One of the most challenging things about eating and living gluten-free in Shanghai / China is being able to find the right ingredients for all the gluten-free recipes.
Not all products have ingredient labels. - Most ingredients are written in Chinese.
- Translations are not always consistent or precise. MSG has many different names. Starch in Chinese is ?? and it’s not clear whether it’s wheat, potato, tapioca, or other starch. There’s only one word for flour (??) and that could be wheat, rye, rice, or other flours.
- Manufacturers might include only the main ingredients and leave out a few items.
- Local packaged foods don’t use special labels like kosher, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, etc…
- No mention of whether the product was made in the the same equipment used to process other food items that are allergy-related.
- Imported items have the original English labels, but unfortunately, customs stuck the Chinese translation over the English version. The two don’t always match but you can’t read the English labels either.
- Import stores like City Shop and Pines are never consistent with what they carry. Today they’ll have gluten-free cereals and the next week, they won’t.
- Selections for non-allergenic, organic, and/or whole foods items are limited. Almost everything is processed.
- Most items don’t have the nutrition facts information.
What challenges have you faced when shopping for the right ingredients for your gluten-free or allergy-free recipes?
