Can a celiac eat at fast food restaurants in Japan?

Here is my experience on my last trip to Japan.

• Allergy and Gluten-free Labelling in Japan.
• Does Japan have gluten-free options at McDonalads?
• Mos Burger Has Gluten-Free Options.
• Do any other fast food places have gluten-free options in Japan?

And if you like this blog, be sure to check out my celiac guide to eating gluten-free in Japan as well! It includes important Kanji to recognize!

What about the food on the airplane? I got you covered, check out the blogs below

• My Gluten-Free Meals on ANA. Perfect for a Celiac
• My Gluten-Free (Gluten Intolerant) Meals on WestJet's International Economy Flight.

Allergy and Gluten-free Labelling in Japan.

On my recent trip to Japan I found that the staff at supermarkets and restaurants were very kind and wanting to be helpful, but didn't understand the concept of gluten-free. Often gluten-free and vegan were thought of together. I know that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease and not an allergy, but in Japan celiac disease is not well known or understood. Staff were aware of allergies to wheat. Therefore, I personally found it easier to state that I was allergic to wheat and barley and ask if they had any recommendations from their menu. This worked for me because my Japanese language skills are very minimal, and I don't feel like educating every person I meet at grocery stores or restaurants as to what celiac disease is.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, Japan doesn't recognize "gluten" as an allergy in it's ingredient labelling law. They do recognize "wheat" as an allergy, but not "barley", "rye", and "oats". This makes it difficult for celiac's, because "barley" is used in a lot of foods in Japan. As a celiac you need to be careful of mayonnaise, vinegars, one tea called mugi-cha (oomugi means barley) and sweets especially traditional Japanese sweets.

Below is a list of the seven allergy ingredients that are required and the twenty one that are recommended by law in Japan. As you can see barley is not on the list. Neither is rye, oats or gluten.

Here is a great link to an English PDF on Japan's Food Labelling System, provided online by the Government of Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency. It might be helpful to print out and bring on your trip.

Also, here is an interesting NCIB article talking about Japanese versus International allergen labelling laws.

Does Japan have gluten-free options at McDonalds?

The short answer is "No". McDonald's menu in Japan is not celiac friendly. There are not very many items that are gluten-free and in Japan it is not usual to ask restaurants to alter a set menu - for example, asking for a burger patty without the bun.

I found that the Edamame and Corn side salad was wheat and barley free and I really liked it. Tasted fresh and healthy. Other items were other salads with out dressings, the ketchup and most of the drinks. Now you may ask "What about the fries?" "Are McDonald's fries in Japan gluten-free?" Well, technically they are. There is no wheat or barley or rye in the fries or hash browns, but my Japanese speaking husband asked about the oil they are fried in. Although they just fry the french fries and hash browns only in the hot oil, at night when they clean all the oils from every area are filtered together, therefore the manager at the McDonald's we were at said that there is definitely a chance of cross-contamination from the oil. I have heard many celiac's do eat the fries, but I avoided them. It is your call if you decide to eat them, as there is cross-contamination in the oils.

Here is a link McDonald's Japan allergy menu.

Mos Burger Has Gluten-Free Options

If you are a celiac in Japan and looking for a quick meal or snack, then do try Mos Burger's kid's allergen pork burger or hot dog. They are both gluten-free and tasty, but small as it is from the Kid's menu.

Here is a link to Mos Burger Japan allergy menu. As you can see the fries are not safe for celiacs. Most of the drinks are ok.

Above is photo of a Mos Burger menu, showing the allergen choice. When I order with my limited Japanese I usually just point at it (there is a menu at the counter too), and say "Kore o kudasai" which means "This one please."

Here is a photo to show you the full Mos Burger menu. If you look at the lower right you'll see the allergen menu area.

My favourite is the Kid's allergen pork burger. It isn't my best photo, sorry about that. Tastes way better that it looks in my photo. I was so hungry that I kept eating them before thinking of taking a photo! I really enjoyed the taste and texture. The bun is a rice flour bun. The texture of the bun is like a cross between a Chinese steamed bun and mochi. It has a neutral flavour and a nice soft chew to it. I really liked the flavour of the pork pattie. It wasn't too strong. As it is a kid's menu, it comes plain with no toppings. But, they do include a package of ketchup which is celiac safe. I got some to eat at my hotel room and added lettuce and tomato and they made a good meal.

Above is a photo of the Mos Burger gluten free hot dog in its package. Both the pork burger and hot dog are prepackaged and heated in a microwave, so you don't have to worry about cross-contamination.

Here is the Mos Burger gluten free hot dog out of it's packaging. I enjoyed the gluten free hot dog too. Same bun as the pork burger. The sausage is similar to a European wiener. It has a slight bite to it. I liked the hot dog also, but the pork burger is my favourite.

Do any other fast food places have gluten-free options in Japan?

At the time of my visit to Japan, none of the other fast food places had any gluten-free celiac safe options I could find. I checked out Wendy's, Subway and Burger King. Besides drinks I couldn't find anything I felt was safe to eat.

What was your experience like with American fast food places in Japan? What did you try?

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.