Gluten-free is not a trend. It was like over five years ago
when Gwyneth Paltrow was on a Gluten-Free diet and everyone wanted to be like
her. G-F foods have become prominent; they’re staples, and they’re necessary.
Gluten-Friendly is garbage. I have monthly meetings at
Souplantation. Beyond the salad offerings, nothing is guaranteed to be
gluten-free. As a matter of fact, because they bake and fry a lot, the
vegetables don’t come with a guarantee that they aren’t contaminated. But they
periodically have a Gluten-Friendly muffin or some sort of baked good tucked
away in a bin in the corner. Let me tell you, not only is this potentially
dangerous, but it’s an affront to people who are allergic to gluten.
Why? For one, this terminology propagates the idea that
people have a choice. I don’t. And millions of others don’t either. I’d love to
go back to eating a load of French bread for dinner. I’d die if I did that.
Secondly, even if people are trying to wipe out gluten from their diets because
there is wheat and other gluten flying around the kitchen, there’s no guarantee
that it’s indeed Gluten-Friendly. For something to be entirely gluten-free,
there needs to be a separate kitchen with designated utensils and equipment
only used for gluten-free ingredients. EVER.
Thirdly, I did grab one of those ‘Friendly’ muffins. It was
described to be ‘Free.’ I read the sign carefully, noting the terminology. I
could have gotten really sick if I didn’t.
So if your restaurant or company is thinking about making ‘Friendly’
offerings to those who don’t want gluten, don’t. If you want in on the market,
open up a designated facility. Otherwise, leave Gluten-Free to the ones who are
committed to it.
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