Gluten under EU allergen law: which grains count, and which products are exempt
Published 2026-09-30 · PlateNote
Item 1 of Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 is “cereals containing gluten”. The law names them: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof.
Four exemptions in the legal text
- wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose;
- wheat based maltodextrins;
- glucose syrups based on barley;
- cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.
These products do not have to be declared as a gluten allergen. If your doctor has told you to avoid them anyway, say so explicitly — a kitchen following the legal list will not flag them.
Two points people miss
- Spelt and khorasan wheat are wheat. The legal text says so in so many words; “spelt bread” is not a wheat-free option.
- Oats are on the list as a cereal containing gluten, alongside wheat, rye and barley.
The official names of this allergen in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese are in our 14-allergen table.
Make your own free allergy card. Tick your allergens, add a second language in the official EU wording, and get a printable PDF by email.
A card is a communication aid; it does not guarantee that food is safe.