How to Check Food Labels for Gluten - Tayler Silfverduk The first step to identifying gluten in food is to look for gluten-free claims and certifications on the label.. If a food product has a gluten-free claim or certification in the USA than that food item is celiac-safe per FDA law (with the exception of oats, learn more about the oats and celiac here.) This is because per FDA law, anything with a gluten-free claim (which is "gluten-free" or ...