Medical disclaimer
findglutenfree.co.uk is an information directory, not a medical authority. Listings are built from what venues say about themselves and what visitors report. We are not a medical service, a food safety regulator or a certification body, and nothing on this site is medical advice.
A venue can become less safe without any notice. Kitchen staff move on, suppliers and ingredients change, menus and procedures are rewritten, and cross-contamination can happen in any kitchen that handles gluten. A listing or review describes a point in time. It is never a guarantee.
Always tell the staff directly that you have coeliac disease or a severe reaction to gluten before you order. Ask how your food will be prepared and make your own decision. If you have had a reaction and feel unwell, call 999 in an emergency or NHS 111 for urgent advice.
What our kitchen labels mean
Every listing carries one kitchen label. The labels describe different levels of risk and should never be read as meaning the same thing.
- 100% Dedicated Gluten-Free. The venue says nothing containing gluten is prepared on the premises. This removes the risk of cross-contamination from the venue’s own kitchen. It does not rule out a mistake by a supplier.
- Separate preparation area. The venue also prepares food containing gluten, but says gluten-free food is made in its own area of the kitchen.
- Shared kitchen with a cross-contamination procedure. Gluten-free and other food are made in one kitchen. The venue says it follows a procedure to lower the risk, such as separate utensils, cleaned surfaces and separate fryers. The risk is lower, not zero, and it depends on staff following the procedure every time.
Listings can also show details such as a dedicated fryer or Coeliac UK accreditation. We show these only where we have found a source for them. Where we have not, the listing says “Not confirmed”.
Where the information comes from
Kitchen labels are based on what a venue states publicly or tells us directly. We do not inspect kitchens, test food or certify venues. We keep a record of the sources we used for each listing and the date we last checked them.
Reviews and moderation
- Anyone who has eaten at a venue can leave a review, with an overall rating and optional ratings for cross-contamination safety, staff knowledge and value.
- Every review is read by a person before it is published. We do not publish reviews that are abusive, off-topic, promotional, or that we believe are not about a real visit.
- We cannot confirm a reviewer’s diagnosis or check what happened during their visit. A review is one person’s account.
- We do not change ratings, and a venue cannot pay to have a review removed, hidden or improved. Paid plans change how visible a listing is and nothing else.
- A venue that believes a review is false can contact us and we will look at it.
Reaction reports
The review form asks, as an optional question, whether the reviewer had a reaction after eating at the venue. If they answer yes, their review is marked “This reviewer reported a reaction” and the number of such reports is shown in the venue’s review summary. This is a report from a visitor. It is not a finding by us that the venue caused the reaction.
What happens when a venue is reported as unsafe
- One report. Every unsafe venue report is sent to us marked as high priority and read by a person. A review that reports a reaction is published with the reaction flag once it has been approved.
- Two or more reviews reporting a reaction. We are alerted automatically and the listing is put under review.
- During a review. We look at the reports, check the venue’s current information and may ask the venue for its response.
- The outcome. Depending on what we find, we may correct the kitchen label, add a note to the listing, or take the listing down while we check. We may take a listing down at any stage if we think leaving it up puts people at risk.
These decisions are made by a person, not automatically. Reaction flags stay visible unless a review is found to break our rules.
How to report a problem
Use the Report an unsafe venue option on our Contact page. For a serious food safety problem, you can also report the venue to its local council through the Food Standards Agency at food.gov.uk.