Common Question: What is Gluten?

Gluten is the outer casing of the wheat, rye and barley family of grains. Additionally, about 95% of oats produced in the United States are contaminated with gluten. The main reason for this contamination, is the farming of oats, but sometimes oats become contaminated during production and packaging.

Most oat farmers regularly rotate crops. Oat crops are often rotated with Wheat Crops. For this reason, wheat sprouts often end up popping up in the oat fields. For this reason individuals sensitive to gluten and individuals with Celiac Disease should not consume oats that are not certified as gluten free. The GFCO certifies oats at 20ppm or below.

In Living Gluten Free Answer Book, Suzanne Bowland describes gluten as being a sticky glue-like substance that gives "bread dough its viscosity and malleability, giving bread its structure and chewiness (p 51). I must include that it is also used: as a thickening agent, to preserve foods, and as a taste enhancer.

It is important to note that gluten has many names besides wheat, rye and barley. I'll go into more detail on the many names of gluten in the near future.