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Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 9:58 AM

What allergens do Oatly products contain?

When it comes to allergens, one thing is always for sure: all our products are dairy and soy free. But what about the rest? 

 

First, look at the back of the carton you just purchased and presumably put in your fridge (or in the freezer, or perhaps the pantry, right next to the unopened apple jam jar). Where is it produced? 

  

If it is produced in US, it is safe for those who are allergic to the top 8 allergens. If it is produced in EU, we follow the rule of 14 major (EU) allergens: if the product contains one of those, it is highlighted in the ingredients list. Simple as that.

 

When it comes to gluten, it also depends on where you live. In the US, our products are made from certified gluten-free oats and (consequently) labelled as gluten-free. In Europe and Asia, however, our products contain 100ppm mg gluten per kg of product and therefore they cannot, of course, be classified as gluten-free.

 

Nuts, then? Well, we don’t use nuts as an ingredient in any of our factories other than in the production facility where our ice-cream is produced (an obvious thing since it's where our Salty Caramel Hazelnut is produced), and we have strict procedures in place with our suppliers to minimize the risk of nuts being present in any of our other products. In other words, our products are nut-free, unless they are called “Hazelnut-something.”

 

If you are looking for more specific information, please write us a note and we’ll get back to you. 

1 Message

2 years ago

As a person with celiac disease, who really wants to try your products, is there any chance you will move toward a gluten free production in Europe as well? 

The Norwegian celiac association has done testing on some of your products, and found the ppm value to be low enough to be classified as gluten free (<20ppm), thus I have started using these products. 

35 Messages

Hi Andrine! 

 

You're absolutely right in that our products contain gluten. Whether people with celiac disease are able to consume them or not is very individual, and dependent on how sensitive you are. But it's great to hear that they work for you! 

 

When it comes to entirely gluten free options in Europe, the market is not there just yet. Gluten free oats are still much more expensive than the oats we use today, and also require a very special and controlled environment which we currently don't have in place in our facilities. In addition, a switch to gluten free oats would greatly affect the price of our products and since they are already more expensive than dairy based options we decided that making our products affordable to more people is currently of higher priority. That said, we do of course hope that oats will become a more major crop as that would decrease the price of the raw material and make it possible for us to consider gluten free products in Europe too. 

 

Love,

Inez at Oatly 

 

(edited)

1 Message

2 years ago

Hello. Does your labelling (in the UK) also account for a “May contain” risk?

142 Messages

Hi Ben,

 

thanks for your question!

Yes, our labelling takes the 'may contain' risk into account - meaning if such was the case, we'd be required by food labelling legislation to state this on the package.

 

In the UK (and the rest of Europe) we claim 'free from' dairy and soy and the one allergen present in our products is oats, due to the gluten content. You can read up on that one here if you'd like!

 

Hope this helps and let us know if you have any thoughts or concerns. 

 

Love,

 

Åsa at Oatly

 

2 Messages

You need to add 'May contain gluten' to your products as its bull crap just to flag oats, and very misleading. My wife has become ill after using one of your products. 

142 Messages

Hello Colin,

Many thanks for reaching out!

 

So sorry to hear your wife wasn't well after having our oat drink. As oats are in themselves are free from gluten (but may be contaminated with other grains) we put OATS in capitals (as required for all cereals containing gluten).

 

In the US, we're using certified gluten free oats and this is labelled clearly on pack. Everywhere else we guarantee that our oats have a maximum content of 100ppm - 100 mg gluten per kg product (but how one reacts to this level is highly individual). 

 

Hope this clarifies! Agree it's tricky with labelling. All food companies are required to highlight allergens this way; i.e. in bold or capital letters. 

 

Any further questions please let us know.

 

All the best, 

Åsa at Oatly

1 Message

2 years ago

I'm so happy that Oatly is nut (and peanut / legume) free!!
It's near impossible to find vegan or ecological products without any type of nuts, beans, legumes and stuff... Almost everything these days contains beanflour, pea fiber, lupine, lentils, etc etc :-X

And there are loads of nut/peanut/legume allergy sufferers that also want to eat clean and healthy. So Oatly is my absolute favorite company in the whole wide world!

Would be terrific if you guys could start making Oatchocolate too by the way :-)

20 Messages

Hey there Thirza, 

 

First and foremost, thanks for the love. We're happy that we can be there for you, and we understand the struggle - you're not alone in this. 

 

We're just happy that you've found us and that we contribute to your happiness by enjoying the things you love most without having to worry. 

 

Oh, maybe you might have missed this, but we do, and from what we've been told it's great! Not to blow our own horn or anything.

 

So, depending on your location, you should check out the "Stuff We Make" you might find other products that you are not aware that we have. 

 

But, please do keep those recommendations coming our way, and who knows you might come up with the next best thing. 

 

Thanks again and hope we'll hear from you soon. 

 

Your Oat-pal 

Rhulz

 

 

 

 

2 Messages

2 years ago

What is the gluten content in Australia? Compared to the US version? 

Thank you!

29 Messages

Hi Nikki, 

 

The US range contains less than 20 parts per million (mg/kg product) of gluten, and the oat drinks across the other markets contain less than 100 parts per million (mg/kg product) of gluten.

Love,

Shawn from Oatly

2 Messages

2 years ago

Where does the sugar you use for your products come from? I'm allergic to cane sugar but I'm ok with sugar beets.

142 Messages

Hi Kelsie,

 

Cane sugar may occur in our US range but in Europe we use sugar from beets. So depending on where you're based there may be some products for you to avoid. Happy to offer further details if needed!

 

All the best,

 

Åsa at Oatly

2 Messages

I'm in Sweden currently so your reply is very helpful, thank you very much!

142 Messages

OK, great. Enjoy your stay!

Best,

 

Åsa at Oatly

1 Message

1 year ago

Hey

I'm eager to try your new Soft Serve. Before I do, could you send over the ingredients list and allergen info? I have allergies and need to check this out.

Also, what measures are taken on the serving truck to avoid cross-contamination? Just need to be sure.

Cheers,
Michael

29 Messages

Hey Michael,

 

We're glad that you're eager to try our soft serve! Can we ask which country you're based in? Just to make sure we get the right allergen info for you.

3 months ago

Can you be more specific about your ice cream? I am particularly allergic to hazelnuts. Do you process ice cream flavors on the same lines? Or is the hazelnut separated?  I've never seen the hazelnut so I had no idea you had that flavor. 

Thank you

23 Messages

Hey there Stephanie!

 

Let’s dive into some ice cream specifics. Maybe it’s good to start by saying that our hazel swirl ice cream was a tasty treat for our Swedish oat lovers, so may not have been in your part of the world. I say WAS because this icy treat is now a distant melted memory, so you don’t need to worry about its hazelnutiness around here.

 

But let’s talk allergies! We know a lot of our oat pals come to us with very specific dietary requirements, so we do our best to be as accessible as we can, to drive our plant-based mission. That being said, in Europe, we are free from dairy and soy.

 

If we were to have any of the 14 major (EU) allergens in our products, they would be written in bold or underlined clearly on our packaging. When we use co-packers they have to follow very strict protocols to make sure cross-contamination doesn’t occur between lines. If there are any changes made in the production lines, they are legally required to inform us and analyses are taken to an external lab, where tests are done to ensure no traces of the allergen are detected.

 

I hope this answers all your hazel-nutty-allergy-specific questions Stephanie. You know where to find me if you have any more questions brewing!

 

Your oat pal, 

 

Ali