Porridge oats - wheat free?

[ShineSmile]

Hi

Are porridge oats wheat free? I know they have the contain gluten label, but are they wheat free?

I think there is a high risk of cross contamination but as far as I know they are wheat free in terms of their ingredients. They will contain oat gluten.

Normal porridge oats will always be contaminated with wheat because they are usually grown on a crop rotation system so that even in an 'oats' year some wheat seedlings from a previous year will grow and be harvested with the oats. Also they are probably processed in the same machinery. Therefore they will contain some wheat.

Special gluten-free oats are available - these are farmed and processed completely separately from wheat (and barley and rye). More expensive of course.

Some coeliacs are sensitive to oats too, because the protein in oats is very similar to the protein in wheat (gluten) and it causes their bodies to react the same way. I don't give even gf oats to my coeliac DC. Not sure if that applies to wheat-sensitive people, probably not if it's a different component of wheat that's the issue (i.e. not the gluten component).

Its the processing machinery that is the biggest contamination risk. There are a few companies that do guaranteed wheat free oats though.

Ready Brek is wheat free?

Depends on your level of sensitivity, as I described above.

Ready Brek contains oats. They are not special gluten-free oats (if they were, it would say so on the packaging and it doesn't), just normal oats. Therefore they will be contaminated with wheat from production and processing. If you require 100% wheat-free, they are no good. If you can cope with the contamination, fine.

I am sensitive to wheat protein (not gluten) and eat oats (supermarket own rolled) without issue. I therefore suspect that the contamination is minimal. Oats do have their own gluten though, so it depends what part of the wheat one is sensitive to.

Both Nairn's and Sainsbury's do gluten free oats. They are chewier than 'normal' oats but nice. Great in cookies too.

DS is anaphylactic to wheat but eats oat-based cereals without any problems. However, DD is coeliac so has to avoid oat-based cereals due to the high risk of gluten contamination.

Ready brek is guaranteed wheat free though not gluten free