Visit Denmark with coeliac disease

About one percent of the population of Denmark has coeliac disease. That means about 55-60,000 people. As in a lot of other places, the disease is severely under-diagnosed, with only about one in four being diagnosed. Coeliac disease is not a commonly known condition.

Travel cards

The Danish Coeliac Society offers travel cards in several languages, including one in Danish, in case you need to explain your need for gluten free food in hotels, restaurants or cafés. You can find the Danish card here, and the English version here. If you are spending quite a long time in Denmark, you might find a physical card useful. You can buy this from our on-line store.

Eating out

There is no certification scheme for gluten free food at restaurants and cafés. Some establishments are completely gluten free, and gluten free meals are available at a lot of places. However, there are major differences in how gluten free food is prepared. If you are highly sensitive, it is important to really ask about this.

All restaurants and cafés have to provide information about allergens when asked. If the employee seems unsure or doesn’t completely understand, we recommend that you find somewhere else.

The Danish Coeliac Society offers a map based on user experiences that lists gluten free restaurants and cafés – which you can find here. The map can give you some idea of where you can go to eat out. Remember that the map is based on user experiences, so you always need to check yourself whether the restaurant is entirely gluten free or just offers gluten free options. You also need to check that the restaurant is still offering gluten free food.

Gluten free food in shops

Most supermarkets offer a range of gluten free products. It may be a good idea to look in several supermarkets to find something different. Gluten free products are often displayed together on separate shelves. There are a number of gluten free bakeries. Some bakeries have frozen gluten free products. Foods marked ‘gluten free’ may contain no more than 20 ppm of gluten.

Of course, some products not marked ‘gluten free’ may be entirely gluten free anyway. Allergens must be clearly marked in the product’s list of ingredients. If you buy any loose products without a list of ingredients, the staff are required to tell you about any allergens if you ask them.

Glossary

Allergens must be clearly stated in lists of ingredients. Look out for cereals that contain gluten:

Danish English
Hvede Wheat
Spelt Spelt
Durum Durum
Rug Rye
Byg Barley
Havre Oats
Emmer Emmer
Enkorn Einkorn
Kamut Kamut
Bulgur Bulgur
Couscous Couscous
Semulje Semolina
Glutenfri Gluten free

Take part in our events

The Danish Coeliac Society organises a wide range of specialist and social activities. You are welcome to attend e.g. camps, baking courses, gluten free food communities or excursions, which you can find in our calendar. The events are all in Danish, but it will usually be possible to attend as an English-speaker. Write to or ring the contact person or contact us any time at post@coeliaki.dk or +45 2552 0832 if you have any further questions.

The Danish Coeliac Society wishes you an enjoyable and gluten free stay in Denmark!