Travelling gluten free in Germany

Are you going on a holiday to Germany and looking for the best gluten-free spots? Look no further! We have gathered all necessary information for gluten free in Germany in one easy overview.

German coeliac dietary explanation

Ich habe Zöliakie und muss eine strikte glutenfreie Ernährung einhalten. Deshalb darf ich keine Speisen zu mir nehmen, die auch nur kleinste Mengen / Spuren von Weizen, Roggen, Gerste, Dinkel und Grünkern bzw. daraus hergestellte Produkte wie z. B. Semmelbrösel, Backerbsen, usw. enthalten. Können Sie mir aus Ihrer Speisekarte für mich geeignete Gerichte nennen, oder mein Gericht glutenfrei zubereiten (z.B. durch Weglassen mehlhaltiger Saucen oder unpanierte, unmehlierte Zubereitung)? Bitte verwenden Sie für die Zubereitung saubere, gereinigte Töpfe sowie Geschirr und vermeiden Sie jegliche Kontamination. Sie können ersatzweise für mich geeignete Getreidesorten/ -stärke wie Mais, Reis, Hirse, Kartoffelstärke oder auch Buchweizen verwenden. Vielen Dank für Ihre Bemühungen!

I have coeliac disease and must maintain a strict gluten-free diet. Due to this, I may not eat any food that contains even the smallest amount/trace of wheat, rye, barley, spelt and unripe spelt grain and/or products manufactured from this such as bread crumbs, soup noodles, etc.
Can you please point out meals suitable for me from your menu, or prepare my dish gluten-free (e.g., by omitting sauces containing flour or by preparing items without breading or flour)? Please use clean pots, pans and dishes for your preparation and avoid contamination of any kind. As suitable replacements for me you can use types of cereals/starches such as corn, rice, millet, potato starch or buckwheat. Thank you very much for your efforts!

How to identify gluten-free products in Germany

On many gluten-free products, you can find the universal symbol showing a crossed out ear, which shows that the item contains less than 20 ppm of gluten and is therefore suitable for people with gluten intolerance. Other items might also be gluten-free, but you will not find the universal symbol on them. Instead, they will be labelled as “glutenfrei” (=gluten-free). However, please be advised to always check the information given on the packaging, especially with products like wheat starches and oats.

In Germany, allergens like gluten must be printed in a bold font, so that they can easily be found in the ingredient list. The following table lists 15 ingredients that contain gluten you may find on groceries with their English translation.

German English
Gluten Gluten
Weizen / Weizenstärke Wheat / wheat starch
Gerste / Gerstenmalz / Gerstenmalzextrakt Barley / barley malt / barley malt extract
Roggen Rye
Hafer Oats
Dinkel Spelt
Grünkern Unripe spelt grain
Einkorn Einkorn wheat
Kamut Kamut
Bulgur Bulgur
Emmer Emmer
Triticale Triticale
Weizeneiweiß Wheat protein
Weizenkleber Wheat gluten
Seitan Seitan

Where to buy gluten-free food in Germany

A wide range of gluten-free products can be found in shops called “Reformhaus”, “Naturkostladen” or “Bioladen”. Even most supermarket chains and drug stores offer groceries suitable for people with gluten intolerance. Some also carry their own gluten-free brand like Aldi’s “enjoy free!” or REWE’s “frei von” (free from). However, the number of gluten-free products differs from location to location. In smaller supermarkets, there might be a significantly smaller variety.

Finding gluten-free products is easy, as they are readily available in various places, including:

– supermarkets (e.g. Aldi, Edeka, Lidl, Kaufland, Norma, Netto, Rewe)
– drugstores (e.g. dm, Müller, Rossmann)
– health food shops (Reformhaus, Bioland, Denn’s, ALECO, Alnatura, Naturkostladen, SuperBioMarkt)

However, each shop provides a different variety of products depending on the size and the location of the shop.

Gluten free licensed products are labelled with the crossed grain symbol. If you can not find any gluten free licensed products, simply check the ingredients or reach out to the German Coeliac Society for assistance or further information.

If you stay longer and with a German family, ask them to look at the Coeliac Society’s list of products to see which they can use to prepare gluten free meals for you. They can order the list at the Coeliac Society’s office.

Sometimes, “gluten-free” bread or “potato” bread is sold in common bakeries. Unfortunately, these shops often cannot guarantee that there are no traces of gluten in their products. However, there are more and more chains of completely gluten-free bakeries in Germany selling baked goods either in local shops or via the Internet.

If you want to purchase from these bakeries via the Internet, you can order either by phone or by e-mail. The bread is delivered by a private parcel service or by “Deutsche Post AG / DHL” and should arrive at your doorstep within a few days.

These are the biggest gluten free bakery chains that sell their baked goods in several German cities:

  • Isabella
  • Jute Bäckerei
  • Maisterei

You can find many more gluten-free bakeries at the following link: Gluten free bakeries

Gluten-free restaurants and hotels in Germany

The German Coeliac Society offers a short brochure called “Sorglos Reisen” (= unworried traveling) that contains information about gluten-free hotels and restaurants.
In addition, the brand “Schär” has put together a list of locations where gluten free food is available not only for Germany, but many other countries. You can visit the website via the following link: Gluten-free hotels and restaurants

“Schär” has also developed the “Schär Gluten Free App”, which offers a wide range of information concerning gluten-free living, restaurants and recipes. However, please contact the location yourself before visiting, as their gluten-free options may have changed. You can learn more about the app using the following link: Schär Gluten Free App

For members of the Coeliac Society there is a free map available, pointing out restaurants, hotels, bakeries, butchers, supermarkets, health food shops etc. that offer gluten free options. If you send an email with the destination or cities you will visit, the Coeliac Society can provide you the search result of the map.

The German Coeliac Society provides (only!) members with the “DZG App” which includes not only gluten free locations but also gluten free procducts (with and without trademark) as well as information about medication, and little translation cards that help you talk to restaurant staff..

German Coeliac Society

For further information please contact the DZG (the German Coeliac Society):

Deutsche Zöliakie-Gesellschaft e.V. (DZG)
Kupferstr. 36
D-70565 Stuttgart

Tel.: + 49 / 711 / 45 99 81 – 0
Fax: + 49 / 711 / 45 99 81 – 50
www.dzg-online.de
English version of the website
Email DZG

Or contact the German Youth Board directly via e-mail.

Last update of this Travel Net information: September 2024