The crossed grain symbol

[weee]

So this tells me that something is safe to eat / drink. I have bought some Mongozo beer and it has the crossed grain symbol, but then says it contains barley malt.. Is it safe to drink or not?

[pretender]

If it has less than 20ppm of barley in it then it is classed as gluten free, your answer will then depend upon your level of sensitivity. For the majority its safe, for the minority it is not.

[Mia1057]

It will no doubt have gluten at less than 20ppm which you may or may not react to. This is not a good answer but is more than likely the only one possible.

[KathrynS_UK]

I avoid anything that states barley, wheat or rye in the ingredients regardless of whether it states it's gluten free. Not worth finding out whether it will make me ill or not.

[Hidden]

To display the crossed grain symbol companies have to pay a licence fee to Coeliac UK and it has to be within their criteria. I did not know it could be used on foods with wheat, barley or rye but I'm obviously mistaken.

I have read adverts for 'gluten free' lagers that boast they they are below 10ppm so I agree with the others about it being below 20ppm.

Being valentines day you could always have champagne...

Jerry

[1stgls in reply to Hidden]

like your thinking re: valentines day

[Mazz]

I am still confused how can something be classed as Gluten Free when it still have 20ppm of barley in it, for me I would be serverly ill.

[pretender in reply to Mazz]

Check out the question re food labelling. The e-mail from Arianne Vander-Strappen answers your query. The last line puts it in perspective.

[weee]

Thanks for your reply Guys. I am still somewhat confused, like Mazz. How can something have a well recognised symbol on it which makes me feel safe and yet potentially can cause harm.

Like everyone on here, whilst the short term effects of being 'glutened' are harrowing, its the potential serious long term effects that I worry about most. I already have a degree of osteopenia and don't want to risk causing further damage..

Anyway, I drank the beer and was fine ..Outwardly...So maybe I'm not that sensitive to barley malt.

[MedicalSceptic]

Here's an explanation off the Mongozo web page re their gluten free beers. beerhere.co.uk/acatalog/Mon... Like many other gf beers they use a 'deglutenising' process. Coming out with a 20ppm level that is considered GF by the current legislation used in the UK.

[BobH]

I have been diagnosed for about eight years, and as no-one in the medical profession seems able to specify "safe" levels, I have through trial and error concluded that (for me) it is best to stick to food that I know contains only fresh GF ingredients. This means preparing all my own food, and if I use premixed sauces or similar, I examine the ingredient list every time! Unfortunately manufacturers do change ingredients, so diligence is essential!

Like everyone else, it's an inconvenience, but necessary to maintain my health!

Hey ho! Life goes on! Good luck with it!

[catherine]

Hi - I wouldn't personallyl touch anything with malt in as I am super sensitive. I also have had stuff which I shouldn't have had and been okay. But the doctors always say you may not have the reactions but it is causing damage to your villi. Its so confusing.

[lannilou]

The " gluten free" label is very misleading. I am constantly telling well meaning friends and family that just because it says it is gluten free, it doesn't mean that it is safe for me to eat.

[LHine]

It seems more than likely to me that, even if there is little enough gluten that I don't have short-term symptoms, I am still damaging my body and increasing my chances of other auto-immune diseases, cancer, brain disorders and long-term symptoms which are nearly impossible to reverse. The crossed grain symbol is a legalese logo - it means it can be legally sold as gluten free. It does not mean it is free of gluten. I'm guessing the 20ppm rule will eventually be lowered to be in line with other countries and more recent research, but for the time being it's meaningless for me.