Almondy warns on new gluten labelling laws

Swedish supplier **Almondy **has warned caterers, keen to capitalise on the boom in gluten-free foods, to gen up on stringent new EU gluten labelling laws that took effect in the new year.

"The new regulations are quite complex, which makes it a real challenge for busy operators who have to ensure their offering complies with the law," said Andrew Ely, managing director at the Swedish supplier of gluten-free, preservative-free and additive-free almond biscuit-based desserts.

According to Ely, the gluten-free market grew by 18% last year and is now worth £108m.

The new labelling laws restrict food descriptions on restaurant menus and in delis and cafés to just two descriptors - ‘gluten-free' and ‘very low gluten' - and bans terms such as ‘suitable for coeliacs'.

‘Gluten-free' now applies to foods with gluten levels of 20mg/kg or less where the cereal has a reduced gluten content, or has been replaced by a gluten-free substitute.

The ‘very low gluten' tag is reserved for foods containing 100mg/kg or less of gluten that has been specifically prepared for customers with an intolerance and uses cereal that has been specially processed for lower gluten levels.

Caterers warned about new gluten labelling legislation >> By Angela Frewin

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