Gluten-Free Beer Made with Barley? Understanding the UK's Confusing Labels

You might see a beer in a shop labelled 'gluten-free' on the front, but then find 'barley' listed in the allergens on the back. This can be confusing, and it's allowed under current UK food labelling rules. At AltGrainCo, we are concerned this lack of clarity creates problems, especially for people who must avoid gluten for health reasons.

How Can a Beer with Barley be 'Gluten-Free'?

The confusion exists because of the official definition of 'gluten-free'. In the UK, a product can be called 'gluten-free' as long as it has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. To put that in perspective, 20 ppm is a very tiny amount.

Some brewers reach this low level by making beer with barley (which naturally contains gluten) and then using an enzyme to break the gluten protein down. The rules say they must still list barley as an allergen, but this is usually in the small print on the back.

Why This is a Problem for People with Coeliac Disease

For someone with coeliac disease, eating gluten isn't a choice; it causes a serious reaction that damages their body. Because barley is a grain that contains gluten, its presence in any form is a key concern.

The current system means people with coeliac disease can't just trust the 'gluten-free' label on the front. They have to carefully check the small print for allergens, which puts an extra and unfair pressure on them when trying to shop safely.

Are the Tests Fully Reliable?

There's also a question about how these beers are tested. The standard test looks for the gluten protein, but when enzymes are used, the gluten is broken into smaller pieces. Experts, including Coeliac UK, have raised concerns that the test might not be able to detect all these little pieces accurately. If the test isn't giving the full picture, the beer could contain more gluten fragments than the label suggests, which is a potential risk.

A Call for Clearer Labels

To make things clearer and safer for everyone, we at AltGrainCo believe the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) should look again at the rules.

Other countries like Australia and Canada (pdf) have a simpler system: if a product is made with a gluten-containing grain like barley, it cannot be called 'gluten-free'. Adopting a similar rule in the UK would end the confusion. It would mean that when a label says 'gluten-free', customers can be confident that's exactly what it is.