Gluten Free Food
Catering for Coeliacs
Anne Manning – Food List Manager
foodlist@coeliac.ie
What is Coeliac Disease?
• Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten.
• A permanent intestinal intolerance to gluten.
• with serious health consequences , if the disease is not
diagnosed and treated properly.
• Treatment - a strict gluten free diet for life
• Affects 1% of the population – adults and children / 46,000
• How much Gluten? - Care must be taken to avoid cross
contamination during food preparation as just one crumb
can cause problems for some coeliacs.
Coeliac Disease – the true picture
Coeliac Disease - abnormal immune
response to gluten. Damages the lining of
the small intestine. Nutrients are not
absorbed.
Healthy normal villi in
small intestine
What is Gluten?
• Gluten is (collective term) the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, oats and
their derivatives. Gluten gives that elasticity to dough.
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Wheat – gliadin
Barley – hordein
Rye – secalin
Oats – avenin
• Spelt, Kamut, Triticale, Emmer and Einkorn
ancient forms of wheat, these grains are not suitable for coeliacs.
• Gluten Containing Grains also include:
Bulgar Wheat / Couscous / Durum Wheat / Semolina / Pearl Barley /
Wheat Bran / Barley Malt / Farina / Oats
Providing Gluten Free Meals
Standard food safety practices
In many cases you may already be applying these.
• Ingredient selection and storage
• Careful preparation to avoid cross contamination
• Good hygiene standards
• Communication to all staff.
Ingredient Selection
• Use naturally gluten free ingredients to create great menu
choices.
• Use the CSI Foodservice Manual to check for a particular gluten
free product.
• Purchase gluten free substitute ingredients from approved
suppliers – use the CSI Foodservice Manual.
• Know the ingredients in foods that you buy in as well as foods
that you prepare from scratch.
• Menu description accurate, descriptive and up to date.
Foods containing Gluten
All Breads chapattis, biscuits,
crackers, cakes,
pastries, scones,
muffins, pizzas
made from wheat,
rye, oat or barley
Wheat based Breakfast
Cereals & Muesli. Corn
Flakes & Rice Crispies
containing barley malt
extract.
Meat & Poultry
cooked in batter or
bread-crumbs,
sausages, black &
white pudding,
rissoles, haggis,
breaded ham.
flour.
Milk & Milk Products
Milk with added fibre,
Pasta & Noodles
yogurt & fromage frais
Fresh, dried & canned containing muesli or
wheat pasta, noodles.
cereals
Cheese & Eggs
Cheese in
coatings, Scotch
Eggs
Drinks – Malted Drinks,
barley waters/squash, beer,
lager, ales, stouts
Puddings puddings made
using wheat flour
and or semolina
Sauces – soya
sauce
Soups – Pearl
Barley & Croutons
Fish & Shellfish
in batter or
breadcrumbs/
fish cakes/ fish
fingers
Snacks made from
wheat, rye, barley,
oats. Ice Cream
Cones & Wafers
Vegetables &
Potatoes in batter,
breadcrumbs or
dusted with flour,
potato croquettes,
fish & chips (chipper)
Naturally Gluten Free Foods
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All Fresh Meat, Poultry and Fish (Rashers / Minced Meat)
All Fresh Fruit & Vegetables / Potatoes
Fresh Herbs
Milk / Butter / Margarine / Cream / Natural Cheese / Natural Yogurt
Eggs
Pure Cooking Oils
Sugar / Honey
Jams / Marmalade / Honey / Golden Syrup / Molasses
Rice
Natural Nuts (unprocessed)
• Naturally gluten free grains and flours can be contaminated.
(Millet/Buckwheat/Quinoa/Tapioca /Potato / Rice /Gram Flour etc)
Reliable brand should be used
Separate GF Menu
Benefits of Separate Gluten Free Menu:
• Gives the gluten free diner confidence.
• Chef has time to consider what can be prepared safely.
• It gives time to check ingredients and suppliers.
• It eliminates staff having to remember what is and is not
available
• It serves as a tangible reminder that this meal is special.
• This meal has taken some extra awareness e.g. not putting the
croutons on.
Delivery & Storage
Delivery:
• Check that food delivered is the same brand that is normally used, different
brands may have different ingredients and may not be gluten free.
Storage:
• Store Gluten free raw materials in a separate storeroom or in a clearly
marked area.
• Store in original packages with original labels.
• If food is delivered in bulk and then decanted into other containers, ensure
the labelling information goes with it.
Food Preparation
• Managing cross contamination is an important aspect of due diligence when
catering for people with coeliac disease.
• Cross contamination is the context of coeliac disease is the process by which
a gluten free product loses that status because it comes into contact
with something that is not gluten free.
• Food preparation surface should be clean.
• Utensils and equipment free of gluten, previously washed in hot water and
detergent.
• Colour coding is a great way of identifying which utensils are for gluten free
food preparation.
Food Preparation 2
Provide a separate toaster for gluten free bread
or use Toastabags.
Use separate butter and condiments pots to prevent crumb
contamination.
Small changes that can make a difference:
Use cornflour or potato to thicken soups and gravies.
Use a brand that is gluten free in mayonnaise/ketchup/
mustard/mayonnaise/ice cream/crisps etc.
Use cornflour to dust meats and fish prior to cooking.
Mints or Chocolates after meals – gluten free option.
Biscuits in bedrooms - gluten free option.
Gluten Free Beer available from the bar.
Gluten Free Pizza
Gluten Free Pizza Base:
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Safer option - use a ready made gluten free pizza base*.
Ensure all toppings are gluten free*
The GF pizza should be baked separately in dedicated oven.
If dedicated oven is not available, then a dedicated screen is an alternative.
Ensure staff are trained in the process of cooking the gluten free pizza.
Keep gluten free pizza covered and labelled before serving.
• Check in CSI Foodservice Manual
Deep Fat Frying
• Separate, clean oil should be used to fry chips and or gluten free battered fish
or chicken.
• Filtering oil or bringing the temperature of the oil to just below boiling point
will not render the contaminated oil gluten free.
• Having a separate fryer may be a realistic way to provide gluten free chips for
coeliac customers.
• Ensure the ketchup and sauces used with the chips is a suitable brand (check
Foodservice Manual)
• Gluten Free Batter: Ensure all equipment used is thoroughly clean, not
contaminated with wheat flour. Gluten Free Batter should not be made
with regular beer. (gluten free beer is available)
Baking
• Wheat flour can stay airborne for many hours and contaminate surfaces,
utensils and uncovered gluten free food.
• Gluten free baking in separate area or first thing in the morning when
contamination from flour dust is at a minimum.
• Use certified gluten free flours (check CSI Foodservice Manual)
• Keep separate equipment for gluten free baking.
• Cool in a separate area, covered and labelled separated from other
products.
• For display and service GF bakery items should be individually wrapped in
portion packs and clearly labelled.
• Purchasing GF substitute products: bread, cakes, cookies etc in portion
packs will help eliminate the issue of cross contamination. (check CSI
Foodservice Manual for details)
Menu Planning
Freezing
Label & Wrap
Purchasing
Check GF Status
Delivery
Check Brands
ordered
AVOID
GLUTEN
Cooking – avoid
Cross Contamination
In Oven
Portioning /
Reheating / Serving
– avoid Cross
Contamination
Good Hygiene
Standards
Storage
Original Containers
& Labels
Food Preparation area
completely clean
Communication
to all Staff
Legislation
Legislation relating to gluten free food
Allergen Labelling Regulation – EU
Regulation 1169/2011
Regulation 41/2009/EC – Labelling of the
term “gluten free
Making a Gluten Free Claim
• In January 1st 2012 – ‘Gluten Free’ became a legal term.
• Gluten Free refers to food that is 20ppm or less in gluten
content.
• You can make a gluten free claim by actively managing the
level of gluten in your food.
• It requires due diligence when it comes to controlling cross
contamination.
• It requires communicating with your staff so they
understand their role in your compliance.
Safefood - Restaurant Survey
In 2009, Safefood conducted a restaurant survey. “Hold the Gluten”
The project was designed to find out if coeliacs were being properly
served by the catering industry: The risks posed by gluten and the
appropriate control measures.
260 samples were taken from restaurants – ROI & N.Ireland
84% samples tested less than 10ppm
Conclusions:
In general, there is a good chance that a request for a gluten free meal
can be accommodated in restaurants.
This is especially true in restaurants that are listed on the CSI Restaurant
List.
Staff rely on the input and advice from the chef.
The presence of gluten free menu choices did not guarantee risk free
dining.
Which labelling term can I use?
The term gluten free is well established with both consumers and food
manufacturers.
If your food does not comply with this new legislation, you cannot make a
gluten free claim.
You can make a factual statement explaining that the ingredients you are
using are gluten free but that the food served in your restaurant is made
in a mixed food environment.
Environmental Health is on hand to give advice on this new legislation.
Testing of Gluten Free Foods
• Testing of food to establish if it meets 20ppm or less isn't
required by law to make a gluten free claim.
• Some testing can be used to show that you have applied due
diligence and validate your procedures.
• Environmental Health can advise.
Allergen Labelling – Pre-packaged
• The EU Allergen Labelling law currently applies to all prepackaged foods, from 13th Dec allergy information
must be provided for unpackaged foods.
• Existing requirements for pre-packaged foods are
retained with new requirements to emphasis
allergenic foods in the ingredients list.
Changes coming in Allergen Labelling
• For the Catering Sector In Ireland, the information will
need to be provided in a written format but can
also be provided verbally at any time.
Food Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods
Guidance Notes No 28 - available from FSAI
• The regulation requires that information is provided
about the use of allergenic ingredients in a food,
a full ingredient list is not required.
(information can be obtained from ingredient list
and specifications)
Allergen List – The big 14
Peanuts
Nuts
Milk
Soya
Mustard
Lupin
Eggs
Fish
Molluscs
Cereals
containing
Gluten
Sesame
Celery
Sulphur
dioxide
Crustaceans
Foods containing allergens
Eggs
Fish
Milk
Nuts
Celery
in cakes, mousses,
sauces, pasta,
quiche, some meat
products. Also in
mayonnaise or
brushed with egg.
in some salad
dressings,
pizzas, relishes,
fish sauces. Also
in some soy
sauce and
Worcestershire
sauces.
in yoghurt,
cream,
cheese,
butter, milk
powders.
Also check
for foods
glazed with
milk
in sauces,
desserts,
crackers,
bread, ice
cream,
marzipan,
ground
almonds,
nut oils.
also includes celery
stalks, leaves and
seeds and celeriac.
Also celery in salads,
soups, celery salt and
in some meat
products.
Foods containing allergens
Mustard
Peanuts
Soya
Sesame
Sulphites
including liquid
mustard, mustard
powder and
mustard seeds, in
salad dressings,
marinades, soups,
sauces, curries,
meat products.
in sauces,
cakes, desserts.
Also in
groundnut oil
and peanut
flour.
as tofu or
bean curd,
soya flour
and textured
soya protein,
in soya ice
creams,
sauces,
desserts,
meat
products,
vegetarian
products.
in bread,
tahini,
hummus,
sesame oil.
in meat products,
fruit juice drinks,
dried fruit and
vegetables. Also
in wine and beer.
Foods containing allergens
Lupin
Molluscs
Gluten
Crustaceans
seeds and flour in some
pastries and breads.
include
mussels, whelks, squid,
land snails, oyster
sauce.
Cereals containing
gluten – wheat,
rye, oats and
barley. Also flour,
bread, pasta,
cakes, pastry,
meat products,
sauces, soups,
stock cubes,
breadcrumbs,
foods dusted with
flour.
include prawns,
lobster, scampi,
crab, shrimp
paste.
Further details
Coeliac Society of Ireland,
Carmichael House,
4 North Brunswick Street,
Dublin 7.
Telephone: +353-1-872 1471
Email:
Copy of presentation can be emailed to chef.