SHOPPING FOR GLUTEN-FREE FOOD AND OTHER GLUTEN-FREE ITEMS
SHOPPING FOR GLUTEN-FREE FOOD IN A STORE
As A General Matter
Gluten-free foods are available wherever fresh food is sold – including traditional grocery stores, natural food stores, farmers markets and online. There are even stores that are totally gluten-free.
If your local grocery store doesn’t carry gluten-free foods, or a particular brand you prefer, ask the owner or manager to carry it. If you know other people who eat gluten-free, asking them to also ask the owner or manager may improve your chances that the store will carry what you want.
NOTE: Shopping would be easier if the entire household were to eat gluten-free. For tips about discussing this idea, click here.
Before You Go To The Store: Plan
Make shopping easier by planning what you want to buy before heading to a store. As one influencer who has been living gluten-free for a long time: “plan, plan, plan.” Planning ahead and making a menu for a week which includes a list of needed ingredients will make shopping easier. Planning is better than running around a store looking for gluten-free food and trying to make decisions on the run.
When creating your list:
Include on your list a supply of non-perishable gluten-free snacks.
Focus on health. As stated by Dr. Fasano in his book, Gluten Freedom: “The gluten-free diet, without the enriched wheat products typically found in baked goods, means you must pay special attention to your nutrition.” Be sure to eat a healthy diet including iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B. If you haven’t already, speak with a registered dietitian.
Secondary lactose intolerance can be a problem for people with celiac disease. Look for foods with calcium in them. For instance, yogurt and sour cream. Consider adding fresh fruit such as strawberries to make them more interesting.
If oats will be on your list, before shopping, read: Oats and Celiac Disease.
Periodically revisit the question of which local market is best for you – or different stores for different products. Don’t forget to check your local farmer’s market or community co-op.
Learn how to read a label correctly. To learn how, see below.
How To Save Money When Shopping For Groceries
First and foremost: plan, plan, plan.
When planning meals:
Include meals that are gluten-free, enjoyable and money friendly. For example, inexpensive meals include pasta, baked potato and many rice based items such as curries. (Left over rice can be turned into fried rice.) Seasonings can change a simple meal into something great.
Consider making meals with a similar ingredient such as ground beef.
Consider looking for recipes (free, online) outside your norm - for example, Asian food.
A vegan meal can be filling and less expensive than other meals.
Create a shopping list.
Upload coupons to your mobile phone. This step can take extra work, but is worth the effort. Coupon and promotions for gluten-free foods are offered through a variety of sources. For example:
Many coupons are available from a manufacturer’s social media pages and through their newsletter.
Coupons are available at gluten-free expos. For a list of gluten-free expos, locations and dates, see: Simply Gluten Free’s events calendar.
Plan to make extra food that can be cooked or reheated later, or frozen for future use.
Look for grocery stores that have less expensive foods.
You may need to go to more than one store for best price of various items on your list.
What store is least expensive for what item may change from time to time.
You can look online at a store’s website to see what things cost. (Be sure to also check the price in the store in case the store increased the price but didn’t update the website.)
Start your shopping at the least expensive store first.
In store:
Look for items that are on sale - perhaps in a clearance section.
Expect that for the days after a holiday, the foods associated with that holiday are likely to be on sale.
Don’t buy extras that are not on your list unless they are on sale and ideally can be stored for future use.
Buy in bulk if possible.
How To Read A Label: In General
Servings: The manufacturer’s suggested serving size in standard measurements.
Calories: The number of calories in one serving. The label also shows the number of calories from fat.
Nutrients: At a minimum, the label must list the amounts in one serving of total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins A and C, calcium, total carbohydrates, and iron.
Percent daily value: The percentage of certain nutrients compared to the amount to aim for based on a 2,000 – 2,500 calorie-a-day diet.
Ingredients: All the ingredients in a product, in descending order from most to least. This is where you learn about gluten. Allergy statements are also included here.
How To Look For Gluten On A Label
Step 1. Look for a gluten-free logo or claim
To determine if a food has gluten, start by looking on the front or back of the package for the words “gluten-free” (with or without a dash) or words that indicate gluten-free such as: “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten.” What the words mean is regulated by the Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) under the authority of the Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA)
As a general matter, leaders in the celiac community also look for an indication that the food is certified to be gluten-free by one of the following organizations:
Beyond Celiac examines the entire practices and production process of the manufacturing facility – from ingredient sourcing to employee training, cleaning practices, cross-contact controls, operational management and, finally, an effective end-to-end testing plan. Approval is only for those facilities that continually meet strict, good manufacturing practices for gluten-free production. Certification audits are conducted annually by trained and approved, independent International Standard for Organization (ISO) and third-party accredited auditing companies.
BRC Global Standards (BRCGS).
Gluten Intolerance Group's Gluten-Free Certification Organization (http://www.gfco.org).The GFCO requires yearly certification, a process that includes a review of ingredients, product testing, and a plant inspection. It also requires product reviews, onsite inspections, testing and ongoing compliance activities, including random testing.
National Celiac Association provides certification for manufactured products, for restaurants and for food service establishments. Restaurants that are certified by National Celiac Association can be found at www.GF-Finder.com
NSF International -- gluten-free certification process inspects facilities and products to ensure they contain less than 15 PPM (parts per million of gluten.
Step 2. Check the list of ingredients for the presence of wheat, barley (malt), rye and oats.
If a product is not certified gluten-free, be particularly cautious with products that include a grain, flour or starch and with processed foods.
If there is no gluten-free wording on the label, look at both the ingredients list and the “Contains” statement which lists ingredients. Because wheat is an allergenic, the word “Wheat” must be disclosed. Also look for words that indicate the presence of wheat such as couscous, durum, einkorn, emmer, farrow, Kamut, seitan and spelt. Also look for:
Barley: including barley malt, barley extract or flavoring
Brewer’s yeast, Yeast extract/Autolyzed yeast extract
Oats
Rye
Triticale
Keep in mind that “without wheat” does not mean gluten free.
If a product has oats in it, read our guide about Oats. As you’ll see, while oats do not have gluten, they are frequently cross-contaminated. If there is a question, when in doubt, do without.
For a list of foods and ingredients with gluten, click here.
Step 3. Check for cross contamination.
Keep in mind that under the FDA labeling laws and regulations:
Food manufacturers are not required to test at any particular time or even to test at all.
What is disclosed beyond the presence of allergenics cannot be misleading, but it is voluntary.
Some companies have been known to label a product gluten-free, but not to test it. It is a reason why a number of people will only eat manufactured foods that are certified to be gluten-free.
Ideally, your foods are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. (Otherwise there may be cross contamination in a particular batch that would escape notice – but not by your body.) A phrase such as “dedicated 100% gluten free facility” indicates that the product was made in a completely gluten-free facility.
It is up to the manufacturer whether to state the environment in which a gluten-free food is made, or the machine on which it is made. If there is gluten in another part of the processing plant and the company is extra careful, or if a machine is used for both gluten and gluten-free foods but is completely sterilized in between uses, the food product may be gluten-free.
Step 4. If there is a question, contact the manufacturer.
If there is a question about whether a product is truly gluten-free, contact the manufacturer. You can find contact information on a manufacturer’s web site. In addition to asking that question, also ask whether the product is made in a 100% gluten-free facility.
Step 5. If you cannot get through to the manufacturer, check the community.
When checking online, be sure the sources you visit have a reputation for reliability – and check the date of the posting. A post may be outdated. For instance, a reliable source is: glutenfreewatchdog.org.
Keep in mind:
It is generally safe to purchase foods that have little likelihood of having had contact with gluten-containing grains. For instance, bottled water, canned olives, plain diced tomatoes, olive oil. For a resource directory of gluten-free products, click here.
There may be wheat in a product, but if it is under 20 PPM (parts per million) the product can still be labeled “gluten-free.” In that case, the label must also say: “The wheat has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration requirements for gluten-free foods.”
NOTE: During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the FDA loosened some regulations. It is worth noting that the FDA’s temporary policy does not provide labeling flexibilities if a health or safety issue could result – including the substitution of an ingredient containing gluten for a gluten-free ingredient.
Bulk Bins
Bulk bins are a way of selling consumables by weight. The product is stored in bins in a section of the store. A customer can measure an amount of product into a bag, to be later weighed at the point of sale.
Food items in a bulk bin are subject to cross contamination if there are a variety of foods in the bin or even if the bin is just open at the top. They can also become cross contaminated if a scoop is used for more than one bin.
To be safe, it is not advisable for a person who has to eat gluten-free to purchase any food item from a bulk bin.
Lentils And Legumes
In case you are not aware, legumes include:
Beans (adzuki, cannellini, Great Northern, kidney, lima, navy pinto and soy beans)
Black-eyed peas
Chickpeas
Lentils
Peanuts
Legumes in pure form do not contain gluten. However, they are permitted to contain a percentage of foreign grain unless they are labeled gluten-free.
Unless the lentils and legumes you are considering buying are labeled gluten-free, it is safer to do without.
NOTE: When cooking lentils or legumes, it is best to pour dry lentils and legumes onto a cookie sheet, pick through them, and then rinse thoroughly under running water.
Non-Food Products (Other Than Medicines and Supplements)
Please do not be fooled into thinking that because a product is not food, it does not matter whether it contains gluten.
Non-food products used near your lips or an open sore can be ingested into the body.
If you use any of these products, check to be sure that they are gluten free. For example, check the following:
Toothpaste and other oral products that you ingest. It is not likely that they contain gluten, but it is best to check everything that goes into your mouth.
Products such as lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss and lip liner. According to a survey by Gluten Free Living, the most gluten you are likely to ingest through lipstick worn daily would be approximately 1.4 PPM. The minimum standard set by the FDA is 20 PPM to be considered to have the presence of gluten for practical purposes. Still, it is always better to err on the side of safety.
Shampoo and lotions. Shampoo in a shower can trickle down your face and into your mouth. In hair products, wheat germ extract is a common ingredient. Oats are as well.
Cosmetics. For a list of certified gluten-free cosmetics, see celiac.com
Pet food
Last, but not least: check all medications (both prescription and over-the counter), vitamins and supplements for gluten. For information, see: Medicines, Vitamins and Supplements.
If You Find Mislabeled Products
A food that is labeled gluten-free, but is not, is referred to as “misbranded.” To help keep other people in the community safe, it is important to take action if you come across a misbranded product whether in a store or after having an adverse reaction. The process for reporting a misbranded product is fast and easy.
If you are still in the store when you find a misbranded product:
Note the store you are in and the date.
Take a photograph of the front, back and sides of the package. Be sure the bar code is visible.
Tell the store manager.
If you purchased the product, keep the package if you still have it.
Report immediately to glutenfreewatchdog.org and:
If the product is a packaged, infant formula, dietary supplement or medical food, contact the Food and Drug Administration. There is a link on the FDA’s website to report food that is not properly labelled.
If the product is meat, poultry or egg products, or a mixed food product that contains a minimum amount of any of these products, contact the USDA. Call 888.674.6854 or report online.
If the product is a product with alcohol in it, contact the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. See ttb.gov
If the product is a human drug, dietary supplement or pet product contact Health and Human Services by clicking here.
Reports should include as much information as possible, for example:
A complete description of the product, including:
Date of purchase
Any codes or identifying marks on the label or container, such as lot number, expiration date and UPC code
Your photographs
A clear description of the reaction, including:
Date the reaction occurred
All symptoms experienced, if any. Include how long after you ate or drank the product that the reaction occurred
Medications used to treat symptoms
Whether the reaction required further medical care, and if so, what kind. Include contact information for the doctor, urgent care or hospital.
TIPS
Sometimes a company puts the wrong product in the wrong box. One alert consumer noted that there was usually a plastic band around a frozen item that he purchased regularly. Not seeing it triggered the alert button. When he contacted the company, it turned out he was correct.
To Save Time At The Grocery Store
Consider the following:
Make a list of gluten-free products you like – and store it in your mobile phone or print a copy to take with you. A good place to start is with the list you made when making your kitchen gluten-free. While you’re at it, consider keeping a separate list of products you were interested in enough to research, but learned they contain gluten.
Print a copy of our list of foods and ingredients with gluten and those without to take with you.
Download an app that scans barcodes and lets you know if a product has gluten in it.
If you think about using an app:
Check what people say about it and its reliability, including whether it is kept up to date.
Unless you know the manufacturer’s reliability about transparency, call the manufacturer to check whether the app is correct. Do not assume that the manufacturer has not changed ingredients without making a public statement.
Examples of food scanning apps are:
FoodScanner: gluten, allergens
Ipiit
ShopWell
Sift Food Labels
The Gluten Free Scanner
Yuka – Food & Cosmetic Scanner
For reviews of gluten-free products, search online by the name of the product. If you see a blogger’s review, keep in mind that the blogger may be paid by the product manufacturer or marketing arm to post the review. Under the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission, bloggers are supposed to let people know if they have been paid by, or have a special relationship with, a company or product. As a practical matter that doesn’t always happen.
While At The Grocery Store
Gluten-free foods can be found in gluten-free sections or throughout the store – and sometimes both. They can be found in the fresh sections, refrigerated sections, packaged goods and freezer sections.
EVERY TIME you purchase a product – even one you have been buying for years:
Read packaging labels carefully -- both the “ingredients” and “contains” parts. Manufacturers can change ingredients without notice.
Experience indicates that reading labels you’ve seen before takes a lot less time than reading new labels.
While gluten-free may be on your mind, don’t forget fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables which are naturally gluten-free.
Look for gluten-free alternatives to comfort foods
Do Not:
Think an item is gluten-free just because it is on what the store identifies as a gluten-free shelf. Clerks can make mistakes and put things on the wrong shelf. Also, the store can be wrong. We cannot stress too often that you have to always read labels.
Wait until you get home to check a label. It Is easy to forget and put an item on a shelf.
Buy foods from bulk bin items. For why, see Bulk Bins
Buy items sliced in the deli department unless the cutter is sanitized between each use.
Buy from a store buffet because of the risk of cross contamination.
Buy fresh ready-to-eat cooked meals. In addition to the question of ingredients, there is the very real possibility of cross contamination from cross contact unless everything is separately sealed.
Buy items such as cooking sprays without checking to see if they contain gluten. For example, some baking sprays have gluten in them in the form of bits of flour.
Be careful when there is packaging which is similar for both gluten and gluten-free products.
Nuts and seeds may be cross-contaminated with gluten containing grains in the facility. Look for gluten-free on the label, particularly for nuts or seeds, and particularly when seasoned or dry roasted.
When shopping in a new store, allot twice the normal amount of time you would usually spend in a store to give yourself plenty of time to look around - and to read labels.
Your First Few Trips To A Grocery Store
You will likely feel overwhelmed the first few visits to a grocery store.
Be sure to leave more time than normally – say two or even three times the amount of time. If you need to, while at the store, stop and take a breather.
It may help to think of the first few trips as a scavenger hunt. You get to explore all the shelves on your quest for gluten-free.
Consider starting in a store which has a gluten-free section and confining your shopping to that section as well as the naturally gluten-free fresh food section.
There are gluten-free shopping guides which can be helpful, such as Cecelia’s Marketplace’s Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide or The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery guide published by Triumph Dining Gluten Free Publishing. (If you have an additional guide to suggest, please let us know at info@CharliesTableOasis.org)
Some stores have a gluten-free product list. If a store has such a list, please keep in mind that the list may not be up-to-date or consistent from one location to another. For safety, once you locate a food you are interested in, read the label rather than rely solely on the list.
Dr. Alessio Fasano suggests that if you shop the perimeter of a store, it will help you hit the naturally gluten-free areas such as produce, dairy, meats, eggs, seafood and avoid processed and highly refined products. In most supermarkets, frozen sections now offer gluten-free foods. There may also be a gluten-free section – especially in natural food markets
If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help from a store employee. Keep in mind that the employee may know where the gluten-free aisle is or where gluten-free products are but may not read labels or be able to answer questions about gluten-free items.
Last, but not least, it cannot be stated too often: always read labels – all the time.
SHOPPING FOR GLUTEN-FREE FOOD ONLINE
Shopping For Gluten-Free Meals Online
If you want to eat at home, but don’t have time to cook, consider ordering online meals.
Before ordering, it is advisable to contact a company in which you are interested and ask for the current answers to the same kind of questions you ask when going to a restaurant.
Companies that we have learned about that offer gluten-free meals delivered to your home include the following:
FreshLean.com
Freshly.com
GreenChef.com (certified through Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)
Healthy Surprise.com (healthy snacks)
Magic Kitchen.com (a shared kitchen)
Mom’s Meals.com
Sunbasket.com
22DaysNutrition.com (100% plant based meals)
If you are interested in baked goods, you will find a list of gluten-free bakeries that ship baked goods at BaltimoreGlutenFree.com
Shopping Online For Gluten-Free Groceries
These days, most large grocers offer gluten-free online shopping. If you order from a retailer online, it may be easiest to order from a store that is also physically in your area. That way you will find the products you like in both places and not have to think about what to buy in which venue.
When shopping online, to be safe, it is advisable to stick to products you know. You won’t be able to call the manufacturer to check on ingredients.
A few online stores that carry multiple gluten-free foods to consider:
Glutenfreemall.com
Amazon.com (if you go to smile.amazon.com – your favorite charity also benefits from your purchase)
GlutenFreePalace.com
Nuts.com
Vitacost.com
Walmart
WhatACrock offers “No Gluten For Me” meal packages.
Shopping Online For Other Gluten-Free Products
In addition to traditional stores, there are stores that send boxes of gluten-free products, including products for pets. Just as in a restaurant, check for safety protocols before ordering.