Certification Criteria

To use the Crossed Grain Trademark, your products must meet a range of criteria to ensure that they are gluten-free, both in terms of the ingredients and the production process.

• Products must be multiple ingredient and/or processed products.  View here for a full list of products that cannot bear the Crossed Grain Trademark.
• Products must be tested for gluten content at least once annually by a laboratory which has obtained ISO 17025 accreditation.
• Products must contain less than 20mg/kg (ppm) of gluten.
• Production facilities must meet the requirements of the AOECS (Association of European Coeliac Societies)* Standard for Gluten-Free Foods

The certification lasts for a full year from the date that the certification is taken out. We charge an annual certification fee which varies according to the turnover and exports of the gluten free products listed in the certification.

Testing your products for gluten

There are several methods for testing the gluten content of food. These include laboratory-based tests or rapid tests that can be conducted in the factory.

The technology of gluten testing continues to develop and recent advances mean that tests are becoming much more sensitive.

The recommended method of analysis for gluten, approved by the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS), is the R5-sandwich ELISA (Mendez method). This method detects the prolamins from wheat, rye and barley. The R5-sandwich ELISA is not applicable for products consisting of, or containing, fermented or partially hydrolyzed gluten.

You must use an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory for testing.

Auditing options for gluten free production

All Crossed Grain trademark licencees must meet the requirements of the AOECS Standard for Gluten-Free Foods via an audit. The following options are available:

AOECS Standard Audit

A standalone audit specifically developed to assess the requirements of the AOECS Standard. Delivered independently from any other food safety auditing arrangements, this audit is available from our service providers SGS. Further information is available on the SGS website.

AOECS-GFCP Issue 4 Audit

BRCGS have partnered with AOECS to bring the new Global Standard Gluten Free (GSGF) Issue 4. The GSGF Issue 4 is available from a range of Certification Bodies and can be delivered in conjunction with other food safety programs you have in place. You can find out more about this option on the BRC Website and search for a Certification Body on the BRC Directory.

AOECS Gluten-Free Addendum Audit Progam

This program covers all the requirements and expectations of the AOECS Standard when delivered in combination with a GFSI Benchmarked Food Safety Standard (GFSI Benchmarking Requirements Version 2020).

These include BRC, IFS, FSSC 22,000 and SQF. This audit is available from our partner provider SGS.  Further information is available on the SGS website.

_{*The non-profit umbrella organization of  worldwide celiac patient societies of which the Celiac Disease Foundation is a member.}