AOECS

Association Of European Coeliac Societies

International not for profit association, subject to Belgian Law with legal seat in Brussels

AOECS Standard
for Gluten-Free Foods

Technical requirements for licensing

the Crossed Grain Symbol

Page 1 of 16
AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
Contents
Page
1. Preamble 3
2. Definition 3
3. Subsidiary definitions 4
4. Essential composition 4
5. Labelling, advertising and presentation 4
6. Analytical methods 4
7. Technical requirements for food production 5
8. Documentation of the analytical controls for the Licensor 6
Annex I: List of products which are not permitted to bear the Crossed Grain Symbol 8
Annex II: HACCP guidance 9
Annex III: Auditors guide to non-conformance 14
Annex IV: Technical Definitions 16

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
1. Preamble
1.1 The AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods applies to food and drinks which comply
with the Definition set out in Section 2 below to meet the special dietary needs of
people intolerant to gluten.
1.2 The products covered by this Standard shall be prepared with special care under
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to avoid contamination with gluten.
1.3 A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) should be implemented
to exclude contamination with gluten. The technical requirements for a safe food
production are specified in Section 7.
1.4 The definition of foods described in this Standard are based on the worldwide Codex
Standard for Foods for Special Dietary Use for Persons Intolerant to Gluten.

2. Definition
2.1 Gluten-free foods and drinks

a) consisting of, or made only from, one or more ingredients which do not contain
wheat (i.e. all Triticum species, such as durum wheat, spelt, and khorasan wheat,
which is also marketed under different trademarks such as KAMUT), rye, barley,
oats* or their crossbred varieties, and the gluten level does not exceed 20 mg/kg
in total, based on the food as sold or distributed to the consumer.
and/or
b) consisting of one or more ingredients from wheat (i.e. all Triticum species, such
as durum wheat, spelt, and khorasan wheat, which is also marketed under
different trademarks such as KAMUT) rye, barley, oats* or their crossbred
varieties, which have been specially processed to remove gluten, and the gluten
level does not exceed 20 mg/kg in total, based on the food as sold or distributed
to the consumer.
Foods which are not permitted to bear the Crossed Grain Symbol are listed in Annex I.

2.2 Oats
*Oats can be tolerated by most but not all people who are intolerant to gluten.
Therefore the allowance of oats not contaminated with wheat, rye or barley in foods
covered by this Standard may be determined at the national level.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
3. Subsidiary Definitions
3.1 Gluten is defined as a protein fraction from wheat, rye, barley, oats* or their
crossbred varieties and derivatives thereof, to which some persons are intolerant and
that is insoluble in water and 0.5M NaCl.
3.2 Prolamins are defined as the fraction from gluten that can be extracted by
40 - 70 % of ethanol. The prolamin from wheat is gliadin, from rye is secalin, from
barley hordein and from oats avenin.
3.3 The prolamin content of gluten is generally taken as 50 %.

4. Essential Composition
4.1 Foods as defined in 2.1 b) are substituting important basic foods and should
therefore supply approximately the same amount of vitamins and minerals as the
original foods they replace.

5. Labelling, advertising and presentation

5.1 Foods as defined in 2.1 without any oats shall be labelled “gluten-free”. The
registration number shall be clearly displayed underneath the Symbol and consist of
the country code – company code – product number.
5.2 Foods as defined in 2.1 containing oats either as an ingredient, or pure oats, shall be
labelled “gluten-free”. However the word “OATS” shall be clearly displayed
underneath the Symbol before the registration number to make consumers aware
that most, but not all, people who are intolerant to gluten may consume these
products.
5.3 Foods as defined in 2.1 may be accompanied by the additional statements ‘suitable
for people intolerant to gluten’ or ‘suitable for coeliacs’. They may be labelled
‘specifically formulated for people intolerant to gluten’ or ‘specifically formulated for
coeliacs’.

6. Analytical Methods
6.1 The analytical method to be used is the R5-sandwich-ELISA (Mendez-method)*,
which has been endorsed by the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and
Sampling as a Type 1 method. This method detects the prolamins from wheat, rye
and barley in unprocessed and heat-processed products. For unprocessed products
like flours, the Ethanol extraction can be used, however, for heat-processed products
the ‘Cocktail’ extraction must always be used. For calibration the gliadin reference
material from the Working Group on Prolamin Analysis and Toxicity (PWG-gliadin)
must always be used. The R5-sandwich-ELISA is not applicable for products
consisting of, or containing, fermented or partially hydrolysed gluten.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
6.2 For the detection of fermented of partially hydrolyzed gluten like beer, syrups or
sourdough the R5-competitive-ELISA has to be applied.
6.3 For a rapid in-house control of raw materials and surfaces, as well as to check the
effectiveness of cleaning procedures in production equipment, the lateral flow test
based also on the R5-antibody can be used. If heat-treated materials are to be tested,
the ‘Cocktail’ extraction must be used. In case of a positive result the gluten
concentration must be determined by ELISA.
* In the collaborative study for approval of the Codex Method the R5-antibody was
used with the R5 ELISA RIDASCREEN® Gliadin R7001 test kit from R-Biopharm. If test
kits from other companies based on the R5 antibody, but with extraction solutions
other than the ‘Cocktail’ are used, it is recommended to compare the results with the
RIDASCREEN® Gliadin R7001.

7. Technical requirements for food production

7.1 The company shall be a registered food producer in its country. This means that the
company has to fulfill any national food legislation requirements and the production
site will be inspected by the National Food Safety Authority.
7.2 A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System shall be implemented
which includes a risk assessment ensuring the avoidance of gluten contamination
during all stages of production, storage, transportation and handling. The HACCP
Guidance is attached in Annex II.
7.3 All kinds of foods for persons intolerant to gluten are specified in Section 2.
7.4 The company should undertake a risk assessment regarding gluten contamination in
ingredients.
 For high-risk raw materials (e.g. flours) gluten contamination shall be
excluded and certified either by an independent and accredited gluten
testing laboratory or appropriate in-house controls. The analytical method is
defined in Section 6.
 For low-risk ingredients it shall be guaranteed by the producer or supplier
that these ingredients are gluten-free and supported by the necessary
associated documentation.
The risk level of raw materials should be assigned according to:
 the food safety management system of the supplier (for example if the
supplier manufactures only gluten-free raw materials or both gluten-free and
gluten-containing raw materials)
 the type/kind of raw materials.
High risk raw materials include: flours, starches and starch products, cereals and
pseudo-cereals, extruded and/or malted cereals, oats.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
7.5 Transportation conditions of ingredients shall be agreed and appropriate
documentation shall accompany all supplies clearly identifying the product, lot
number, quantity, source and destination in order to avoid any accidental
contamination of gluten. In the case of inappropriate or inadequate documentation
or identification of a critical point further investigation and inspection of premises
may be necessary. The packaging shall be clean, original, undamaged, labelled,
within the best-before-date and in full compliance with the supply contract.
7.6 All the procedures, GHP (general hygienic practice) and GMP (good manufacturing
practice) shall be recorded and used as part of the risk assessment in the food
manufacturing process taking into consideration:
 any and all points that are potentially subject to gluten contamination e.g.
areas shared for warehousing, production, packaging, equipment facilities,
transport lines etc.
 any and all activities aimed at minimizing the risk of gluten contamination .
7.7 The production of gluten-free foods shall be separated in place and/or in time. When
the same production lines and equipment are used to manufacture gluten-free and
gluten-containing products, the following actions shall be performed to avoid any risk
of gluten contamination:
 cleaning operations that ensure there can be no mixing or any kind of cross-
contamination
 appropriate sampling and analysis shall be performed according to the risk
assessment.
7.8 The staff involved in the production shall be trained on hazard of gluten
contamination; their clothes shall be clean and changed according to the risk
assessment.
7.9 Gluten analysis shall be done according to the risk assessment regularly on the basis
of a plan for sampling and analysis of the products as sold or distributed to the
consumer (the plan may be revised, when significant historical data are available).
7.10 The company shall have a monitoring system which includes traceability and a non-
conformance procedure and corrective actions (Annex III describes non-
conformance).
7.11 Should non-conformance be detected when the finished product is already on the
market, the company shall immediately inform the Licensor and agree appropriate
actions.

8. Documentation of the analytical controls for the Licensor

8.1 The analytical certification of the product as sold or distributed to the consumer shall
be sent to the Licensor (coeliac society authorised according to the AOECS Charta to
act on of behalf of AOECS) at least once a year.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
8.2 The analysis shall be made by an accredited and independent lab which is very
familiar with the methods defined in Section 6. No other method is permitted. A list
of laboratories may be provided by the Licensor.
8.3 In addition to the above the Licensor is encouraged to take random samples from
time to time.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex I

List of food products which are not permitted

to bear the Crossed Grain Symbol
UNPROCESSED GRAINS
 Rice
 Maize
MEAT, FISH AND EGGS
 All sorts of fresh or frozen meat, fish and seafood not processed
 Tinned or canned fish and seafood with water/vegetable oil and salt, without additives or other
substances
 Eggs
MILK AND MILK-DERIVATES
 Fresh milk, UHT milk and sterilized milk without additives, vitamins or other substances
 Infant formula and follow on formula
 Yogurt and other fermented dairy products without additives, vitamins or other substances
 Fresh milk cream and UHT milk cream
 Cheese*
VEGETABLES AND LEGUMES
 All sorts of plain, fresh, frozen, canned or dried vegetables and legumes
NUTS AND SEEDS
 All sorts of nuts and seeds, with or without shells, not processed
FRUITS
 All sorts of plain, fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits
DRINKS
 Fruit juices
 Soft drinks
 Mineral waters
 Tea, pure coffee
 Wine
 Distillates for spirits
SWEETS
 Honey, sugar
 Marmalade and jam
 Sweeteners
DRESSINGS AND OTHERS
 Butter, bacon fat, lard
 Vegetable oil
 Vinegar
 Spices and aromatic herbs not processed

according to Codex General Standard for Cheese CODEX STAN 283-1978). Processed cheeses are permitted to bear the Symbol.

Page 8 of 16
AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX I September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex II

HACCP Guidance for managing gluten-free production

INSTRUCTIONS
PERSON IN
PROCESS PHASE HAZARD PREVENTION CORRECTION Control Point (CP)
CHARGE
Critical Control Point (CCP)
 list of qualified suppliers
 choose another supplier
Suppliers’ Gluten contamination Assesssment of suppliers (audit,  supplier documentation
 make the supplier aware of QM
Qualification in raw material questionnaire, etc.)  audit of supplier, report,
gluten contamination risks
questionnaire, etc.
Hazard analysis of the raw
CCP
Quality of raw Gluten contamination materials and association with a  change raw material or
 list of suitable raw materials QM
material in raw material critical level (that is a risk that the supplier
 supplier documentation
raw material may be contaminated)
Inspection on delivery, control of
documents:
 refuse the acceptance of
 certificate of gluten analysis
the materials
from the producer and/or other CCP
Gluten in raw material or
documentation by the supplier  certificate of gluten analysis Leader of
Receiving raw or  separate storage of the raw
– documents identifying the cargo from the producer and/or production,
material surroundings/wrong material (identified as not-
(product, GF nature, lot  declaration/documentation by QM
(not GF) raw material to-be-used) while awaiting
number, quantity, source, the supplier
documents from supplier
destination)
and/or analysis result
 random sampling (analytical
plan)
Pouring from sacks Instructions/procedures for Leader of the
Gluten contamination Elimination of the sacks
(e.g. flour/flour Regular checking of the sacks  transport warehouse,
from environment involved
mixtures, pasta, etc.)  storage QM

Page 9 of 16
AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX II September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex II
INSTRUCTIONS
PERSON IN
PROCESS PHASE HAZARD PREVENTION CORRECTION Control Point (CP)
CHARGE
Critical Control Point (CCP)
 adhering to cleaning/hygiene
 instructions
plan  separation of GF raw
Gluten in the  clear identification of storage Leader of
 storing GF products separately materials
Storing raw material environment, gluten place (GF/gluten containing) warehouse,
from gluten containing materials  own storage/cupboard
contamination  documentation QM
 covering  cleaning
 cleaning documentation
 closed packages (air-tight)
Product preparation  instructions of recipe/raw
e.g.:  raw material labels checking material labels checking
Wrong raw material
- milling, recipe checking - non-conforming raw material
- storing, identification instruction
- mixing,  separate working/production
- kneading, area for GF
- dough, cakes,  temporal separation (GF first) CCP
- raising,  separate equipment  cleaning instructions
- baking, Gluten contamination  separate silo/tank for GF raw  production recordings
- preparation of from: materials  elimination of the  surface cleanliness samples
creams,  environment  ensuring cleaning of equipment contaminated/wrong (analytical plan)
- glaze, icing,  equipment  regular and thorough cleaning of lot/amount
decoration  from working staff the equipment (cleaning plan)  cleaning  critical limits should be set Leader of
- drying  cleaning procedures based on  start a new production
 from previous (gluten contamination levels production,
- cooling hazard analysis should not exceed 20 mg/kg QM
production
 other gluten-  regular checking of cleanliness of (ppm) for “gluten-free”
containing products the working area products)
(cross-  transportation in a closed
contamination tube/pipe
CP
 instructions  instructions
 staff training  procedures
 staff training documentation
Page 10 of 16
AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX II September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex II

INSTRUCTIONS
PERSON IN
PROCESS PHASE HAZARD PREVENTION CORRECTION Control Point (CP)
CHARGE
Critical Control Point (CCP)
 cleaning after gluten containing
production
CCP
 evaluate the need for elimination
 cleaning instruction
of the first amount (the quantity
 first amount elimination
Production in necessary to be sure there is no
instruction
mixed production Gluten contamination more risk of contamination must
 production procedures
unit from previous production be evaluated and validated)
 recordings
(e.g. pasta production:  precise registration of the
pressing)  surface cleanliness samples
eliminated quantities
(analytical plan)
 regular checking of the cleanliness
in the manufacturing area
CP
Instructions/procedures
 traceability
 correct and clean packaging
 regular checks for labelling
 wrong packaging/label materials, protective films and Leader of
elimination of the  analysing product for gluten
Packaging/casing  gluten contamination or labelling production,
amount produced contamination
 soiling of package  precise labelling QM
 critical limits should be set (gluten
 temporal separation (GF first)
contamination levels should not
exceed 20 mg/kg (ppm) for
“gluten-free” products)
 separate casing/freezing and Instructions and procedures
transport elimination of the lot of  storage Leader of
Casing/freezing Contamination with gluten
 staff training products  freezing logistics, QM
 checking  transport

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX II September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex II

INSTRUCTIONS
PERSON IN
PROCESS PHASE HAZARD PREVENTION CORRECTION Control Point (CP)
CHARGE
Critical Control Point (CCP)

 emptying and cleaning machines

Cleaning of Gluten contamination  elimination of the CCP
and units
machines, from previous gluten- amount produced  cleaning instructions/procedures Leader of
 cleaning plan and temporal
pipelines, containing production  cleaning  recordings production,
separation (GF first)
working area through equipment and  start a new production  surface cleanliness samples QM
 cleaning procedures based on
etc. environment lot packaging (analytical plan)
hazard analysis
 The company should have a
NC/complaints management
system
The company is not able to  Customer or third party
Complaints and  alert on all lots - instructions and procedures
withdraw from the market complaints should be recorded QM
product recalls  recall on all lots - recordings
a non-conformed FP and dealt with accordingly
 The Licensor should be always
informed about contaminated FP
in the market
No traceability (the - All ingredients and raw materials
company is not able to used in the production should be
alert consumers or traceable with clear information
withdraw from the market regarding handling or storage. - instructions and procedures Leader of
 alert on all lots
Traceability a specific lot of FP - Final products should be traceable - recordings production,
 recall on all lots
contaminated with gluten right up to the customer they are QM
or where a RM sold to, with clear information
contaminated with gluten regarding production, handling or
has been used) storage.

Page 12 of 16
AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX II September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex II

GLOSSARY
GF Gluten-free
INSTRUCTIONS Working procedures are controlled by the instructions
CP Control point, continuous monitoring and documentation
CCP Critical control point
QM Quality Manager
RM Raw materials
FP Final products
NC Non conformance

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX II September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex III

Auditors guide to non-conformance

Non-conformance is when the requirements laid down by the AOECS Standard are
not fulfilled.

Non-conformances and corrective action

The level of non-conformity assigned by an auditor against a requirement is an
objective judgement with respect to severity and risk and is based on evidence
collected and observations made during the audit.

Non-conformities

Non-conformances against requirements shall be graded as:

 Critical: Where there is a critical failure to comply with a product safety or
legal issue within the scope of the Standard. Examples include:
 Placing a product that contains gluten on the market bearing the Crossed
Grain symbol/labelled gluten-free
 A severe risk of cross contamination e.g. gluten-containing ingredients
contaminating gluten-free ingredients in storage
 Major: Where there is a substantial failure to meet the requirements of a
‘statement of intent’ or any clause of the Standard or a situation is identified
which would, on the basis of available objective evidence, raise significant
doubt as to the conformity of the product or service to the Standard.
Examples include:
 A minority of staff members have not completed recent round of training
but training is in place
 Minor: Where a clause of the Standard has not been fully met but, on the
basis of objective evidence, the conformity of the product or service to the
Standard is not in doubt. Examples include:
 Crossed Grain licence number is not displayed correctly

Procedures for handling non-conformances and corrective action

Following identification of any non-conformances against the requirements of the

Standard during the audit, the company must undertake corrective action to remedy
the immediate issue (correction). The process for ‘closing out’ non-conformances
depends upon the level of non-conformance and the number of non-conformities
identified.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX III September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex III

Critical non-conformances
If a critical non-conformity is identified against a requirement of the Standard, then
the site cannot be certificated against the Standard without a further full audit of the
Standard.

Major non-conformances
If a major non-conformance occurs during the audit, corrective procedure should be
initiated and an additional audit implemented after three months. If the producer
provides evidence that the non-conformance has been corrected, the additional
audit may not be necessary.

Minor non-conformances
If minor non-conformance occurs during the audit, corrective procedure should be
initiated and monitored during the next annual audit and if it is not corrected it may
be considered a major non-conformance.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX III September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org
AOECS Standard
Annex IV

Technical definitions
Appropriate in-house controls: High risk materials as defined in 7.4 are delivered to
food producers usually with an analytical certification from an independent
accredited laboratory using the R5-ELISA for gluten quantification as described in 6.1.
Food producers are obliged to check the papers with the received raw material to be
sure that no false lots have been delivered.
If food producers have own labs the staff should be very familiar with the R5-ELISA
and work in accordance with the principles and requirements of ISO 17025:2005. It is
recommended that they should compare their results with these of an independent
accredited laboratory to be sure about their own results.
If food producers do not have own labs, the lateral flow test as described in 6.3 shall
be used. It is a yes/no-test, the threshold is far below the 20 mg/kg gluten. In case of
positive result, the gluten concentration must be determined by ELISA.
For checking the effectivity of cleaning procedure in the production equipment the
lateral flow test can be used. Details are explained in 6.3.
Audit: A systematic independent examination (survey, evaluation, assessment,
decision) to determine whether quality and food safety measures and outcomes
comply with previously established gluten-free manufacturing requirements and
whether all of the procedures and processes are implemented effectively and are
adequate to achieve objectives. In the European Licensing System an audit refers to
the verification of the fulfillment of the requirements of the AOECS Standard by the
Licensee by inspections of the production plant/s and product/s. Non-conformities
and deviations with, and from, the AOECS Standard are to be documented in an audit
report. Audits are recurrent and on the site of the production facility to maintain and
improve food safety and quality.
Critical Control Point (CCP): A point, step, or procedure at which controls can be
applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to
acceptable levels.
HACCP: Abbreviation of “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points”, which is a
system that identifies, evaluates and controls hazards which are significant for food
safety.
Hazards: A biological, physical or chemical agent that is reasonably likely to cause
illness or injury in the absence of their control in food.
Independent, accredited laboratory: a laboratory accredited by the National
Accreditation Body in accordance with standard ISO 17025:2005 for the analytical
method as defined at point 6.
Lot: The amount of product that is homogenous and that is identifiable and
separable from any other amount, thereby allowing it to be traced.

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AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods ANNEX IV September 2016
Issued by the Association Of European Coeliac Societies
4, Rue de la Presse, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.aoecs.org