Everything You Need to Know About Grocery Shopping in Italy With Celiac Disease
Navigating grocery shopping in Italy with celiac disease can be a culinary adventure filled with both excitement and challenges. As a country renowned for its rich gastronomic heritage, Italy offers a plethora of gluten-free options, but understanding labels and identifying safe products can be a daunting task. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through the essential tips for seamlessly navigating Italian supermarkets with celiac disease. From deciphering Italian food labels to understanding produce aisle etiquette, this post is your passport to gluten-free grocery shopping like a local.
A lot of grocery stores have separate entrances and exits.
It’s not uncommon, especially at smaller grocery stores in the city center, for there to be a separate entrance and exit. To find the entrance, you’re looking for a sign that says “entrata” and the exit would be “uscita.” Don’t be the silly tourist who walks through the exit and has to turn back around!
You have to weigh your own produce…and make sure to use a glove!
This has to be the number one cause of confusion for Americans in Italy. Take note: YOU have to weigh your own produce. Each produce container will have a number corresponding to what fruit/vegetable is inside. You grab what you want, put it in a bag, put it on the scale, and enter that number. Then put the sticker that comes out onto your produce bag. Oh, and be sure to use one of the plastic gloves (found next to the produce bags) to grab your fruits and veggies. It’s a hygiene thing and you might get scolded by an Italian nonna if you don’t.
Eggs and milk are not refrigerated.
In America, the USDA requires grade A eggs to be washed, removing the protective cuticle on the outside of the egg, and making it necessary to be stored in the fridge to preserve freshness. Alternatively, egg washing is prohibited in the EU so all eggs still have their cuticle and are safe to be stored on the shelf.
When it comes to milk, Europe and the States use different pasteurizing methods. The standard practice in Europe is called ultra-heat-treated pasteurization (UHT) which exposes the dairy to very high temps for just a few seconds and allows it to be stored unopened at room temperature for up to 6 months. America, on the other hand, uses high-temperature short-time pasteurization (HTST) which initially kills bacteria but leads to much quicker expiration. Believe it or not, America is one of the very few countries in the world that still uses this method.
Long story short, it’s totally normal and safe to consume eggs and dairy stored at room temp! If you’d still prefer refrigerated milk you can look for “latte fresco” in the refrigerated section.
Avoid the deli counter and grab pre-packaged cheese/deli meats.
As I’m sure you all already know, deli counters are a cross-contact minefield. A lot of grocery store deli counters in Italy also sell lots of gluten-containing goodies like fresh pasta. I prefer to skip the deli counter and opt for pre-packaged cheese and deli meats with clear allergen labeling. This way you can see if there are any “may contain” statements and find options that are labeled gluten-free!
Gluten-free products are on their own shelf.
Unlike America, you don’t have to scour the entire pasta aisle to find your gluten-free alternatives. All gluten-free products (pasta, bread, crackers, cookies, flour, etc.) are stored on their own dedicated shelf. Practically every grocery store in Italy will have some version of a “Senza glutine” section. In smaller city stores it could just be a small endcap and in bigger supermarkets it could be a whole aisle. But everything in that section should be fair game. Just keep an eye out, if you have a wheat allergy, for “amido di frumento deglutinato” (deglutinized wheat starch).
All allergens must be listed in bold.
According to EU law, all top 14 allergens must be listed in a way that makes them stand out from the rest of the ingredients. This could be a different font, bold type, bigger letters, etc. Check out this blog post to learn the Italian words for the different gluten-containing grains.
The top 14 recognized allergens are the following:
Cereals containing gluten
Celery
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Lupin
Milk (+ lactose)
Molluscs
Mustard
Nuts
Peanuts
Sesame seeds
Soybeans
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
“Gluten-free” claims are legally regulated.
I’m not sure how the claim is regulated in America, but in Europe the use of the claim “gluten-free” on packaged foods is regulated by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014. Simply put, if you see the wording “gluten-free” on something, it has to contain less than 20 PPM, whether or not it is certified gluten-free. Rest assured that the safety of your gluten-free products is guaranteed by law!
We use reusable bags, you’ll be charged for plastic bags.
In Italy, we bring our own reusable grocery bags to go shopping. If you don’t have a reusable bag it’s not the end of the world, you’ll just be charged for plastic bags (it varies from city to city but it’s usually about 10-20 cents).
You’re responsible for bagging your own groceries.
Don’t expect there to be a grocery store employee waiting to bag all of your groceries for you. You’ll be expected to bag everything yourself…and sometimes I think the cashiers intentionally try to stress you out with this, lol! They will ring up your items faster than the speed of light so be prepared with your bags when you get the the register! It’s a fun little game each time:)
Keep your receipt if you went through the self-checkout.
If you went to a bigger supermarket with a self-checkout don’t immediately throw out your receipt. There is usually an electronic gate that requires you to scan a barcode on your receipt to leave the store.
Go early in the morning for the best selection.
Italian grocery stores don’t typically get multiple shipments of inventory throughout the day like big American supermarkets. Meaning if you go later in the day you might be met with a more limited selection. For the best chances of finding everything you need, plan to go closer to when they open in the morning…plus you’ll probably find a better selection at the beginning of the week than on a Friday.
Plan for grocery stores to close early and be closed Sundays and holidays.
This is (unfortunately) not the land of 24 Hour Safeways. Grocery stores usually close around 9 PM, they are often closed on Sundays, and expect them to be closed on holidays as well. Plan accordingly.
Big grocery hauls are not common.
One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed between how Americans and Italians do their groceries is the amount of food bought at one time. Americans tend to do one big grocery shop every 7-10 days and stock up on everything they need. Italians, on the other hand, typically only shop for a few days worth of groceries and take multiple trips to the store throughout the week. My personal hypothesis is that this is related to the fact that Americans drive everywhere and Italians are usually walking home with their groceries. You can pack a lot more into the back of a car than you can carry home with your own two hands!
I also think it has to do with the use of preservatives/pesticides/GMOs and that American food products are manufactured to have a much longer shelf life than their Italian counterparts. But that’s a MUCH longer discussion for another day. Either way, you’re welcome to grocery shop as frequently (or infrequently) as your heart desires…that’s just the cultural standard in Italy.
On the whole, grocery shopping in Italy with celiac disease isn’t too challenging as long as you have a general idea of what to look out for. Plus the dedicated gluten-free shelf certainly makes our lives easier! I know it can feel intimidating to navigate a grocery store with celiac disease in a foreign language but as long as you come armed with the above tips and some patience you’ll do just fine. Buon appetito!
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Planning a gluten-free trip to Italy? I’d love to help!
Before “settling down” in Italy, I was a full-time nomad living out of a backpack and in a new country every month. Needless to say, I quickly became a pro at planning celiac-safe travel. And since moving to Italy I’ve translated those skills to learning the ins and outs of the celiac community here. I know (and have eaten at) all the best celiac-safe restaurants, have personal relationships with the chefs, and I’m in an unparalleled position being able to speak both English and Italian.
If you’d like a hand in your trip planning…so it doesn’t become a full-time job…I’d love to help you map out an awesome celiac-safe Italian adventure. You can learn more about my custom celiac travel consulting services here.