states gluten-free wheat starch in the ingredients. This will ensure the product falls below the FDA’s 20 ppm limit.
4. Natural flavors
Natural flavors are another confusing term that pops up on food labels. As the National Celiac Association (NCA) explains, “Natural flavors are products from any one of numerous sources of plant material or animals whose primary function is to flavor food.”
Most natural flavors are safely gluten-free, according to GIG, but sometimes they come from gluten sources. If the natural flavors are derived from wheat, this would need to be declared on the packaging since wheat is recognized as a top allergen by the FDA.
However, if the natural flavors are derived from barley, this doesn’t need to be disclosed in an allergen statement since barley isn’t recognized as a top allergen by the FDA (even though barley is a gluten-containing grain).
Per the NCA, if a food is labeled gluten-free and contains natural flavors, it’s considered celiac-safe since the product has to adhere to the FDA’s 20 ppm limit.
If a packaged food contains natural flavors but isn’t labeled gluten-free, the NCA recommends reaching out to the manufacturer for more information on the source of the flavors.
5. Other hidden sources of gluten
Wheat, barley, and rye may not be listed in such simple terms on a food label. This can make it difficult to decipher whether a packaged food without a gluten-free label is gluten-free.
Remember: While wheat is recognized by the FDA as a top allergen and must be declared on packaged food, barley and rye aren’t considered top allergens and therefore don’t need to be declared as allergens.
So, you have to figure out how to spot these ingredients, which may go by different names on a label. According to the NCA, some of the biggest gluten red flags to look for include:
Malt, malt flavoring, malt extract, malt syrup: These are usually made from barley and aren’t gluten-free. Avoid foods containing malt.
Brewer’s yeast: This is a byproduct of the beer brewing process and may contain malt, which isn’t gluten-free. Avoid foods containing brewer’s yeast if they don’t have a gluten-free label.
Yeast extract: This flavoring could come from spent brewer’s yeast and not be gluten-free. Sometimes, yeast extract is derived from sugar beets, which are gluten-free. If a product is labeled gluten-free and contains yeast extract, it’s considered celiac-safe. If a product isn’t labeled gluten-free and contains yeast extract, reach out to the manufacturer for more information on the source of the ingredient.
Smoke flavoring: This is a flavor derived from burning wood. Sometimes, barley malt is used to capture the smoke, but not much is known about how often this happens or how much gluten the flavoring contains when this happens. That said, if a product is labeled gluten-free and contains smoke flavoring, it should be safe.
Modified food starch: This is a food additive usually made from corn—but in some cases, it may be made from wheat. If the modified food starch comes from wheat, it must be declared on the packaging as an allergen. If wheat isn’t listed in the ingredient list or an allergen statement, the modified food starch is considered gluten-free.
Dextrin: This is a carbohydrate made from starches. It’s used as glue on envelopes, to enhance the crispness of food, and to bind pills. It may be made from wheat—although most dextrin in the US is derived from corn. If the dextrin comes from wheat, it must be declared on the packaging as an allergen. If wheat dextrin is present in a product labeled gluten-free, it must meet the FDA’s 20 ppm limit. Depending on your comfort level, you may want to avoid products with wheat dextrin if there’s no gluten-free label—however, Beyond Celiac notes that wheat dextrin is so highly processed that it generally contains less than 20 ppm of gluten and is considered celiac-safe.
Rice syrup or brown rice syrup: This is a liquid sweetener made from rice. It has enzymes added to help break down the starch into sugar, and sometimes those enzymes come from barley. Testing of gluten levels has been inconsistent, so the NCA suggests avoiding eating foods containing brown rice syrup that uses barley enzymes until better research is available. Contact the manufacturer for more information if the food isn’t labeled gluten-free and brown rice syrup is in the ingredients.
What questionable ingredients are probably gluten-free?
There’s a lot of misinformation online about gluten and where it’s found. Specifically, there are a few ingredients that are often mistakenly said to contain gluten even though they usually don’t.
According to the NCA, the below ingredients are generally gluten-free. That means in most cases, you shouldn’t have to worry if you come across any of these ingredients in packaged food.
Artificial flavorings: These are blended from chemical compounds and are gluten-free.
Caramel/caramel coloring: This is a coloring agent that can be made from a variety of sources, including malt syrup starch and wheat starch hydrolysates. However, it’s usually made from cornstarch. Even when made from barley or wheat, the chances that the final product would contain 20 ppm or more of gluten would be incredibly low.
Individual spices: Single spices—like oregano, basil, thyme, etc.—are naturally gluten-free. Spice blends don’t need to list every single spice to be considered gluten-free. If the spice blend contains a starch, it has to state what kind of starch. If wheat, barley, or rye don’t appear in the ingredients of the spice blend, there’s likely no gluten present.
Vinegar: Most vinegars are gluten-free. This includes apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, grape vinegar, distilled vinegar, white vinegar, and balsamic vinegar.
Starch: When the word “starch” alone appears in an FDA-regulated food product, it refers to cornstarch, which is gluten-free.
Citric acid: This is an acid used as a flavoring, preservative, and emulsifier. It’s considered gluten-free regardless of whether it’s made from wheat, barley, or rye because any gluten is removed during processing.
Color additives: These are made from chemicals and dyes and don’t contain food allergens or gluten.
Distilled alcohol: Unflavored distilled alcohol—regardless of whether it’s made from wheat, barley, or rye—is considered gluten-free. This includes liquors such as vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, and tequila.
Glucose syrup: This is a starch hydrolysate that can be made from wheat starch or barley starch. However, it’s typically made from cornstarch in the US. Even if it’s made from wheat or barley, it’s considered gluten-free—and it would be highly unlikely that it would cause a finished food to contain more than 20 ppm of gluten.
Maltodextrin: This is a starch hydrolysate that can be derived from wheat starch. In the US, it’s usually made from cornstarch. Even if it comes from wheat, it’s considered gluten-free—and there are very low odds that it would cause a finished food to contain more than 20 ppm of gluten.
Whey: This is a protein found in milk. It’s gluten-free.
Guar gum: This is an emulsifier extracted from the guar plant’s seeds. You’ll often see it in gluten-free baked goods. It’s gluten-free, although it can cause stomach discomfort.
Xanthan gum: This is a polysaccharide gum used as a thickener in gluten-free baked goods. It’s gluten-free but can cause stomach discomfort.
MSG: This is a flavor-enhancing additive. While it may be made from different starches and sugars, there’s no evidence wheat starch is one of them.
Additional gluten-free label-reading resources
Want more information on decoding food labels? Here are the resources I recommend and that have helped me make sense of gluten-free food labeling:
3 Tips for Gluten-Free Label Reading (Gluten Intolerance Group)
Confusing Gluten-Free Diet Ingredients (National Celiac Association)
Help change the way gluten-free food is labeled in the US
Clearly, the way packaged food is labeled in the US is less than ideal for celiacs. There’s hope, though, that this could change in the future. Last year, I interviewed Jonathan Bari, whose family is advocating to change the way allergens are labeled on packaged food in the US.
The Bari family is working hard to get gluten (not just wheat) recognized as a major food allergen to make label reading easier for all celiacs and their families. You can read my post to learn more about the Bari family’s work and how you can get involved here:
What’s been your experience shopping for gluten-free food? Do you have any favorite resources that have helped you learn how to read food labels? Drop a comment and let me know!
Honestly, there should be a degree in just label reading. So much information to know and understand
What an in-depth breakdown. Thanks for putting this together!