Gluten is a common name for a protein present in wheat. Similar proteins are present in rye and barley.
Other proteins similar to gluten are present in oats to a lesser extent. For this reason it is always important to read the consumer informative label.Food without gluten may be gluten-free by nature or made gluten-free, i.e. processed to remove the gluten.
Naturally gluten-free
Some foods are naturally gluten-free because of the nature of the raw materials having nothing to do with cereals (i.e. maize and rice are gluten-free by nature). These foods are referred to as naturally gluten-free.
Gluten-free
Other foods are especially developed for people with allergies
to gluten. These special foods are referred to as gluten-free.
Gluten-free foods may be produced from raw materials containing
gluten. This means that they may contain traces of gluten, but in
such small quantities that the majority of people with Coeliac
Disease (gluten allergy) is able to tolerate them. It is, for
example, the case with gluten-free wheat starch used in baking
mixes.
