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GEORGE NEWS - “Preparing gluten-free food in a kitchen where gluten is present, is as dangerous as operating on a patient in theatre where nothing has been sterilised,” says Lynn-Mare Claassens, a coeliac patient, after she experienced pain and suffering for eight years due to gluten cross-contamination.

Gluten-free living has become a popular trend among many with regard to choosing healthier food options. However, some people who suffer from a severe gluten allergy (coeliac disease) don’t have the luxury of choice in this case, as their survival depends on it.

According to Elziree le Roux, registered dietitian in George, coeliac disease is when your immune system attacks your own digestive tissue due to the ingestion of a protein called gluten that is found in wheat, barley and rye.

“Gluten is completely off the menu for people whose immune systems attack their own tissue due to its ingestion. Even trace amounts of gluten can cause a flare for people living with coeliac disease,” says Le Roux.

This allergy sounds extremely inconvenient, however, some might assume that those suffering from coeliac disease won’t struggle too hard finding gluten-free foods at restaurants, bakeries and pizzerias, as this popular trend has grown rapidly in South Africa over the past few years.

Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

For eight years, Claassens was under the impression that she was living 100% gluten-free, but nobody could understand why she was still so sick.

“One day I was super excited to order a gluten-free pizza at a restaurant, because I thought I could eat it. When I got home, I was in severe pain and experienced constant diarrhoea and vomiting, causing my body to be in bed for two weeks,” says Claassens.

“You can never really know how clean a restaurant kitchen is from gluten. Restaurants market a gluten-free product left right and centre, but then that product is made in a facility where it might have been contaminated with gluten. People are missing the point. Cross-contamination with small traces of gluten can make you just as sick as eating a gluten product.”

It seemed a bit far-fetched that micro particles of gluten can contaminate a complete different product and cause someone to be in bed for two weeks. However, according to food science, it is not so far-fetched after all.

“Flour becomes suspended in the air often, during measuring or adding in the baking process or simply by opening a bag of flour. Gluten can therefore stay suspended in the air from 12 up to 48 hours. If there are gluten-free products present in the same production area as gluten-containing products, it is near-impossible to not contaminate, unless gluten-free products are already packed and stored. The airborne particles will eventually settle on anything that is exposed,” says Louise Empedocles, a food scientist and ex-Kwagga currently practising in Kempton Park.

According to the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, cross-contamination is the process by which contaminants, allergens or bacteria are unintentionally transferred from food, substances, objects or facilities to other food, substances, objects or facilities, with a potential harmful effect.

“Cross-contamination takes place without us knowing, because we are often not aware of the amount of harmful substances that can be present on hands and utensils. This is especially true with gluten, since it cannot be removed by simply sanitising hands as we so easily do for the removal of harmful bacteria. The risk of getting gluten into the gluten-free products in a facility where gluten is present is simply too high, especially for sensitive individuals,” says Empedocles.

Morné Gricius, owner of the famous Loerie Bakery in Meade Street, agrees with Empedocles. “Every day after work, our bakery is spring-cleaned from top to bottom. Tomorrow morning when we get back to the bakery, there is a flour dust layer all over the counter and tabletops. You can clean all you like, the airborne gluten that you cannot even see will descend onto the worktops of the kitchen. The only gluten-free product I will sell is one that is outsourced from a 100% gluten-free manufacturer and that we just resell.”

According to Madeleine Leonard, another coeliac patient, restaurants should take the ethics of their gluten-free options more seriously. “A lot of people think those choosing gluten-free options are just full of nonsense, until you have to deal with the pain every day. I always have pain. I have just learned how to tolerate it. If customers ask for gluten-free options, it should be taken seriously. Some people are sick and don’t have a choice.”

If you are a restaurant owner reading this, you might think that there is no hope. However, there are ethical options to consider when you want to accommodate customers who are allergic to gluten.

Jessica Erasmus, an official environmental health practitioner, advises the following: “To manufacture a gluten-free product in a facility where gluten is present, would be to have a separate working area, to separate the countertops completely and to work at separate times. It would be advisable then to also start with your gluten-free manufacturing first in the morning and then carry on with your other gluten products after that. This will minimise the risk to about 80% - 90% gluten-free. 

"However, you will never be able to say that you are 100% gluten-free and nothing will happen, because there is no way, unless you operate with everything permanently gluten-free in your facility.”

For people suffering from coeliac disease however, 80% - 90% gluten-free is still not safe. Hence, the most ethical alternative would be to outsource your gluten-free options from a 100% gluten-free bakery.

The food science once again, agrees. “The better alternative is for businesses to order in from a 100% gluten-free bakery and to keep the products packaged until use and in an ideal world have a separate preparation space. In that way, cross-contamination risk is minimised,” says Empedocles.

Le Roux, who deals with coeliac patients daily, also agrees with the above. “I think it's best to stick to suppliers who offer zero gluten-containing products on their menu, this way you won't run the risk of cross-contamination.”

Luckily for restaurant owners and coeliac patients, Sublime with Lime Health Bakery is a 100% gluten-free bakery in George, operating in a facility where absolutely no gluten is allowed into their doors. 

The best decision for people suffering from coeliac disease or restaurants wanting to accommodate these customers would be to offer a Sublime gluten-free product.

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