Does Soda Have Gluten? 7 Popular Gluten-free Soda Brands

Today, we’ll be responding to the query, “does soda have gluten?” It’s one of the most consumed beverages, but is it okay to consume if you’re trying to avoid gluten? When you first find out what goods you can and cannot eat, you probably feel overtaken by information.

Let’s discuss today’s main topic- “Does Soda Have Gluten?”

Does Soda Have Gluten?

You might be surprised to learn that some sodas actually contain gluten. It’s likely that you wouldn’t even think to look for gluten. But it doesn’t end there. Additionally, some sodas might not be suited because of how they are made. For instance, they might be made in the same facilities as goods that contain gluten. This would indicate a significant chance of cross-contact.
However, there is hope — everything is not lost. Numerous well-known soda brands are safe to drink and gluten-free.
It is significant to remember that country-to-country variations exist in components and allergen warnings. Mostly, I’ll be discussing the US and the UK. It’s always worth verifying again if you’re not in one of these areas.

How to Tell if Your Soda is Gluten-free

It is recommended that you only buy gluten-free items if you have celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten. Strict manufacturing and safety standards have been met by these items, guaranteeing their safety for people who cannot tolerate gluten. Examining the ingredient list is another simple way to find out if a beverage contains gluten.
The following are some of the most typical ingredients that suggest a product might contain gluten:

• Wheat, wheat protein, and wheat starch
• Barley, barley flakes, barley flour, and pearled barley
• Rye
• Malt, malt syrup, malt vinegar, malt extract, and malt flavoring
• Spelt
• Bulgur
• Brewer’s yeast

However, bear in mind that some drinks might be made in facilities that also handle components containing gluten, increasing the possibility of cross-contamination. Furthermore, several components listed on the label—like dextrin, artificial or natural flavourings, modified food starch, and caramel coloring—may include gluten. Therefore, you might want to think about confirming that the manufacturer’s products are totally gluten-free if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

What Is Soda Made From?

Traditionally, carbonated water, sugar (or glucose-fructose), flavouring, and preservatives have been the main ingredients in most sodas. Very few soft drinks have any gluten in them at all, and those that do would have it clearly labelled as an allergen on the bottle or can if the beverage contains wheat or substances derived from wheat. Even though the word “gluten-free” may not be prominently displayed on the outside of the can or bottle, the majority of big businesses, including Pepsi-Co and Coca-Cola, make sure their goods are safe for those who have celiac disease in order to keep this substantial segment of the market intact.

The “natural and artificial flavouring” and ingredients like “caramel colour,” which may be produced from barley or wheat, are the sources of worry. Many have been anxious about whether drinking from the can is actually safe due to these ingredients.
Further information about these harmful ingredients will assist consumers who are trying to avoid gluten feel less anxious. But first, let’s define gluten and discuss whether you should avoid it if you do not have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

It’s crucial to remember that even if the aforementioned items have less than 20 ppm of gluten—which is regarded as the safe amount—gluten-intolerant people may still experience an adverse reaction if they have celiac disease or are extremely sensitive to gluten. It could be preferable to completely skip soda if you’re feeling extremely careful about this.

Is Soda Safe to Drink?

More dubious or ambiguous substances, such as barley malt extract, modified starch, or caramel colour, give cause for concern. Barley malt extract should be ruled out immediately because it is definitely not gluten-free if you find it on the label or ingredients list of any drink.
Nevertheless, the great majority of soda, or “pop,” is not produced using the traditional methods and does not contain barley malt extract. Rather, dark, rich flavour and colour are achieved by the use of natural flavourings and colorings. People can be worried by details like caramel colour, but worry not! Since caramel colour is now made from corn or glucose (sugar), rather than wheat or barley, it is unquestionably gluten-free.

Similarly, many modern root beer brands don’t have “modified starch.” Even in such few cases, businesses currently choose cornflour because it is a superior product, has a considerably longer shelf life, and is less likely to cause allergies. These additives are not only heavily processed, but they also don’t originally include gluten because they are typically made of maize or sugar.

Check this recipe if you want to make Allergy Friendly Italian Sodas.

Is Diet Coke Gluten-free?

No, diet coke is devoid of gluten. Coca-Cola claims that their diet coke is gluten-free because it has fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten.

Later on, we’ll examine which other Coca-Cola brands and variants are gluten-free.

Gluten-free Soda

Numerous popular brands and types of soda are free of gluten. Additionally, many off-brand sodas employ caramel colouring, which is made from barley or wheat, despite the fact that this is uncommon in the US. Barley can be found in a lot of UK off-brand drinks. Those drinks should be avoided as they are inappropriate for a gluten-free diet. That is typically the only element in soda that is likely to cause any issues, aside from production processes.

Let’s take a look at leading soda brands and what they have to offer.

Coca Cola

Most likely, the most well-known soda brand you’ll encounter is Coca-Cola. Thankfully, a large variety of items are included in their list of those with fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten. Among the choices are:

• Coca-Cola
• Caffeine Free Coca-Cola
• Diet Coke
• Caffeine Free Diet Coke
• Cherry Coke
• Diet Cherry Coke
• Coca Cola Zero
• Cherry Coke Zero

Pepsi

Pepsi claims that all of their other cola variants are gluten-free, with the exception of their 1893 Original Cola, which includes barley. They just state that their sodas are free of gluten-containing ingredients, not that their goods are gluten-free. This is presumably more of an attempt to cover their asses than anything else.
Among their secure offerings are:

• Pepsi
• Diet Pepsi
• Pepsi Cherry
• Zero Sugar Pepsi
• Zero Sugar Pepsi Cherry
• Pepsi Caffeine Free
• Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free
• 7UP

Although 7UP does not market their drink as gluten-free, it does not contain gluten components and is said to have fewer than 20 parts per million. Among these flavours are:

• 7UP
• Diet 7UP
• 7UP Cherry
• Diet 7UP Cherry

DR. Pepper

For us, Dr. Pepper is perfectly safe. Their website claims that their goods include maize gluten, which is safe for humans, and that their products contain less than 20 ppm. Among their safe beverages are:

• Dr. Pepper
• Dr. Pepper Cherry
• Diet Dr. Pepper
• Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
• Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper
• Diet Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper
• Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla
• Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla

Mountain Dew

We can safely consume them even though they don’t claim to be gluten-free because they don’t include any gluten-containing substances. Among the choices that are accessible are:

• Mountain Dew Voltage
• Mountain Dew Kickstart
• Major Melon
• Major Melon Zero Sugar

Fanta

It is believed that Fanta is gluten-free in the US and the UK. They are a component of Coca-Cola, and the options consist of:

• Fanta Orange
• Fanta Orange Zero
• Grape Fanta (another favorite of mine!)

Sprite

Again, manufactured by Coca-Cola, Sprite is safe for us to drink. The available drinks are:

• Sprite Zero Original
• Sprite Zero Cherry
• Original Sprite
• Cherry Sprite
• Tropical Sprite

SUNKIST

Sunkist is part of the Dr. Pepper group and considers their sodas to be gluten-free. Both original and diet coke options are safe for consumption.

Conclusion

This post has answered the main question that is “does soda have gluten?” So, now you know you should always read the label before consuming any beverage, regardless of how many times you’ve tried it. You never know when things might have changed or what additions might have been made.
While we have many alternatives when it comes to name brands, off-brand drinks are something else entirely.

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