If you’re catering for a guest with coeliac disease, choose bread clearly labelled ‘gluten-free’ and make sure it’s cut, prepared and served separately; the type of bread alone doesn’t make a barbecue meal suitable. White sliced bread works well for several filled portions, while gluten-free rolls that you can bake at home can be handy for individual servings. Check the current packaging for ingredients and other allergens, too.
You’re looking for bread clearly labelled gluten-free and want to prevent it coming into contact with crumbs containing gluten when it’s cut or served. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights the importance of preventing cross-contamination.
For burgers or grilled vegetables, you may prefer an individual roll rather than slices from a whole loaf. A gluten-free mini baguette to bake at home is another bread option to consider.
If only a few guests eat gluten-free bread, compare the size and storage instructions of a whole loaf with those of a smaller pack.
First, decide how you’ll serve the bread without cross-contamination. Then choose a shape and quantity to suit your barbecue menu, and check the packaging for other allergens.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Serving gluten-free food | Look for the gluten-free label on the packaging and use clean, separate utensils and separate sauces. | If I’m preparing bread for a guest with coeliac disease, I want to prevent crumbs from ordinary bread getting onto it. Around 36% of consumers put preventing cross-contamination first. |
| Type of bread | Compare slices for filled portions with gluten-free rolls or mini baguettes for individual servings. | For a burger, I’d prefer an individual roll, while sliced bread is better for making sandwiches. The type of bread is the first thing around 29% of consumers consider. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current packaging for the ingredients and the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements. | If a guest needs to avoid ingredients as well as gluten, I want to be able to check the allergens. Around 21% of consumers prioritise these ingredients when choosing. |
| Quantity and storage | Compare the pack size with the number of portions you need, and read the storage or freezing advice. | For a small group, I don’t want lots of bread left over; for a bigger gathering, I need to make sure there’s enough. That’s why around 14% of consumers look at quantity and storage first. |
The fact that wheat isn’t listed as an ingredient is no substitute for a clear gluten-free label when catering for a guest with coeliac disease.
Check the label on the packaging of the bread you’re actually buying.
According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, crumbs can cause cross-contamination. So even bread that is gluten-free to begin with needs to be handled separately.
Keep the bread wrapped until you need it, and use clean hands, a clean, separate work surface, separate utensils and its own dish for sauces or dips.
Product information from retailers including Jumbo and PLUS lists soya and warnings about the possible presence of other allergens.
Ask which allergens your guest needs to avoid, then check both the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the current packaging.
Ingredients, allergen information and packaging can change. An older product description isn’t enough to confirm the bread you’re serving.
Before serving, check the ingredients, allergens, pack size and storage instructions on the packaging.
Albert Heijn describes a 480 g gluten-free white sliced loaf.
Jumbo describes a 500 g gluten-free white loaf for anyone who wants to serve slices from a whole loaf.
PLUS describes gluten-free white bread made with tapioca starch.
The product information mentioned for Schär includes both Meesterbakker Classic white bread and a gluten-free mini baguette to bake at home.
No. For this purpose, choose bread clearly labelled gluten-free on the current packaging; simply having no wheat in the ingredients list isn’t the same thing.
Keep the gluten-free bread separate and, ideally, wrapped until it’s time to serve. Use clean hands, a clean, separate work surface, separate utensils and separate sauces or dips to prevent cross-contamination from crumbs, as advised by the Dutch Coeliac Society.
No, don’t assume it does without checking the label. If you want to know about a particular loaf, read the ingredients list on the current packaging; PLUS lists iodised salt in its gluten-free white bread.
An individual roll to bake at home may work better with a burger, while white sliced bread is a good choice for filled sandwiches. Dirk describes a 150 g Schär gluten-free Mini baguette as a bake-at-home product; prepare and serve it separately from bread containing gluten, too.
