Food Labelling Report - Gluten Free Foods
Gluten is a substance found in the grains of wheat and related plants, including barley and rye. It is present in a part of the grain called the endosperm. It is made up of two proteins, glutenin and gliadin. Gluten may be described as the protein mass remaining after washing wheat dough with water to remove starch. The protein gluten is found in foods such as bread, pasta, cereals and biscuits. Coeliac disease, is a common digestive condition where a person is intolerant to the protein gluten. An abnormal immunological reaction to gluten from wheat, barley and rye and possibly oats occurs, resulting in damage to the mucosa of the small intestine. Autoimmune conditions cause your immune system to…show more content… • Indication of the presence or the absence of gluten when the product is intended for infants below six months of age is required, on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children.
• The directive stipulates that labelling must not mislead the purchaser as to the characteristics of the foodstuff, including its nature, identity, properties and composition. The information on the label must also be clear and unambiguous.
• It should be noted that if it is a food product which is not required to have a list of ingredients, e.g. alcohol, then the label must either refer to the particular ingredient in the name of the product, e.g. wheat beer, or the label must state “contains…show more content… Cross-contamination can occur when a ‘gluten-free’ product loses that status because it comes into contact with something that is not ‘gluten-free’. Under these Regulations there is a general obligation on food business operators to carry out their food production in accordance with HACCP principles .These include identifying the points in those operations where food hazards may occur, and implementing effective measures to control the hazards at these critical points. There are many sources of cross-contamination in the food production environment and particular care must be taken to ensure a gluten-free product. Agriculturalists must adhere to regulations to avoid gluten-free cereals coming into contact with cereals containing gluten or machinery that has been used to process cereals containing gluten. Workers in the food production industry must practice hygiene at all times and be trained in the area of