Gluten free, Coeliac and wheat free?
GF, Coeliac and wheat free are often used to describe meals that don’t contain grains, but it’s important to use the right label as they are all different! Here is our quick guide and some handy links for your team
Wheat free
Wheat is a known allergen - make sure your server confirms if the diner has an intolerance or allergy when taking the order
Gluten Free is not always wheat free, with the rise of Gluten Free products, clever people have created deglutined wheat! This is great for GF folk, but harmful to those needing a wheat free meal
Sometimes people on a wheat free diet will ask for Gluten Free as it is easier to communicate - if they then go on to order a dish with gluten, wait staff should reconfirm their needs.
Gluten Free - non coeliac
Gluten intolerance is something that affects people to various degrees, some people are fine with just a little, some require the same level of safety as a person with coeliac disease
The term no gluten added is growing in popularity since the updates to the Ministry of Primary Industries food safety requirements.
Diner expectations of food marked as No Gluten Added are that the ingredients do not contain gluten, but may have traces in the ingredients, or from cross contamination.
Some GF people will go on to order a gluten containing meal if they are prepared to put up with the temporary reaction, we ask your waitsatff to be understanding.
Coeliac Disease
Diners with Coeliac disease require 100% abstinence from all gluten including trace amounts in food and drink (this includes most beer)
Cross contamination is a major concern for diners with CD. In New Zealand a dish is considered Coeliac safe only if it’s gluten count is less than 3 parts per million!
Testing kits are available from MPI if you would like to test your meals, although this is not a requirement
Contamination causes a cumulative and permanent injury to the intestines; this causes a higher risk of life altering disease in later life. It is important to take reports of being ‘glutined’ seriously.
Eat Choice recommends restaurants offering Gluten Free food take part in a 1-hour online food safety training program offered by Coeliac NZ. Subsidies are available for the $49pp course, please contact us at choice@eatchoice.nz for more information.
For more information on Coeliac Disease visit the Coeliac NZ website