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Sarsons Malt Vinegar

jonniecheesecake

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jonniecheesecake Newbie
jonniecheesecake
Posted

Sorry if this has been asked many times before.

But Sarsons Malt Vinegar, is it safe to put on my chips?

Trying to eat totally gluten free, but on doing a internet search i find i'm getting many different opinions on Sarsons Malt Vinegar.

the gluten-free food checker APP says it's OK and so does Coeliac UK, but many sites say avoid at all costs!

Very Confusing!

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Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted
5 minutes ago, jonniecheesecake said:

Sorry if this has been asked many times before.

But Sarsons Malt Vinegar, is it safe to put on my chips?

Trying to eat totally gluten free, but on doing a internet search i find i'm getting many different opinions on Sarsons Malt Vinegar.

the gluten-free food checker APP says it's OK and so does Coeliac UK, but many sites say avoid at all costs!

Very Confusing!

As far as I know from 12 years of gluten-free, anything with malt is a big no-no!  I am curious as to why Coeliac UK would consider it safe unless there has been real development of gluten-free malt vinegar! 

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

"malt vinegar" is considered to contain gluten.  

jonniecheesecake Newbie
jonniecheesecake
Posted
  • Author

So why do coeliac uk say it's ok?

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted
7 minutes ago, jonniecheesecake said:

So why do coeliac uk say it's ok?

Open Original Shared Link

I don't know.  Maybe you could ask them?

 

in the US, we are told it is not safe -

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"Vinegar is a solution made of acetic acid and flavoring materials such as apples, grapes, grain and molasses. For example, cider vinegar is made from apple juice; malt vinegar is made from barley malt, Balsamic vinegar is made from grapes. Distilled vinegars (including vinegars in foods and condiments) are gluten-free because the distillation process filters out the large gluten proteins so they do not pass through to the end product making the finished liquid gluten free. Patients with celiac disease should not be concerned about distilled white vinegar or foods such as pickles, which may contain it. The exception to this rule is malt vinegar, which is not distilled, and therefore is not safe to consume.  "

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

Agree - in U.S. it would NOT be considered safe.

 

Jmg Mentor
Jmg
Posted
15 hours ago, jonniecheesecake said:

Sorry if this has been asked many times before.

But Sarsons Malt Vinegar, is it safe to put on my chips?

Trying to eat totally gluten free, but on doing a internet search i find i'm getting many different opinions on Sarsons Malt Vinegar.

the gluten-free food checker APP says it's OK and so does Coeliac UK, but many sites say avoid at all costs!

Very Confusing!

Open Original Shared Link

"Due to the fermentation process involved, the finished product only contains a trace amount of gluten which is well below the safe levels."

Although that's just for 'malt vinegar not necessarily Sarsons. I avoid all forms in any case but then I tend to play it safe when there's any doubt whatsoever.  For instance when I drank I avoided gluten spirits like whisky, but Coeliac UK say that the distillation process renders them safe also. I think there are people here who are super sensitive that have whisky so I'm probably in the wrong there.

I do know that barley malt can affect me. I found out that I was reacting to a cereal brand which was once on Coeliac UK's safe list. When I rechecked it had been removed and sure enough when I removed it from my diet I realised I was reacting to it. 

Anyway, as far as vinegar goes I just switched to cider, balsamic or wine vinegar and don't miss malt really at all.

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted
1 hour ago, Jmg said:

Open Original Shared Link

"Due to the fermentation process involved, the finished product only contains a trace amount of gluten which is well below the safe levels."

Although that's just for 'malt vinegar not necessarily Sarsons. I avoid all forms in any case but then I tend to play it safe when there's any doubt whatsoever.  For instance when I drank I avoided gluten spirits like whisky, but Coeliac UK say that the distillation process renders them safe also. I think there are people here who are super sensitive that have whisky so I'm probably in the wrong there.

I do know that barley malt can affect me. I found out that I was reacting to a cereal brand which was once on Coeliac UK's safe list. When I rechecked it had been removed and sure enough when I removed it from my diet I realised I was reacting to it. 

Anyway, as far as vinegar goes I just switched to cider, balsamic or wine vinegar and don't miss malt really at all.

Fermentation is very different than distillation.  Distillation is gluten-free as gluten protein molecules cannot rise up with the steam and are left behind.  Fermentation seems to be more spotty.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I'm with Karen on this question. Vinegar in general is safe and gluten-free, but MALT vinegar is the exception to the rule. While almost anything can be malted, it is almost always barley (unless explicitly stated otherwise).

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I am fairly sure that in the USA the FDA rules say if the product is made from a gluten ingredient (wheat, rye, barley) it cannot be labeled gluten-free here.  So malt vinegar (made from barley) cannot be labeled gluten-free in the USA.

I found something called coconut aminos (Coconut Secret brand) that is an alternative to soy sauce which is gluten-free.  There are also a line of rice wine flavored vinegars from Nakano that has some gluten-free versions.  I've used the citrus flavor and the roasted garlic with no problem.  I haven't tried others.

I wouldn't take a chance on malt vinegar myself.

Nakano rice wine vinegars

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Jmg Mentor
Jmg
Posted

I think <20ppm is the standard in Europe for labelling Gluten free. Recently the regs here were changed so that there are no separate allergy boxes on labels, but all allergens (or at least the main ones) must be highlighted on ingredients lists. EG: sugar, eggs, WHEAT flour, salt MILK, PEANUTS etc. etc. It works ok.  

It's not the first time I've seen people arguing with coeliac uk over labelling. They produce a guidebook which I found invaluable when I started the diet but there always seems to be some sort of controversy over their recommendations. Like you say given theres perfectly nice rice, wine or cider vinegars why run any risk however small?

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I think you've got it right JMG, why take a risk?  We have enough minefields to avoid as it is, without taking a chance walking into one on purpose.

There was some controversy over the USA gluten-free labeling scheme also.  For one thing, it took years longer to be decided and approved than it was supposed to.  And the amount of gluten at 20 PPM is still a bit of a controversy, as some people do react to lower levels of gluten contamination than that.  But at least we did finally get a standard, that was in theory at least somewhat modeled after European standards.

As it is, it is taking some USA food companies a while to get their products ready for a gluten-free market.  They are still making mistakes in labeling for instance.  But that's not real surprising, as there are mistakes in labeling of other ingredients too.  So we do have to be alert and watchful.  Sometimes even things labeled gluten-free are not really gluten-free.  gluten-free is a big seller these days here, and some people are more interested in profit than details.  I guess that's always been true though.

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