Gluten Free Oats
Are oats gluten free and can you get gluten-free oats are questions that are often asked. Whilst it is often quoted that Celiacs should avoid wheat, rye, barley and oats the question of the suitability of oats in a gluten free diet is subject to some discussion.
The problem with oats is that they are subject to cross contamination from wheat, rye and barley in the farmer’s field, in the harvesting and sometimes in the post harvest factory processing. As such, if you are intollerant to small amounts of gluten in your diet you will find that oats trigger a gluten reaction and you will pay the price for eating them.
Some farmers claim to be able to offer safe oats to Celiacs and produce uncontaminated oats which contain no gluten. At least they are tested to a gluten component of 10 ppm and found to be clear. Whether you can include these as part of your regular diet depends upon your sensitivity to gluten. Some popular commercial oats preparations typically contain 23 to 25 ppm gluten levels.
We feel that eating oats could represent the risk that you do not need to entertain. There are many alternative flour products available for inclusion in your diet so why take the risk specifically with oats. No matter how diligent the farmer has been and how pure his initial seeds are there is always a risk of cross contamination from other wheat products in nearby fields. We accept that they can exercise a high degree of control over the harvesting and subsequent processing, by cleaning the combine harvester and having a dedicated gluten-free factory and grain mill, but oats are grown in fields and therefore subject to whatever happens to be passing in the air or brought in by a bird.
The decision on whether to eat gluten free oats will be yours to exercise on your behalf or to make a decision on behalf of your children. If you feel that it would be a valuable addition to your menu, and help the quality of flour-based products that use it we suggest that you experiment with a small sample and check whether you get a gluten reaction. Gluten free oats are exceedingly rare and always prone to some minor cross contamination.
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