Does Wheat-Free Equal Gluten-free?

It seems that many people are confused by this issue, since several people asked basically the same question, “As Long as wheat is not listed on a label, the product is gluten-free – right?”

Wrong. In many countries outside the U.S., that is true. In this country, companies are NOT required by law to list all forms of gluten on labels – only wheat is required. You can see a list of many companies that list all forms of gluten voluntarily, but please remember that not seeing wheat on a label has nothing to do with its gluten-free status. It has everything to do with the wheat free status, which is great for people that can’t eat wheat. If a product is gluten-free it is wheat free, but the reverse is not true.

Additionally, many people are under the impression that with companies that list all forms of gluten on labels, that gluten ingredients (if present) will always be listed below the full ingredient list in bold type. This is not true either. If a company states that they will list ALL forms of gluten on a label, they will list the form of gluten present in the ingredients, but they might or might not list ‘contains wheat’ or ‘contains barley’ at the bottom in bold or any other type. Most companies do list the major eight allergens this way, including wheat, but they are not required to do so. The companies that do this are doing us a favor which I appreciate greatly.

It’s great that so many companies are starting to list all forms of gluten on their labels, but you still have to read the entire label to figure out if items are gluten-free. This is assuming they are not marked gluten-free. We once returned home from grocery shopping with a marinade that had wheat embedded in the middle of the ingredient list. There was no ‘contains wheat’ on the bottom or anywhere else. I’d somehow missed the tiny ‘wheat’ when reading the label. I think I was focusing on finding the words barley or oats (it’s hard to find rye in a non bread/cracker item) which was not listed and somehow skipped right over the wheat. It was after that trip that I started taking reading glasses when shopping, to make sure I don’t miss the tiny print in ingredient listings.

Lately, I’ve noticed some products with the allergen statement ‘contains gluten’ and even though the product is off limits for me, I find this especially nice. I don’t have to bother reading the ingredients – the product is not safe so I move on to something that is. It’s so simple. I dream of the day when this type of labeling will be on everything. Then we won’t have to spend countless hours reading labels to find gluten-free foods!

It’s unfortunate that we have to read labels but for now we do. Until everything is clearly identified as containing gluten or being gluten-free, thorough label reading is required. According to my conversation with an FDA rep last week, presently there is no set date for the organization to rule on their gluten-free labeling proposal. That means we’ll likely be reading labels for a very long time. The alternative is to eat only whole foods that don’t come with a label. While this is a good idea for all of us, it’s fairly impractical as well.   

Luckily, it’s getting much easier to navigate the stores these days. But we are still years behind many countries on the allergen labeling  issue. Even though it’s almost impossible to find hidden barley these days (I’m not sure hidden rye ever existed), why don’t companies  just say ‘contains gluten’ if a product is made with wheat, rye, barley or non certified gluten-free oats and call it a day already?!

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)