Gluten Free Oats

I get asked a lot whether oats are considered to be gluten free, as well as lots of phone calls from customers looking for gluten free oats so I thought I'd write a blog post all about it.

As we're in Australia, I am going to tell you that there are no oats that are actually gluten free. But it does get confusing because in other parts of the world, oats are labeled gluten free. And many so called gluten free recipes call for gluten free oats.

Oats contain a protein called avenin that is similar to the gluten in wheat, rye and barley. You can read Coeliac Australia's position on oats here that explains it.

This means that if you have Coeliac disease, I do not recommend that you consume uncontaminated oats, unless you have discussed this with your gastroenterologist or doctor and have their okay. We do have a range of gluten free porridge options here.

There are however some quality oats that are free of contamination from wheat, rye and barley for those with an allergy or intolerance to wheat, rye or barley that are not able to consume regular oats. I use these for my son who is unable to eat wheat because it is a trigger for his Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE).

I found this great video by Kylie at GK Gluten Free Foods explaining where their oats come from, how they bag them here to meet our strict labeling requirements and that they test every single batch for contamination - and you can even get the results of each batch testing on their website! That's pretty impressive :-)
 

So in summary, uncontaminated oats are perfect for families that like oats and require them free from wheat, rye and barley. If you have coeliac disease, please consult your doctor before consuming.

Click here to view our range of uncontaminated oats. We're really lucky here in Australia now too because we can also get regular or organic oats by both suppliers!

If you need a gluten free alternative to oats, visit our gluten free porridge section here. We have a few ideas for some warm and tasty gluten free breakfasts.

Enjoy! Lisa x