Tip of the Week
What is Coeliac Disease?
Are you fully aware of this disease and how to avoid cross contamination of gluten in your kitchen?
Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or an intolerance, but an autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to gluten.
Gluten is a protein found in grains, wheat, rye and barley. Some people with coeliac disease are also sensitive to oats. Gluten is also found in many favourite foods such as fish fingers, sausages, veggie sausages/burgers, gravies, sauces, stock cubes, soy sauce, salad dressings, soups and vinegar.
Tips to avoid cross contamination in your busy kitchen:–
Gluten-free food can be contaminated by food that contains gluten during preparation. Sources of contamination include:-
- breadcrumbs or flour on work surfaces or chopping boards
- utensils used for spreading butter, chutney, etc. onto bread
- not washing hands between handling food stuffs
- Correct storage of gluten free products (store above foods containing gluten to ensure no cross contamination)
- Contamination during cooking – e.g. Item picks up breadcrumbs from chargrill, toaster, contamination with gluten in fryer
To avoid cross contamination when preparing a gluten free meal – clean and sanitise work surface, use a clean chopping board and clean utensils and wash hands before preparing the food. If you use a lot of gluten free bread, using a purple colour coded board may be useful.
When making a gluten free sandwich, use a separate butter/spread.
Alert
Check ingredients list on any packaging and if it states “May Contain” any gluten products, it is not suitable for use as a gluten free product.
Weekly Food Fact
Did you know that Gluten is the Latin word for “glue”. It is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains. Gluten can be present in foods which you would not expect such as dressings, sauces, soy sauce, stocks, etc.
