Gluten Free vs 'Nil Detected'

We know how important it is to be clear whether gluten is, or is not, present in foods.

What is gluten? It's a combination of two proteins - glutenin and gliadin - found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

With a 0g gluten status clearly stated on the nutritional label, we happily call this a GLUTEN FREE product. There is a status known as NIL DETECTED however that we would like to bring to your attention.

In these 'nil detected' instances Barker’s have formulated the product with the full intention of it being free from gluten. We have done this by selecting ingredients that are known to be gluten free, and we have tested our product and no gluten was detected.

However, we have chosen not to claim 'nil detected' products as Gluten Free. Why? In these instances, one of our ingredient suppliers may not be able to guarantee that their crop did not have some contamination somewhere in the supply chain. i.e. during harvest from a neighbouring field of a different crop. The reality is that if there is occasional gluten contamination the level will be low but we cannot rule it out completely.

So, we are addressing our labeling and in any instances where 'nil detected' gluten is established, we will remove any reference to being Gluten Free, just to be sure. You will see our labels transition over the next short while. We therefore ask consumers to make their own decision as to whether they are happy to consume the product, depending on their own level of gluten sensitivity.
Full nutritional tables are available online for each of our products, found within the nutrition tab on each product page.


Those labelled as NIL DETECTED should still be treated with caution:

• Artichoke Antipasto
• Blackberry & Brandy Fruit for Cheese
• Brewer's BBQ Sauce
• Chunky Salsa Tomato and Capsicum Sauce
• Coconut & NZ Lime Dressing
• Miso & Ginger dressing
• Spiced Eggplant Chutney

Those products CONTAINING GLUTEN are:

• Dry Cola Soda Syrup Lemon & Barley Fruit Syrup
• Lite Lemon & Barley Fruit Syrup
• NZ Honey Teriyaki with Sake Meal Sauce
• Orange & Barley with Passionfruit Fruit Syrup