Unsafe Ingredients List

Here is a comprehensive list of unsafe foods to watch out for on the gluten free diet

The Ultimate Gluten-Free Ingredient Guide

Navigating food, beverage, and cosmetic labels can be tricky! We have gathered and organized this comprehensive list to help you spot hidden gluten and identify ingredients that might require a little extra digging or a quick call to the manufacturer.

🛑 Red Light: Ingredients to Always Avoid

These ingredients are derived from wheat, barley, or rye, or are known gluten-containing items. If you see these on a label, the product is not safe for a strict gluten-free lifestyle.

Traditional Grains & Flours

• Barley / Rye / Wheat (including varieties like Abyssinian Hard, Club, Common, Durum, Einkorn, Emmer, Kamut, Macha, Oriental, Persian, Polish, Poulard, Shot, and Vavilovi wheat)
• Atta Flour / Maida (Indian wheat flours)
• Bleached, Unbleached, Enriched, or Bread Flour

• Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
• Couscous
• Dinkle / Spelt
• Farina / Farina Graham / Farro / Graham Flour / Granary Flour
• Groats (Barley or Wheat)
• Semolina / Semolina Triticum
• Triticale
• Whole-Meal Flour

Prepared Foods, Fillers & Thickeners

• Beer (most contain barley or wheat)
• Cereal Binding / Filler / Edible Starch
• Cookie Crumbs, Cookie Dough, & Cookie Dough Pieces
• Crisped Rice (frequently contains barley malt)
• Edible Coatings & Edible Films
• Fu (Dried Wheat Gluten)
• Heeng / Hing / Perungayam (Asafoetida powder, which is almost always processed with wheat flour)
• Malt Products: Barley Malt, Malt, Malted Barley Flour, Malted Milk, Malt Extract, Malt Syrup, Malt Flavoring, Malt Vinegar, and Rice Malt (if barley or koji are used)
• Matza / Matzah / Matzo / Matzo Semolina
• Meringue / Mir
• Nishasta
• Pasta / Orzo Pasta / Kluski Pasta / Udon (Wheat Noodles)
• Pearl Barley
• Roux / Rusk
• Seitan (pure wheat gluten)
• Sprouted Wheat or Barley
• Suet / Suet in Packets
• Tabbouleh / Tabouli
• Teriyaki Sauce / Soy Sauce / Kecap Manis / Ketjap Manis (unless explicitly labeled gluten-free)

🧼 Hidden in Cosmetics & Personal Care

Gluten can easily hide in shampoos, lotions, and soaps under these scientific names:

• Amp-Isosteroyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
• Disodium Wheatgermamido Peg-2 Sulfosuccinate
• Hordeum Vulgare Extract
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten / Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetroil / Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
• Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Meripro 711
• Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Lipids / Germ Extract / Germ Oil
• Wheat Bran Extract / Wheat Germ Extract / Wheat Germ Glycerides / Wheat Germ Oil
• Wheat Grass (can contain seeds)
• Wheat Germamidopropyldimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

⚠️ Yellow Light: Proceed with Caution

These ingredients may or may not contain gluten depending on how and where they are manufactured. It is highly recommended to look for a certified “Gluten-Free” label on the product, or reach out to the manufacturer directly to confirm the source grain.

Ingredient Type	Why It’s a Risk
Caramel Color & Caramel Flavorings	While often derived from corn in the USA, caramelization can safely use corn sugar, sugar beets, or cane molasses—but it can also be manufactured using wheat or barley malt syrup.
Dextrins / Dextrimaltose	This is an incompletely hydrolyzed starch. It can be prepared by heating corn, potato, arrowroot, rice, or tapioca—but it can also be made from wheat. Avoid unless the source grain is clearly specified.
Flavoring / Natural Flavors	Essential oils, extracts, and distillates can be derived from fruits, vegetables, or meats, but they can also include protein hydrolysates or fermentation products that used gluten grains during processing.
Wheat Starch	Most celiac organizations in the USA and Canada advise avoiding wheat starch. In Europe, high-quality “Codex Alimentarius” wheat starch is refined enough to be considered safe by many doctors, but it is generally less accessible in North America.

Other Common “Check the Label” Ingredients

These ingredients frequently utilize a gluten-containing grain, by-product, or cross-contaminated facility during manufacturing:

• Artificial & Natural Colors	• Enzymes	• Mixed Tocopherols / Tocopherols
• Baking Powder	• Fat Replacers	• Non-dairy Creamer
• Clarifying Agents	• Food Starch / Modified Food Starch	• Seafood Analogs / Surimi
• Coloring	• Glucose Syrup / Maltose	• Seasonings & Ground Spices
• Dry Roasted Nuts	• Gravy Cubes / Stock Cubes	• Smoke Flavoring
• Emulsifiers	• HPP / HVP / Hydrolyzed Proteins	• Soba Noodles (often a wheat mix)
• Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate	• Miso	• Stabilizers & Vegetable Gums

💡 Community Tip: When in doubt, look for the Certified Gluten-Free stamp on the packaging! If a product contains “Food Starch” or “Dextrin” but carries a certified GF label, it means the ingredient was derived from a safe source like corn or potato.