Worldwide Gluten-Free Certifications
Country by country: who audits restaurants, who only certifies products, and who does neither.
A certification means an inspector visited the kitchen. It is not a statement about the food, it expires annually, and in most of the world it does not exist at all. This is what each national programme actually covers.
- Audited
- An inspector visits the premises and passes it or does not. Repeated annually. The only model that verifies anything.
- Training only
- Staff complete a course; the venue pledges to comply. Nobody visits. Education, not verification.
- Self-registration
- A venue adds itself to a directory. Nobody checks. Not a certification, however official the directory looks.
- Labelling law
- A legal threshold governing packaging. Applies to products, not kitchens.
Europe
Every national body below certifies packaged products to 20 ppm, set by EU Regulation 828/2014 and ultimately by Codex Alimentarius. The threshold does not vary between countries. Registry depth, inspection, and hotel scope vary enormously — and several AOECS members certify no venues at all.
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| Country | Body | Restaurants | Coverage & caveats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | AIC / AFCceliachia.it | Audited | 4,000+ venues; annual on-site inspection. Restaurants, pizzerias, gelaterias, hotels, B&Bs, agriturismi. AIC Mobile app sells short-term tourist access. Deepest registry in the world. Hotel certification and hotel-restaurant certification are separate — confirm which. hotelperceliaci.it is a self-registration portal, not an AIC product. |
| Spain | FACEceliacos.org | Audited | Annual audit under the AOECS European Licensing System. Five operator categories including hotels. FACEMOVIL app free. Most certified hotels hold it for the restaurant, not breakfast service. |
| Catalonia | ACCceliacscatalunya.cat | Audited | Separate regional registry. A Barcelona venue may hold ACC rather than FACE. Searching one will not find the other. |
| Netherlands | NCV — "Zorgeloos Glutenvrij"glutenvrij.nl | Audited | Intake plus a first-year audit by an external party the NCV designates, against its own published standard, the Horecarichtlijn voor glutenvrije maaltijden — then unannounced repeat inspection. Hotels explicitly in scope. Certified venues join the Horeca Alliantie Glutenvrij; participation is applied for and paid. Renamed from "Lekker Glutenvrij" — travelers may still meet the old name on an older sticker. Audit cadence is contested on the NCV's own site: the published standard says annual, the application page says every other year. "Unannounced" is confirmed; "annual" is not. Small universe of independent venues — absence proves nothing. |
| United Kingdom | Coeliac UKcoeliac.org.uk | Audited | Venue accreditation scheme, searchable directory and app. Among the better foodservice registries outside Italy and Spain. |
| Portugal | APCceliacos.org.pt | Limited | Registry is thin, particularly outside Lisbon. Absence from it means very little. No APC-certified hotel identified in Porto. |
| Germany | DZGdzg-online.de | Limited | Considerably stronger on packaged products than on foodservice. Restaurant registry limited. |
| France | AFDIAGafdiag.fr | Limited | Product-focused. Restaurant coverage minimal. France does not operate like Italy. Foodservice scope pending verification. |
| Norway | NCF · NAAFncf.no · naaf.no | None | No venue certification exists — confirmed against both national bodies' own published material, not inferred from an empty register. NCF licenses the Crossed Grain on packaged products only: external laboratory testing of the finished product and the production line at ≤20 ppm, licence number printed beneath the mark. A venue cannot hold it. NCF's list of glutenfrie spisesteder has two doors and neither is an audit — most entries are member tips, which NCF calls subjective and liable to change, while the chains (McDonald's, Peppes, Circle K, La Baguette) sit there on a stated collaboration committing them to offer gluten-free food. NCF says in English on its own visitor page that it has no follow-up or certifying system. NAAF, a second national body, publishes the country's de facto caterers' handbook — cited by the Directorate of Health — with no application, no inspection and no mark. Backstop worth knowing: for non-prepacked food, Mattilsynet requires allergen information to be given in writing directly to the customer. Norway is EEA, not EU — the 20 ppm rule arrives through the EEA agreement. |
| Sweden | Svenska Celiakiförbundetceliaki.se | None | No venue certification exists. SCF licenses the Crossed Grain — det överkorsade axet — to producers under AOECS rules, with annual audits of licensees carried out by its named Swedish partner, ControlCert. Nothing in its published structure offers anything to a restaurant, café or hotel except paid advertising. Its venue list, Glutenfria smultronställen, is member tips compiled by staff, and SCF's disclaimer sits at the top of the page: it has no ability to check or ensure whether a venue is gluten-free, or whether it still exists, and the traveler must check the kitchen's handling personally. Unlike Norway and Denmark, SCF publishes no explicit statement that no scheme exists — the position is established from the shape of what it publishes rather than from its own words. |
| Denmark | Dansk Cøliaki Foreningcoeliaki.dk | None | No venue certification exists — and DCF says so in English, on its own page for visitors: there is no certification scheme for gluten-free food at Danish restaurants and cafés, differences in preparation are significant, and a highly sensitive traveler should ask detailed questions. It licenses the Crossed Grain on packaged products. Its venue "map" is a Google My Map that anyone with a Google account can edit, moderated only by emailing DCF when something looks wrong; DCF states it cannot guarantee the information is correct or current. DCF also gives travelers the most useful instruction any national body publishes: allergen information must be provided on request, and if the employee seems unsure, eat somewhere else. Roughly 1% of Danes have celiac disease and only about one in four is diagnosed. |
| Greece | Hellenic Coeliac Society (ELOKE)hellenicceliac.gr | None | Advocacy and product body only. No Greek restaurant certification exists. A venue claiming national certification for its kitchen is claiming something that does not exist. |
| Croatia | HDC · CeliVitacelijakija.hr · celivita.hr | None | No venue certification exists. HDC — Hrvatsko društvo za celijakiju — is the AOECS member and licenses the Crossed Grain on packaged products. CeliVita runs the national gluten-free product registry at bezglutena.celivita.hr, which is also products. Neither certifies venues, and Croatia has nothing equivalent to Italy's AIC AFC or Spain's FACE/ELS. A restaurant does not appear on a product registry. Any venue described as HDC-certified or CeliVita-listed is mislabelled. |
| Belgium | VCV (Flanders) / SBC (Brussels & Wallonia)coeliakie.be · sbc-asbl.be | None | Two societies split by language. Both maintain gluten-free directories and hospitality guidance. Neither runs an audited restaurant certification. The Crossed Grain is licensed across the whole Benelux by the Dutch NCV. |
| Austria | ÖAG Zöliakiezoeliakie.or.at | Limited | AOECS member. Product-led. |
| Switzerland | IG Zöliakiezoeliakie.ch | Limited | AOECS member. Foodservice scope pending verification. |
| Ireland | Coeliac Society of Irelandcoeliac.ie | Limited | AOECS member. Foodservice scope pending verification. |
| Poland | Polskie Stow. Osób z Celiakiąceliakia.pl | Limited | AOECS member. Operates a menu certification scheme. Pending verification. |
| Finland | Keliakialiittokeliakialiitto.fi | Limited | Among the highest rates of celiac disease in the world, with a food culture that reflects it. Foodservice scope pending verification. |
| Slovenia | Društvo za celiakijodrustvo-celiakija.si | Limited | AOECS member. Small. |
The Americas
Outside Europe the threshold itself changes. Argentina and Brazil operate mandatory state labelling regimes, not voluntary association certifications.
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| Country | Body / instrument | Standard | Restaurants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA / Canada | Gluten-Free Food Programgf-finder.com | 5 ppm | Audited | Independently audited, re-verified annually. The only certification built for hotels and resorts. Endorsed by the National Celiac Association and the Canadian Celiac Association. Four times stricter than the legal floor. |
| USA | Beyond Celiac — GREAT Kitchensbeyondceliac.org | 20 ppm | Training only | Staff training and pledge. No inspection. Indicates intent, verifies nothing. |
| USA | FDA labelling rule | 20 ppm | N/A | Voluntary product claim; manufacturers self-declare. Barley-based beer may not be labelled gluten-free — must state "gluten-removed" with a disclaimer. |
| Canada | CFIA regulationceliac.ca · celiaquequebec.com | 20 ppm | N/A | A gluten-free claim must account for cross-contact, not ingredients alone — a stronger construction than the FDA rule. First GF-verified hotel in North America was Canadian. |
| Argentina | ANMAT — Código Alimentario, Art. 1383Mandatory state mark | 10 ppm | Products only | A legal maximum, not a voluntary standard. Any product labelled gluten-free must be registered with ANMAT; 23,000+ registered by 2023. Since Dec 2023 the mark is split: Sin TACC for products that never contained gluten grains, Sin Gluten for products processed to remove it. The only country distinguishing the two mechanisms by law. Reported restaurant GF-option law (Ley 26.588) unverified. |
| Brazil | Lei nº 10.674/2003fenacelbra.com.br | No threshold | Products only | Every packaged food must declare contém glúten or não contém glúten. Mandatory in both directions. The law sets no permitted quantity — so a product carrying a cross-contact warning must be declared as containing gluten. No 20 ppm allowance exists. |
| Rest of Latin America | Chile · Peru · Uruguay · Mexico | Varies | None | Labelling provisions of varying strength. No audited foodservice certification identified. Assess kitchens directly. |
Australia & New Zealand
The strictest regime in the world. FSANZ defines gluten-free as no detectable gluten — the limit of laboratory detection, not a permitted quantity. Under the same code, oats cannot be labelled gluten-free at all, even certified uncontaminated oats.
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| Country | Body | Standard | Restaurants | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Coeliac Australia — Gluten Free Accreditation Programcoeliac.org.au | None detectable | Audited + tested | Document review of practices, on-site audit, proof of staff training, and laboratory test results on the venue's own gluten-free menu items. The only programme in the world that tests the food rather than only inspecting the kitchen. First venue accredited 2017; registry young and small. Separate Endorsement Program covers packaged products — different mark, different meaning. |
| New Zealand | Coeliac NZ — Dining Out Programmecoeliac.org.nz | Nil detected | Audited | Staff training completed first, then independent on-site audit by a Coeliac NZ-approved auditor against the FSANZ standard. Accredited venues display a window sticker and appear in the national dining directory. |
Everywhere Else
Across most of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, no national gluten-free restaurant certification exists.
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| Region | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Japan · Korea · China · SE Asia | None | No national celiac certification. Wheat-based seasonings and soy sauce are structural to the cuisines. Dedicated GF venues exist in Tokyo and a handful of other cities and must be assessed individually. |
| India | Products only | FSSAI gluten-free labelling provisions cover packaged products. No foodservice certification. Threshold pending verification. |
| Turkey · Middle East | Verify issuer | Certificates in this region are frequently national service-conformity certificates issued by tourism or standards bodies, not celiac associations. Identify the issuing body before the certificate means anything. |
| Africa | None | South Africa has an active coeliac society. Elsewhere, assume nothing exists. |
Product Marks
These certify packaged food. None of them certifies a kitchen. A crossed grain on a packet of pasta says nothing about the pot it is boiled in.
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| Mark | Issued by | Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossed Grain | AOECS + national members | 20 ppm | Pan-European product mark. Independently tested rather than self-declared. Not a foodservice mark. |
| GFCO | Gluten Intolerance Group | 10 ppm | Most widely seen GF product logo in North America. Stricter than the FDA threshold. |
| Coeliac Australia Endorsement | Coeliac Australia | None detectable | Packaged products. Distinct from the Accreditation Program, which covers food service. |
| Sin TACC / Sin Gluten | ANMAT (Argentine state) | 10 ppm | Legally mandatory, not voluntary. Two marks since December 2023. |
| EU "very low gluten" | European Commission | 21–100 ppm | A legal category, correctly labelled, sitting on the same shelf. Not suitable for celiacs. |
False Friends
Marks, phrases, and credentials routinely mistaken for gluten-free certification. The first three all carry the name of a real organisation, which is what makes them dangerous.
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| Claim | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| A national body's own venue list | A national celiac society can publish a list of gluten-free eating places without inspecting a single one of them. Norway's is the documented case: NCF says in English on its own site that it has no follow-up or certifying system for the venues in its overview — and a celiac travel writer, told a Bergen restaurant was "accredited," concluded she had not needed to be so cautious. Sweden's equivalent list says the same thing more plainly still: the association has no ability to check whether a venue is gluten-free, or whether it is still there. A list is a place to start looking, not a verification. |
| An open, user-edited map | Weaker again, and easy to mistake for a register because it sits on the national body's website. Denmark's map of gluten-free eating places is a Google My Map that anyone with a Google account can log in and edit. Nobody approves an entry; the society moderates only when a reader emails to say something is wrong, and states plainly that it cannot guarantee the information is correct or current. Useful for finding names. Worth nothing as assurance. |
| A community app partnered with a national body | An app can partner with a national society, flag that society's certified venues, and still be an independent product carrying user-submitted content. The Dutch Glutenvrije Horeca app is the clear case: its own terms disclaim liability for incorrect information and instruct users to do their own research. The register is at glutenvrij.nl. |
| Asthma Allergy Nordic · Svalan · Den Blå Krans | Run by the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish asthma and allergy associations — not the celiac societies. The mark covers cleaning products, skin and body care, hygiene, pet products, bedding, paint and textiles. It has no food application whatsoever. Sharpest trap in the Nordics: revised criteria require food-derived ingredients in cosmetics to be protein-free, so the mark's own literature discusses oats, wheat and peanut at length while saying nothing about eating. |
| Nøkkelhullet — the Keyhole | A Nordic nutritional mark used across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. Green, government-backed, prominent, and entirely about fat, sugar, salt and fibre. Nothing whatever to do with gluten. |
| Brødskala'n | A Norwegian bakers' association scale for how coarse a bread is. The Norwegian coeliac society is currently campaigning to have gluten-free products included in it at all, which is itself the answer. |
| Kosher for Passover | A religious standard prohibiting chametz, not an allergen standard. Matzo is wheat. Never a gluten-free claim. |
| "Gluten-friendly" | No legal meaning in any jurisdiction. Most often used by kitchens that know they cannot make the gluten-free claim. |
| Self-registration listing | The venue added itself to a directory. Nobody inspected anything. Several such directories are designed to resemble official registries — hotelperceliaci.it in Italy is the standing example, and it is not an AIC product. Verify on celiachia.it or it does not count. |
| "Produsert i ren mølle" · "kun glutenfrie råvarer" | Manufacturer phrasings, not certifications. The Norwegian coeliac society's own clinical nutritionist has publicly criticised an oat producer for labelling that implies gluten-free status while committing to nothing. |
| Smilefjes in the window | Mattilsynet's hygiene inspection result in Norway. Not a gluten credential — but a usable negative signal, because a venue that has done nothing about allergen labelling does not receive a smiley. A sour face is informative; a smiley is not an endorsement. |
| "May contain traces" | Unregulated, unstandardised, not a measurement. A liability statement about shared facilities, not a test result. |
| Certification in a country with no certifying body | The claim is the finding. Within Europe this applies to Greece, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Croatia. |
Sources. National celiac association websites; AOECS membership register; EU Regulation 828/2014; Codex Alimentarius CXS 118-1979; US FDA 21 CFR 101.91; Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Código Alimentario Argentino Art. 1383/1383 bis and ANMAT; Lei nº 10.674/2003 (Brazil); FSANZ Food Standards Code 1.2.7 and 1.2.8; NCV Horecarichtlijn voor glutenvrije maaltijden v2024.01.
Verification standard. A certification counts only when it is confirmed on the certifying body's own current source. The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece and Croatia positions have been confirmed against those bodies' own published material. Entries marked pending verification are drawn from the AOECS register or secondary sources and have not yet been confirmed against the body's own site. Certifications and registries change; this page is reviewed annually.