November is National Gluten-Free Awareness Month

Hi everyone,

This does not seem advertised much here tin the UK when its really important to us the coeliac that we can be catered for as this years theme is too celebrate eateries that successfully cater for coeliac. Here's snippet from GIG who are promoting National gluten free awareness month please see:

November is National Gluten-Free Awareness Month. This is a great time to celebrate brands and restaurants that support the gluten-free community.

GIG’s mission is to make life easier for everyone living gluten-free. One way we do this is through our articles and resources that can help you understand where gluten might be getting into your snacks and meals.

When you are eating gluten-free, cross-contact with gluten — when gluten particles accidentally end up in gluten-free food — can be an issue.

I've never eaten out successfully in the UK as I've always been ill with gluten symptoms so I assume even though they claim to be accredited for gluten free their standards are just not robust enough and I know others who feel badly let down by the system in the UK.

One big problem is that busy restaurant/cafe staff are very busy at peak times and when were busy we do things habitually and restaurants that cater for a GF diet cook and prepare and cook the food with gluten counting foods which's is literally;y a recipe for disaster. Because will a busy kitchen worker change serving implements because it's supposed to be gluten free and the other problem for me is the definition of gluten free in the UK means below 20 ppm rather than below 20ppm and free of all the toxic grains including malt that is below codex being considered safe for coeliac.

So the real problem of eating out in the UK is not only the definition of gluten free over here but also cross contact so here's a link about the definition. of cross contact and cross contamination:

gluten.org/faq/what-is-cros...

Sadly we have International markets and insular standards regarding the interpretation of gluten free.

I have family in NZ and I can eat everything clearly labelled gluten free in NZ and Australia but am not at all safe eating at home because of the interpretation of codex here in the UK.

GIG have also founded the excellent Gluten Free Certification Organisation (GFCO), the leader in gluten-free certification.

Here's a link as its very robust certification program that is worldwide we just have too get eateries to subscribe to it to keep us safe when eating out:

Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), the leader in gluten-free certification

The image is courtesy of GIG and no copyright infringement intended.

[Penel]

Hi Jerry

The Great British Bake Off (UK tv) has a gluten free challenge this week….raising awareness just a little bit more.

I’m very lucky to have a small local cafe that can cater for my dietary needs. They’re very aware of cross contamination issues.

[Hidden in reply to Penel]

Hi Penny thanks for telling me this I shall watch it and you're very lucky having a local cafe as that makes so much difference.

I hope that you enjoy your weekend now. 😊

[Hidden]

Thank you for this Jerry. GIG seems a more sensible system/organisation than our current UK offering that seems intent on keeping us all ill. I agree that eating out is a lottery, and I've posted previously on here about even being made ill by coffees in independent small cafés. What galls me is the food outlets that blow their own trumpets with GF menus, and then put allergen disclaimers in the small print and refuse to acknowledge/remedy when they have made you ill. Someone else posted on here about a girl who called a café in Cornwall out on this and they shamed her in national press as a complaining customer. I do give a nod of recommendation though, for 'safe' coffees to the much-maligned high street outlets (Starbucks, et. al), but also Pizza Express and Nandos who are bizarelly ok in an unexpected fashion. I'm not sure what your experience with them has been, if you have run the risk, but they seem to get it right. My dream is someone opening a dedicated gluten-free restaurant chain that is guaranteed 100% gluten free, does a reasonable range of sandwich/quick snack options, and a range of healthy reasonably priced lunches/dinners that won't break the bank or make people ill.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Ben, I think that because some coeliac can get bread on prescription that’s codex wheat then anything below codex is deemed alright. When it isn’t because they use one of the Elisa wheat gluten tests to test malted barley which’s inaccurate so really I think a gluten free diet should be exactly that with none of the toxic grains. Like in Australia and NZ so it’s more than doable! But I do like GIG so am happy to support them and it’s great as we have more members from the US now on the communities.

As for eating in cafes I agree that these squeaky clean coffee shops are the safest and yes I do pop in for a cuppa sometimes.

[Tabbyme]

Hi JerryCan you do the link to the certification again. It isn't there?

Hadn't heard of these. Useful stuff. Thank you!!

[Hidden in reply to Tabbyme]

Hi Tabbyme here it is gfco.org 😊