Hello and welcome to Germany!
We are glad you found your way to our coeliac association. Before we start with the hard facts we have good news for people with coeliac disease who will visit our country – you can survive in Germany for sure.
For our members 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 us an email with the destination or cities you will visit, we can provide you the search result of our map.
Have a good time in Germany and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions:
Phone: +49 711 – 45 99 81-0, E-Mail: Contact us
Buying gluten free products
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)
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 us for assistance or further information.
If you stay longer and with a German family, ask them to look at our list of products to see which they can use to prepare gluten free meals for you. They can order the list at our office.
Eating out gluten free
When staying at a hotel it is also worth trying, before booking your rooms, to ask hotel staff to order some gluten free products for you.
When dining at restaurants, don’t hesitate to talk to the chef and explain your dietary needs to help decide which meals are save for you. Below we’ve included a brief text in German that you can use to help you explain your request to the staff.
A request to the cook - Eine Bitte an die Köchin/ den Koch
Due to my condition coeliac disease, I have to follow a strictly gluten-free diet. Even the smallest amounts of gluten, such as crumbs or flour dust, can trigger symptoms.
Can you prepare a gluten-free dish for me?
- Allowed are: Rice, corn, millet, potatoes, vegetables, lettuce, fruit, meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products, starch.
- Prohibited are: All types of wheat, rye, spelt, barley, green spelt, commercial oats, all products made from them as well as soups and sauces bound with flour.
! Please ensure that the workplace and utensils (pans, cutting boards, cooking spoons...) are clean.
! With ready-made products, it is essential to check the ingredient list for ingredients containing gluten. Mill products such as polenta must be labelled gluten-free.
Thank you very much!
Aufgrund meiner Erkrankung Zöliakie muss ich mich strikt glutenfrei ernähren. Schon kleinste Mengen Gluten, wie Krümel oder Mehlstaub, können Beschwerden auslösen.
Können Sie mir ein Gericht glutenfrei zubereiten?
- Erlaubt sind: Reis, Mais, Hirse, Kartoffeln, Gemüse, Blattsalat, Obst, Fleisch, Fisch, Eier, Milch und -produkte, Speisestärke.
- Verboten sind: Alle Weizenarten, Roggen, Dinkel, Gerste, Grünkern, handelsüblicher Hafer, alle daraus hergestellten Produkte sowie mit Mehl gebundene Suppen und Soßen.
! Bitte stellen Sie sicher, dass Arbeitsplatz und Utensilien (Pfannen, Schneidebretter, Kochlöffel…) sauber sind.
! Bei Fertigprodukten muss unbedingt die Zutatenliste auf glutenhaltige Inhaltsstoffe überprüft werden. Mühlenerzeugnisse wie z.B. Polenta müssen glutenfrei gekennzeichnet sein.
Herzlichen Dank!