Hash browns are some of the most popular takeaway foods that are available, however, if you are a coeliac you may be wondering whether hash browns are actually gluten-free and safe to eat.
Hash browns are gluten-free generally, however, you should always double-check the ingredients to make 100% sure. Additionally, if you are purchasing hash browns from a fast food outlet the other key consideration is whether hash browns have been cooked in the same oil that gluten-containing items have.
If the place that you purchase hash browns from does not have a dedicated gluten-free fat fryer there is a risk that there will be gluten in the oil which can cross-contaminate the hash browns and may cause a problem for some coeliacs. So it is important to ask the person serving you before placing the order.
How To Read Food Labels
If you are a coeliac or catering for one of the most important skills to ensure that you can feed them is learning how to read food labels to help maximize the number of choices that a coeliac has. However, there are a few important things to know that can create confusion among many people that need to be clarified.
The first thing to understand is that in most countries around the world companies are required to disclose the ingredients of food products and specifically state whether there are any allergens present which can include things like nuts, dairy, seafood, and of course gluten.
To do this most companies will highlight any ingredients that do contain wheat in bold and in some cases, they also place a statement at the bottom of the ingredients list stating which allergens are present in the food.
However, it is also common for manufacturers who have produced products that are essentially gluten-free to state things like “This Product May Contain Gluten”. The reason they do this is usually that they haven’t gone through the process of testing whether the product is completely gluten-free and they are potentially concerned about cross-contamination which would leave them open to legal action.
Cross-contamination usually occurs if they are manufacturing both gluten-containing and gluten-free products on the same equipment, however, given that most equipment will be cleaned between product runs and additionally the volume of the product being produced will be very high means that if there is any cross-contamination it is likely to be extremely low and therefore not a concern. As such most dietitians recommend that these products that state the term are safe for coeliacs to eat.
What Is The Minimum Amount Of Gluten That A Coeliac Can Eat?
Generally, the advice you get from most health professionals is that the minimum amount of gluten that you should be consuming should be less than 20 mg per day. Below these levels, the gluten is considered to be negligible.
As these levels are quite low it is common for dietitians to recommend that coeliacs take precautions such as having separate margarine spreads and using separate toasters to limit the general exposure to gluten.
Are McDonald’s Hash Browns Gluten-Free?
McDonald’s hash browns are not gluten-free and therefore need to be avoided by coeliacs, however, the ingredients list for this product provides a good example of the type of information that you will get on the back of a food label generally. I have taken the liberty of providing this information below with any references to wheat are bolded.
Allergen Information
Hash Browns
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [wheat And Milk Derivatives]*), Salt, Corn Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color), Extractives Of Black Pepper. *natural Beef Flavor Contains Hydrolyzed Wheat And Hydrolyzed Milk As Starting Ingredients
Contains: Wheat, Milk.
Are Burger King Hash Browns Gluten-Free?
Burger King hash browns also contain gluten and therefore cannot be eaten by coeliacs. Additionally, they released a press release in 2015 that indicated that hash browns were being prepared in the same fryers as their fries and therefore the fries from Burger King can also not be considered gluten-free.
The fries from Mcdonald’s also contain gluten within the allergen information and so they are also not an option for a coeliac.
Are Taco Bell Hash Browns Gluten-Free?
Taco Bell hash browns are gluten-free so if you are a coeliac these are an option for you.
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