Food coloring is almost certainly gluten free. The internet says very little about  that subject. I read the label on McCormick’s food coloring and found out that water is the only natural ingredient. (That raises other issues, of course, but we can say that their food coloring is gluten free.) Continue Reading

The word “gluten” has at least two definitions:

♦ For persons who live with celiac disease or other forms of gluten sensitivity, “gluten” are the proteins in wheat, barley, and rye that cause problems for us.

♦ Farmers and food scientists (and the majority of other people), “gluten” refers to the proteins found in virtually all cereal grains.

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Many artificial sweeteners are gluten free. The websites for Equal, Splenda, Sweet ‘n Low, and Truvia all specify in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of their website state that their product is gluten free. The NutraSweet website does not mention the subject.

This is not an unqualified endorsement of artificial sweeteners. There are many problems associated with them. However, apparently they are acceptable for people who live gluten free.

Coke’s website states that the product is gluten free, and that may well be the case. Certainly, the cola itself does not contain grains. The issue is with the caramel coloring that may or may not contain gluten. I’ve written about caramel coloring before. Caramel coloring is — indeed — a “dark subject”.

One reader’s question:  Why does Canada not consider oats a problem? Is it because of different growing/storage practices?

Paul’s comment: Oats are definitely a problem, but the official Canadian definition of gluten free specifies that it is a problem with a solution. Most exports agree that the problem is not the gluten in oats but that the fact that they are usually grown, harvested, and processed in close proximity to wheat, barley, or rye. Oats are considered “certified” if they have been grown and processed in such a way that adding them product does not cause the product to have more than the prescribed number of parts-per-million of  gluten.

The United States does not, as yet, have an official definition of “gluten” but our Food and Drug Administration seems to be going in that direction.

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This is the first in a series of articles that I am calling “Questions and Comments”.  I am using the word ‘comment’ rather than ‘answer’ because these articles will bring up question where there is not total agreement as to a single correct answer. I welcome your comment on my comment or about the  place of oats in the gluten free diet. E-mail me at gfceliac.com@gmail.com. I will publish “Questions and Comments” every Friday.