Almondy warns on new gluten labelling laws
Swedish supplier Almondy ](http://www.almondy.com/uk)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now applies to foods with gluten levels of 20mg/kg or less where the cereal has a reduced gluten content, or has been replaced by a gluten-free substitute.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 >>](http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/16/06/2011/338756/Caterers-warned-about-new-gluten-labelling-legislation.htm)By Angela Frewin
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