What is Celiac Safe?
A free web app for people with celiac disease. Scan a product's barcode (or type it in) and it shows what the label says about gluten: a certification or gluten-free claim, gluten grains or malt in the ingredients, oats, and "may contain" warnings. Every check is shown with the source it came from. It is a first check, not a replacement for reading the package.
How does the barcode scanner work?
When you scan a barcode, we look up the product in OpenFoodFacts, a collaborative food database, and fall back to USDA FoodData Central, Target's product catalogue, the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, openFDA drug labels, and the SmartLabel manufacturer index for US products that OpenFoodFacts doesn't have. If a database knows the product name but not its ingredients, we look for the same listing on Instacart by name and tell you we did, so you can check it matches your package. You can also type a product name instead of a barcode. We also check every barcode against the GFCO Product Finder, the public directory of GFCO-certified products. We then run a fixed set of checks: third-party gluten-free certification, a gluten-free claim on the label, declared allergens, gluten-containing ingredients (wheat, barley, rye, malt, spelt and so on), uncertified oats, and cross-contact warnings. We show you the result of every check, including the ones we had no data for, rather than a confidence percentage.
How accurate is the gluten detection?
We test it on products picked because they are easy to get wrong, with the answer checked against the maker's own label or a certification directory. In September 2026, on 237 such products the app had not seen before, it matched the label on 202 (85%). Of the 35 misses, 17 got a gluten-free claim or certification wrong, 5 missed a 'may contain' line or uncertified oats, 9 were more cautious than the label, 3 had no answer, and once it called a product safe that contains wheat because a database had a years-old recipe. We fix each miss we find. A 'contains gluten' answer is rarely wrong and errs on the side of caution; for a 'safe' answer, glance at the ingredients on the box, especially for a product you have not bought before.
What gluten-free certifications do you recognize?
We recognize 9 major gluten-free certifications including GFFP (< 5 PPM), GFCO (< 10 PPM), NSF Gluten-Free (< 20 PPM), AOECS Crossed Grain Symbol, Coeliac UK, Beyond Celiac/BRCGS, Canadian Celiac Association, AFDIAG, and generic certified gluten-free labels. Each certification has different testing standards - hover over the logos in the product display to see the PPM (parts per million) levels.
Is Celiac Safe free to use?
Yes. It is free, with no ads and no account.
Does it work offline?
Not yet: looking up a product needs an internet connection. Results you have already seen are kept for 24 hours, so going back to one is instant.
What food databases do you use?
OpenFoodFacts and USDA FoodData Central first, then retailer and manufacturer data by exact barcode: Kroger, Whole Foods, SmartLabel manufacturer labels (including store brands from Albertsons, Publix, ShopRite and others), store-brand sites, and an index of Vitacost's catalogue. Every scan is also checked against the GFCO and Celiac Canada certification directories and FDA recalls for undeclared gluten. If a database has a photo of the ingredients panel but no typed list, we read the photo. As a last resort we match a retailer listing by product name, and say so.
What if a barcode isn't found?
You'll be asked to photograph the ingredients panel, including the 'Contains' line. We read it in a few seconds and share the photo with OpenFoodFacts, so the next person who scans that barcode gets an answer. You can also type the product name to pick a matching listing yourself.
What if the app gives incorrect information?
Tap 'Something wrong with this result?' under the result and pick a reason (label shows gluten, label has changed, wrong product), or use the email link there to tell us more. Every report is read.
Do you collect my data?
No account and no personal information. When a scan finds nothing useful, we log the barcode (only the barcode, the source that answered, and the result) so we know which products to add. 'Something wrong?' reports send the barcode and the reason you picked. Label photos you take are uploaded to OpenFoodFacts, a public database. Your strictness settings stay on your phone.
Do I need to use it on a mobile phone?
No. It works in any modern browser; on a device without a camera, type the barcode number or the product name instead. It is designed for phones, for scanning in the store.
What countries/regions are supported?
It is built for US groceries: most sources beyond OpenFoodFacts (USDA, Kroger, Whole Foods, SmartLabel, GFCO, FDA recalls) are American, and Celiac Canada covers Canada. Products elsewhere are found through OpenFoodFacts only, and labels are read in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch.
Still have questions?
We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and we'll respond as soon as possible.
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