For those with coeliac disease the diet must be followed strictly to reduce the risk of associated long-term complications. For those with NCGS (non-coeliac gluten sensitivity), it may not be necessary to follow the diet as strictly. 

Adapting your diet and eating habits to avoid consuming gluten can be challenging and making sure you also avoid accidental contamination of your gluten free food with traces of gluten is an additional concern. 

Cross-contamination, when gluten comes into contact with gluten free food, can happen in different ways. Unfortunately, even a small crumb of gluten can be enough to make a gluten intolerant person feel unwell.     

If you have coeliac disease, you need to understand the importance of cross-contamination, how it happens and how to avoid it. Read on to learn some top tips on how to prevent cross-contamination.   

What is cross-contamination?

Gluten cross-contamination happens when gluten free food comes into contact with food containing gluten or cooking utensils and surfaces that have been used to prepare it. Cross-contamination is sometimes called cross contact. It is important to realise that cross contact or cross-contamination is not like contamination of food with bacteria which can be avoided by keeping things sterile. Gluten cannot be killed through hygienic measures. To avoid gluten cross-contamination, gluten must be kept away from a surface or an area, or, if an object (this could mean your hands) has been contact with gluten, it must be thoroughly cleaned so that the gluten is washed away completely. 

There are many obvious (and not-so obvious) sources of cross-contamination at home in your kitchen, in restaurants and other locations where food is prepared and served. However, cross-contamination can also occur between ingredients before these even make it to a kitchen, during the cultivation, processing and manufacturing processes.   

Types of cross-contamination

The three basic types of cross-contamination that can occur are food-to-food, equipment-to-food, and people-to-food.  

Food-to-food cross-contamination can happen at home if gluten free and gluten-containing food elements are not kept separate, and it also happens in processing plants and factories where, for example, different grains or flours could mix. 

Equipment-to-food cross-contamination is when machines are used for both gluten free and gluten-containing food, such as a shared toaster. Or it could be a chopping board or a rolling pin.  

Person-to-food cross-contamination could be from our hands, or our clothes if we come from an environment where there is gluten-containing food before starting to prepare our own gluten free meals or snacks. There is even a risk from fine particles of flour that can stay airborne for several hours in places where flour is being used, such as a pizzeria or bakery.  

Cross-contamination examples

If you are following a strict gluten free diet and sharing a home with someone who is not, there are many ways cross contamination can occur. Here are some simple tips to follow to help avoid cross contamination: 

  • Don’t share pots and pans, or clean thoroughly between uses 
  • Don’t use the same toaster if gluten-containing bread is being toasted in it 
  • Don’t share waffle irons or grills, as they are very difficult to clean completely  
  • Don’t fry your gluten free food in oil that has been used to fry other food 
  • Don’t reuse water that was used to boil gluten-containing food such as pasta 
  • Don’t share chopping boards 
  • Use your own cloths to clean surfaces 
  • Take care with places touched by sticky cook’s fingers, such as the fridge door handle

Importance of gluten contamination in coeliac disease

How serious is cross-contamination for coeliac disease? Getting ‘glutened’ can be very unpleasant for someone with coeliac disease. When a person who is following a gluten free diet eats gluten again, they may experience symptoms, even if the amount of gluten was small due to accidental cross-contamination. Even if the symptoms are minor, if ingestion of gluten is ongoing, it is likely to mean that some damage to the lining of the small intestine will result. 

Ways to prevent cross-contamination

How to avoid gluten cross-contamination? You have to be thorough and disciplined, and, hopefully, with some care, it won’t all be a case of trial and error. 

At home 

If your household is not completely gluten free, make sure you have a dedicated area where you only prepare gluten free meals – once you have washed your hands. Ideally, all your cooking and serving tools and equipment should be used to prepare gluten free food only. If you do use pans and utensils for gluten free and gluten-containing food, you must ensure they are washed properly between these uses.  

You should follow similar precautions when storing food. Having storage that’s exclusively dedicated to gluten free food helps avoid cross contamination. If your storage space doesn’t allow for it, pick a top shelf that you use solely for your gluten free foods. Make sure to either wrap or store all gluten free food in clean containers or bags dedicated exclusively to this purpose. Finally, follow the same precautions when cleaning and washing after a meal – keep separate cleaning tools and cloths for all your ‘gluten free’ ware. 

Outside 

When shopping for food, the safest way is to look for food items, labelled as ‘gluten free’, which means they contain less that 20ppm gluten, such as Schär’s gluten free range of products. Many grains that are not wheat, barley and rye are naturally gluten free, but the danger of cross-contamination between farm and table is a possibility.  

Be proactive in restaurants. Besides checking for ingredients, ask about the equipment. If your meal is going to be cooked on a grill, is that surface also used to toast bread, for example? 

Plan your meals when travelling by asking about available gluten free options in advance. If all else fails, keep a few gluten free snacks (Schär portion packed biscuits are ideal) at work, in your car or bag for any time of day. 

Cross contamination: keep the rules always under control


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