Gluten-free food labels

When you buy processed foods, you need to read labels to find out if they have gluten in them. Processed foods are foods that have been changed from their natural state. They're often prepared or packaged. Check the ingredients list on a package's label. See if the list includes wheat, barley, rye or a cross of these grains such as triticale. Some packages list wheat as a possible allergen in a statement at the bottom of the label.

In the United States, foods that are labeled gluten-free must have fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten. Foods with these labels may include:

• Naturally gluten-free food.
• A prepared food that doesn't have an ingredient that contains gluten.
• Food that has not been cross-contaminated with ingredients that have gluten during production.
• Food with a gluten-containing ingredient that has been processed to remove gluten. The food needs to have less than 20 parts per million of gluten after the removal process.

Alcoholic drinks made from naturally gluten-free ingredients, such as grapes or juniper berries, can be labeled gluten-free. Wine, distilled liquor and fruit cider that's made without barley malt are examples of drinks that don't have gluten.

Beer, ale and other malted drinks made with barley have gluten in them. They're not safe to drink if you're on a gluten-free diet. Some mixed alcoholic drinks have gluten in them as well. So it's important to find out what ingredients they're made with before drinking. Alcoholic drinks that are labeled gluten-free are OK to drink. But those labeled "gluten removed" or "processed to remove gluten" are not safe for people with celiac disease.