FAQ

Gluten-free wheat starch is produced by washing gluten out of wheat flour. This separates the water-insoluble gluten from the starch. The washing process is so thorough that only starch remains, containing a maximum of 20 mg of gluten per kg. This type of wheat starch is approved for use in the production of gluten-free products under the Codex Alimentarius standards (approved in the EU, Canada, and the USA). The limit of 20 ppm (parts per million), or 20 mg/kg, for gluten-free products is the same regardless of whether the product is made from wheat starch, corn, rice, or something else. We set high requirements for our suppliers, and the purity of the wheat starch is continuously monitored through ongoing analyses. Final products are also tested to ensure that the gluten content in our products stays below the limit. So far, these analyses have shown that we are always well below the limit in all of our products.

In the Nordic countries and the UK, people with celiac disease have eaten products with gluten-free wheat starch for over 50 years, and several scientific studies have shown that the small intestine heals just as well with as without gluten-free wheat starch. However, there are a small number of people with celiac disease who do not tolerate wheat starch, and neither we nor experts can fully explain why. The best guess is that it involves sensitivity to some other substance in wheat that can cause similar symptoms.

Several of our products have a low sugar content (<5%):

Havrebräck, Havre, Havrefralla, Fiber Toast, Grov Minibaguette, Vita Toast, Vallmofralla, Minibaguette, Lantbröd, Hamburgerbröd, Korvbröd, Surdegsruta, Pizza Ham & Mozzarella, and Grovt Surdegsbröd.

“May contain traces of” is voluntary labeling, and there are no legally defined limit values for how much or how little of an allergen a product labeled “may contain traces of” is allowed to contain. However, it must never be used as an excuse for poor cleaning routines—only as a last resort when it is impossible to avoid a risk of contamination from allergenic ingredients. A food producer’s duty is always to ensure that ingredients not included in the recipe do not end up in the product. Sometimes, however—for example when the same production lines are used for different products—a risk of cross-contamination from an allergen may remain despite thorough cleaning procedures. In such cases, the food producer may add a “may contain traces of” statement. The labeling is mainly used to protect consumers with severe allergies who can be sensitive to very small amounts of allergens.

If you have any further questions, you’re of course welcome to contact us.

After thawing, the bread keeps its best quality at room temperature in a sealed bag. We do not recommend storing the bread in the refrigerator, as bread stales fastest between 0 and +10°C.

Most of our products are free from milk and are produced in an environment free from lactose and milk protein. Only our ready-made Ham & Mozzarella pizza is topped with lactose-free cheese that contains milk protein. The pizza is produced in separate facilities from our other products to avoid cross-contamination.

Unfortunately, we can’t answer yes or no to this question. Unlike people with celiac disease, those with a wheat protein allergy can react to all proteins in wheat, not only the gluten proteins. In the production process for wheat starch, mainly wheat’s gluten proteins—gliadins and glutenins—are washed away. However, wheat also contains other proteins, the water- and salt-soluble albumins and globulins, which may remain in small amounts in gluten-free wheat starch. Since we do not analyze levels of proteins other than gluten in the wheat starch, we cannot guarantee that it is completely free from all wheat proteins.

Many people with a wheat protein allergy eat gluten-free wheat starch without any problems, while others need to follow a completely wheat-free diet. We recommend that you consult your doctor or dietitian if you are unsure about what you can eat.

In some products we use a gluten-free barley malt extract. It is made gluten-free through enzymatic breakdown of the gluten proteins in barley (as in many gluten-free beers). It is carefully monitored for gluten content. However, there may be traces of other proteins from barley in the malt extract, so here too we recommend consulting your doctor or dietitian.

At the moment, we have two products in our range baked without both wheat starch and malt extract: Grovt Surdegsbröd and Surdegsruta.

All of our everyday breads are good sources of dietary fiber, meaning they contain more than 3 g of fiber per 100 g. Our highest-fiber bread is Grovt Surdegsbröd, which contains 11.5% fiber. Other good high-fiber choices (over 6%) are Lingon & Tranbär, Fiber Toast, and Grov Minibaguette.

Your child can eat most of our products. Only the following products contain ingredients of animal origin: Raspberry, Chocolate, Apple, Lemon, and Gingerbread Muffins, as well as our Kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake), contain egg. Our ready-made Ham & Mozzarella pizza contains ham and is topped with cheese that contains milk.

Some other products are also labeled “may contain traces of egg” because we bake products with egg in the same facilities as products without egg. This labeling does not mean that egg is present in all products, but that in rare cases cross-contamination from egg-containing products may occur. There are no limit values for how much of an allergen a product labeled “may contain traces of” is allowed to contain. The labeling is based on the manufacturer’s assessment that there is a risk of occasionally finding small amounts of the allergen in products where it is not included in the recipe. The exception regarding egg cross-contamination is Pizza Ham & Mozzarella, which is baked at a different site.

As part of our ambition to bake the best and most flavorful breads, our product developers evaluate many new gluten-free ingredients throughout the year. One of these is gluten-free barley malt extract, which proved to give several of our products major benefits in both taste and texture. For reference, gluten-free barley malt extract is also often used in the production of gluten-free beer. The malt extract we use is carefully controlled to be gluten-free, and only a small amount is used in our recipes. All of our products are gluten-free and suitable for people with celiac disease. Their total gluten content is well below the 20 ppm limit.

Malt extract is sometimes referred to as malt syrup—it’s essentially two names for the same thing. In our products, we use a barley malt extract where an enzymatic process reduces the gluten content to a gluten-free raw material (<20 ppm), which is carefully verified through analysis. It is highlighted in our ingredient lists in the same way as gluten-free wheat starch, since both barley and wheat belong to the 14 allergens that must be emphasized under the EU Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

Baking without gluten often means you need to use more ingredients and additives to replace gluten and the structure (network) that gluten creates in bread. All ingredients in our products are there for a reason, and cellulose gum works as a thickening agent and contributes to the bread’s texture. The name may sound a bit unusual, and it isn’t actually a “gum” in itself—it’s made from cellulose in plants and consists mostly of sugar molecules. The total amount of thickeners in our products is very small and is also spread across cellulose gum, guar gum, and xanthan gum. The amount of cellulose gum in Fria’s products is therefore very low.

At Fria Bröd, we carefully follow food legislation and the recommendations issued by the Swedish National Food Agency. In foods within the EU, only additives that have been thoroughly evaluated by EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) and then approved by the European Commission are allowed. These are identified by having an E-number. Cellulose gum (E466) is one such additive.

Recently, however, the effects of cellulose gum on the gut have been discussed on various social media, referring to studies where research has mainly been carried out on animals that were sometimes given very large amounts of the substance. Animal studies are interesting, but they are not directly transferable to humans. One hypothesis is that the composition of bacteria in the gut changes, but it’s important to know that it already differs between humans and animals to begin with. That makes the study results even harder to apply to humans. More research is needed, and we are following developments closely.

For us as a producer of gluten-free products, it is extremely important that our products are safe and support good gut health for people with celiac disease. The safest way for us to do that is to follow food legislation and the recommendations issued by the Swedish National Food Agency, based on approvals by the European Commission.

You can read more about additives and cellulose gum on the Swedish National Food Agency’s website.

A “may contain traces of egg” statement means there is a risk of contamination from egg. It does not mean that egg is present in all products, but that in rare cases cross-contamination from egg-containing products may occur. In our range, Raspberry, Chocolate, Apple, Lemon, and Gingerbread Muffins, as well as our Kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake), are baked with egg as an ingredient. Other products are labeled “may contain traces of egg” because they are baked in the same facilities. The exception regarding egg cross-contamination is Pizza Ham & Mozzarella, which is baked at a different site.

There are no legally defined limit values for how much or how little of an allergen a product labeled “may contain traces of” is allowed to contain. The labeling is based on the manufacturer’s assessment that there is a risk of occasionally finding small amounts of the allergen in products where it is not included in the recipe.

If you have any further questions, you’re of course welcome to contact us.

We think it’s great that other brands offer—and are skilled at baking—wheat-free products for, for example, people with cereal allergies. But there are some challenges, and unfortunately it isn’t always as simple as replacing wheat starch with something else in an existing recipe. Baking properties vary a lot. You often lose something in texture, taste, or aroma. It can also require major changes in the bakery’s production process, which can make the product too expensive to produce.

Our ambition is to bake the best gluten-, lactose-, and milk-protein-free products—this is what we do best. The main reason we use gluten-free wheat starch is its excellent baking properties. Gluten-free bread baked with gluten-free wheat starch often has better texture and consistency. The taste is also often perceived as closer to bread containing gluten than bread based on, for example, rice or corn, which can contribute to a better quality of life for many people with celiac disease.

That said, it doesn’t mean we won’t have products without wheat starch in the future. At the moment we have two products—Grovt Surdegsbröd and Surdegsruta—baked without wheat starch. We continuously evaluate ingredients and raw materials, but if we make a change to a recipe, our goal is always that the product should change for the better in terms of taste, texture, and quality. That’s a rule we don’t compromise on.

Additives are always used in foods to achieve a specific function: to extend shelf life (preservatives and antioxidants), affect texture (emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, and anti-caking agents), or influence color and taste (colorings, flavor enhancers, and sweeteners). In foods within the EU, only additives that have been thoroughly evaluated by EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) and then approved by the European Commission are allowed. These are identified by an E-number.

When baking without gluten, you often need to use more ingredients and additives to replace gluten and the structure (network) that gluten creates in bread. The additives in our products are mainly thickeners and emulsifiers, which are found in many everyday foods. Thickeners are used to create a good texture, and emulsifiers are needed to mix water and oil effectively.

Thickeners used in our products:

Guar gum (E412) – made from the seeds of the guar plant.

Xanthan gum (E415) – produced from sugar through a bacterial fermentation process; very high in fiber.

Cellulose gum (E466) – produced from cellulose (a type of carbohydrate).

Emulsifiers used in our products:

Lecithin (rapeseed) (E322) – lecithin can be extracted from rapeseed, soy, sunflower, or egg yolk. We use rapeseed-derived lecithin in our products.

Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) (of vegetable origin) – has the same function as lecithin but is made from vegetable fatty acids.

No, none of our products contain palm oil.