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Short answer: ordinary wheat starch isn't. Gluten-free wheat starch is. The label tells you which one you've got.

Wheat starch is the starchy part of the wheat grain, separated from the rest of the flour. Ordinary wheat starch still carries enough gluten to be unsafe for coeliacs. If a product lists "wheat starch" and isn't labelled gluten free, put it back on the shelf.

Gluten-free wheat starch (you'll also see it called "Codex wheat starch") has been specially processed and washed until only a trace of gluten is left: 20 parts per million (ppm) or less. That's the limit set by the international Codex Alimentarius standard. UK and EU law uses the same limit: since 2012, only foods with 20ppm or less can be labelled "gluten free".

Yes. Coeliac UK says it's safe, as long as the product is labelled gluten free. Schär, which uses it, says these foods can be eaten in unlimited amounts. One caveat: a small number of particularly sensitive coeliacs may be advised by their doctor or dietitian to avoid it. If you still have symptoms on a strict gluten-free diet, that's worth raising with them.

UK allergen law requires cereals containing gluten to be named and emphasised in the ingredients list. Gluten-free wheat starch still comes from wheat, so the word "wheat" has to appear, even when the gluten has been washed out.

Gluten free isn't the same as wheat free. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten. A wheat allergy is a reaction to wheat itself. If you have a wheat allergy or intolerance, avoid products with gluten-free wheat starch. Look for "wheat free" instead.

It makes gluten-free bread, flour blends and bakes behave more like the real thing: softer crumb, more pliable dough, better texture. A lot of the GF bakes that come closest to the real thing rely on it.

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