Scan the barcode with Bite Insight, a free app for UK supermarket food. With Coeliac Disease in your profile, it checks the ingredients and allergen info for wheat, barley, rye and oats. If it finds them you get a red Warning card. Traces show as an amber May contain card. It can only go on the product data, so read the pack too.
Gluten isn’t only in bread and pasta. It can turn up in stock cubes, sauces and soups, and the names on the label aren’t always obvious. Checking every pack takes time.
The NHS says at least 1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease. Coeliac UK says nearly two thirds of them haven’t been diagnosed.
Coeliac UK says adults wait 13 years on average for a diagnosis. The NHS says milder cases can be mistaken for other gut problems, such as IBS.
Cereals containing gluten are one of them. The label has to name the grain, such as wheat, barley, rye or oats, and emphasise it in the ingredients list, usually in bold.
UK labels have to name gluten cereals and highlight them in the ingredients list. "May contain" warnings are voluntary, though, and a gluten-free claim can be anywhere on the pack. The app reads the product data for you, or you can check by hand.
Do it when you sign up, or later in settings. You don’t need to pick a gluten allergy as well, because coeliac disease adds the gluten check for you. Your profile then shows a Coeliac Disease chip on every scan.
If wheat, barley, rye or oats turn up, a red Warning card names them and they’re listed under Flagged ingredients. Traces show as an amber May contain card. If the ingredient list or allergen info is missing, a Not checked card tells you so rather than guessing.
Bite Insight never calls a product gluten free.
Coeliac UK says only foods with 20 parts per million of gluten or less can be labelled gluten free. The rule has applied since January 2012. It covers specialist breads and flours, and everyday foods like soups and ready meals too.
Cereals containing gluten are one of the 14 allergens that must be emphasised, usually in bold. The label has to name the grain, such as wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt. Coeliac UK says even a tiny amount must be listed, so look inside brackets too, for things like soy sauce or stock.
These warnings are voluntary. Coeliac UK says one means the maker has decided there’s an unavoidable risk of cross-contamination with gluten. If you’re not sure about a product, ask the maker or call Coeliac UK’s helpline. A gluten-free product can still say ’may contain wheat’. That’s aimed at people with a wheat allergy, and the food still has to meet the 20ppm limit.
Coeliac UK says to read the label every time you buy, because recipes and the way a product is made can change without warning. A product that was fine last month might not be now.
Coeliac UK says glucose syrup made from wheat or barley, wheat-based maltodextrin and distilled spirits are safe for people with coeliac disease, and the label doesn’t have to name the cereal they came from. Bite Insight may still show a Warning if the label mentions wheat, so read it yourself. Barley malt extract is different. Cambridge University Hospitals says to avoid it unless the product is labelled gluten free.
There’s no gluten score. On a coeliac profile, Bite Insight treats gluten as an allergy. It looks at the product’s allergen info and ingredient list for the grain names and other gluten words, like malt extract, semolina and spelt. It also reads the traces data and any "may contain" line. A match gives a Warning card and traces give a May contain card. If the data’s missing, you get Not checked. It never says a product is gluten free. Only the maker can put that claim on the pack, and only for foods with 20ppm of gluten or less.
Every card and rating shown here is free, with no scan limit, and only flagging your own extra ingredients needs Bite Insight+. Compare Free and Bite Insight+
Bite Insight gives general food information, not medical advice, and it can’t promise a product is gluten free. Product data can be wrong or out of date, so always read the pack. If you’ve just been diagnosed, talk to your GP or a dietitian about what to eat. Coeliac UK’s helpline is 0333 332 2033.
Bite Insight does not give everyone the same results. Set your coeliac profile once and every scan is filtered through your specific needs.
Coeliac disease makes the salt traffic light on the Nutrition tab stricter. After a scan you’ll usually see three ratings from Low to Very High: Sodium, worked out from the salt per 100g, then Digestive load and Additives.
Add coeliac disease to your profile and gluten is checked for you, with no need to pick a separate gluten allergy. A red Warning card appears if wheat, barley, rye or oats are in the ingredients, and an amber May contain card if they’re listed as traces.
The coeliac profile already flags barley malt, wheat starch, rye flour and other gluten sources for free. With Bite Insight+ you can add anything else you want to avoid, and it shows in an orange Flagged card.
A coeliac profile puts Sodium at the top of your ratings and makes the salt traffic light on the Nutrition tab stricter. The rating is worked out from the salt per 100g on the label, so allow for your portion.
No more squinting at labels and second-guessing yourself.
Point your camera at the barcode, or search for the product by name.
Bite Insight checks the ingredients and allergen info against your coeliac profile. It shows any gluten cereals it finds, any “may contain” traces, and your own flags if you have Bite Insight+.
Use the result to narrow things down, then check the pack before you buy. Coeliac UK says to read the label every time, because recipes can change.
Real experience
“I was told for years it was IBS before I was finally diagnosed with coeliac disease. Bite Insight helps me feel confident in the supermarket. It catches the things I miss, like barley in stock cubes or wheat in soy sauce. I feel so much more in control.”
The core tools for managing coeliac disease are completely free. Gluten detection, personalised warnings, and full ingredient breakdowns on every scan.
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About using Bite Insight with coeliac disease.
The quickest way is to scan the barcode with a free app like Bite Insight, then check the bold words in the ingredients list. With Coeliac Disease in your profile, Bite Insight looks for wheat, barley, rye and oats. It shows a red Warning card if it finds them, or an amber May contain card for traces. Then read the pack yourself. Only foods labelled gluten free meet the legal limit of 20ppm, and a ’may contain’ line matters too.
Check first. Coeliac UK says a ’may contain’ warning means the maker has decided there’s an unavoidable risk of cross-contamination with gluten. These warnings are voluntary, and FSA guidance says they should only be used once a risk like that has been found. A product labelled gluten free can still say ’may contain wheat’. That’s for people with a wheat allergy, and the food still has to meet the 20ppm limit. If you’re unsure, contact the maker or Coeliac UK’s helpline.
Oats don’t contain gluten themselves, but the NHS says they can cause a reaction if they’re produced in the same place as wheat, barley or rye. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat oats labelled gluten free, and that oats without that label should always be avoided. The NHS adds that a small number of people get symptoms even from pure oats. If you’re not sure, ask your GP or dietitian before adding them.
Yes. Pick Coeliac Disease in your health profile when you sign up, or later in settings. Gluten is then checked on every scan, including less obvious sources like barley malt extract, wheat starch, rye flour and spelt. You’ll also see ratings for sodium, digestive load and additives. It works from the product data, so read the pack as well.
There’s no gluten score. If the ingredients or allergen info include wheat, barley, rye, oats or another gluten source, you get a red Warning card naming them, and they’re listed as flagged ingredients. Traces show as an amber May contain card. If the ingredient list or allergen info is missing, a Not checked card says so. The app never calls a product gluten free, so check the pack.
Yes. If gluten is in a product’s traces data, or in a “may contain” line in the ingredients, you’ll see an amber May contain card near the top of the result. It can only go on what the product data holds, so check the pack too. If you’re unsure about a product, Coeliac UK suggests asking the maker or calling its helpline.
You don’t need to for the usual ones. The coeliac profile already flags wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, malt extract, semolina, couscous and other common gluten sources for free. With Bite Insight+ you can add your own extra ingredients, and they show in an orange Flagged card. Coeliac UK says glucose syrup made from wheat is fine for people with coeliac disease, though Bite Insight may still flag it if the label says wheat.
No. Bite Insight provides educational food insights to help you make more informed choices at the point of purchase. It is not a substitute for advice from your GP, gastroenterologist, or registered dietitian. Always follow the guidance of your healthcare team and use Bite Insight as a tool to support that care, not replace it.
