Work and school

Office cake and school treats: a gluten-free checklist

6 October 2026

Birthdays, bake sales and team lunches happen everywhere. Schools, food regulators and coeliac societies publish rules that help.

At school

Ask for a written plan. Coeliac UK recommends an Individual Healthcare Plan, agreed with parents, teachers and catering staff. It should cover trips, celebrations and cookery lessons.
Check the meal rules where you live. In Finland, every pupil from pre-primary to upper secondary school gets a free school meal. Special diet meals follow the pupil's diet plan or medical certificate. In the US, schools in the National School Lunch Program must make reasonable meal modifications for a child whose disability restricts their diet. A medical statement is needed when the change falls outside the standard meal pattern.
Keep a labelled treat box. Coeliac UK advises storing gluten-free food separately, in its own containers. A named box kept with the teacher covers party days.

Brazil. By law, every packaged food must say "contém glúten" or "não contém glúten". If there is a risk of cross-contamination with wheat, rye, barley or oats, the pack must say "contém glúten".
Australia and New Zealand. Since February 2024, allergens are printed in bold, followed by a summary statement that starts with "Contains". Wheat is named as "wheat", and "gluten" is added when gluten is present. A "gluten free" claim means no detectable gluten.
Canada. Gluten sources must be named by grain (barley, oats, rye, triticale or wheat) in the ingredients list or in a "Contains" statement.
Treat "may contain" as optional. In Canada and the US, precautionary statements are voluntary, so a pack without one is not proof there is no cross-contact.

Ask about the knife and the board. The Celiac Disease Foundation lists shared toasters, colanders and condiments as common sources of cross-contact. A cake cut with the sandwich knife counts too.
Brief one person once. Tell whoever orders the team food: no wheat, barley or rye, and no shared knives or boards.

A box from a dedicated gluten-free bakery is safe for you and can be shared with everyone.

On the site:

Buenos Aires: La Unión is a gluten-free bakery with medialunas and chipá. See Buenos Aires restaurants.
Noordhoek, South Africa: The Coffee Guy keeps gluten-free cookies and snacks. See Noordhoek restaurants.
Antwerp: Pastry Lab is a 100% gluten-free bakery. See Antwerp restaurants.
St. Petersburg, Florida: Craft Kafe is a gluten-free bakery. See St. Petersburg restaurants.