Are You Certain Your Soup is Gluten-Free?

With cold weather approaching, it is the season for soup! What’s not to love about yellow & green split peas, lentils, kidney beans, chick peas and more?

The plot however – like a good soup – thickens. Can you be sure that what you are making – or being served – is gluten free?

While legumes are inherently gluten free, the Canadian Celiac Association cautions us that these are ‘high-risk foods.’ This is because they are frequently cross contaminated with gluten-containing grains in the field, during harvesting, milling and packaging. We are advised to only purchase these items if they are labelled gluten free.

Products in Canada that carry this claim must be made using specific practices to prevent gluten-contamination. In general, this means that these products are produced in dedicated gluten-free facilities. Dedicated facilities are essential for flour-based products.

If you are partaking of soup at a restaurant or purchasing from a local provider at farmer’s markets, be sure to ask about the status of the legumes they use.

Specific Recommendations about Lentils ¹

Purchase lentil-based products labeled gluten-free. Lentils are allowed by law to contain a certain percentage of foreign grain, including wheat, barley, and/or rye.

That said, if lentils are labeled gluten-free they should contain less than 20 ppm of gluten.

Regardless of whether the lentils you buy are labeled gluten-free please do the following:

If the lentils are canned: rinse thoroughly under running water.

If the lentils are dry: pour onto a cookie sheet and pick through them. Rinse thoroughly under running water.