With 1 in every 70 Australians suffering from Coeliac disease and many more self-diagnosing and eliminating gluten from their diet, having a selection of gluten-free options on your menu has never been more important. But before you go adding gluten-free solutions straight to your menu, it’s important to first understand what is gluten?
What is gluten?
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® Khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley, and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected.
The Big 3 - wheat, barley and rye*
- Wheat is commonly found in: breads, baked goods, soups, pasta, cereals, sauces, salad dressings, roux
- Barley is commonly found in: malt (malted barley flour, malted milk and milkshakes, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavouring, malt vinegar), food colouring, soups, beer, brewer’s yeast
- Rye is commonly found in: rye bread, such as pumpernickel, rye beer, cereals
*www.celiac.org
What is Coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is when the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten causing inflammation in the body. Eliminating gluten from the diet goes a long way to easing the disease for those who suffer.
Why should cafés add gluten free options to their menus?
Providing gluten free choices for the growing number of intolerant Australians is benefiting more and more cafes and venues.
*Coeliac Australia, 2022
Cafés that add a gluten free option to their existing cake cabinet can see an uplift of between 15-20% with people coming back because they have a gluten free offer available to them.
What are some common foods that contain gluten?*
- Pastas: raviolis, dumplings, couscous, and gnocchi
- Noodles: ramen, udon, soba (those made with only a percentage of buckwheat flour) chow mein, and egg noodles (note: rice noodles and mung bean noodles are gluten free)
- Breads and pastries: croissants, pita, naan, bagels, flatbreads, cornbread, potato bread, muffins, donuts, rolls
- Baked goods: cakes, cookies, pie crusts, brownies
- Cereal and granola: corn flakes and rice puffs often contain malt extract/flavouring, granola often made with regular oats, not gluten-free oats
- Breakfast foods: pancakes, waffles, French toast, crepes, and biscuits
- Breading and coating mixes: panko breadcrumbs
- Croutons: stuffing, dressings
- Sauces and gravies: traditional soy sauce, cream sauces made with a roux
- Flour tortillas
- Beer (unless explicitly gluten-free) and any malt beverages
- Brewer’s yeast
- Anything else that uses “wheat flour” as an ingredient
*www.celiac.org
How to provide gluten free products to your customers
To supply a gluten free product to your customers, please store and display away from products containing gluten. Always serve gluten free products with utensils that are used only for gluten free products.
When it comes to sourcing gluten free products, there is absolutely no compromise in taste or quality with Priestley’s gluten free range. To explore the range as well as our other dietary choices, head on over to myBidfood or the Priestley’s website.
