Domino's Pizza Now Offers "Almost" Gluten-Free Pizza (So Be Careful!)

We were totally surprised to see the NFCA endorse this. It makes it even more difficult for the gluten free community to determine and trust what products are truly safe.

I emailed Domino's, letting them know how poor this choice is. Here is there response:

Thank you for contacting the Domino's Pizza Customer Care Team. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness estimates that approximately 18 million Americans have a gluten sensitivity. While we can't recommend our Gluten Free Crust for everyone, it provides an option to many impacted by gluten sensitivity that didn't have a great-tasting pizza option before – and we hope this is a step toward a solution for many of these choice consumers.

In addition to consulting with the NFCA along the process of training and testing – as well as earning its GREAT Kitchens Amber Designation for being an option for those with gluten sensitivity – Domino's wants to continue to be as informative as possible. We encourage you to watch a video, featuring our Chief Executive Officer Patrick Doyle, that explains that while our Gluten Free Crust itself is free from gluten, we operate in a common kitchen and cannot recommend this product for those with celiac disease.

DISCLAIMER: Thank you for your interest in our New Gluten Free Crust! Domino's pizza made with a Gluten Free Crust is prepared in a common kitchen with the risk of gluten exposure. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness supports the availability of Domino's Gluten Free Crust, but CANNOT recommend the pizza for customers with celiac disease. Customers with gluten sensitivities should exercise judgment in consuming this pizza.

Most sincerely,

Domino's Pizza Customer Care

Going from excited to disappointment, the NFCA has to do a better job in giving their approval to something as serious as gluten free food.

We are so disappointed in the NFCA and Domino's. It seems that they are catering to the gluten-free fad as those are the only people that can eat the pizza. I hope that Domino's will consider a wise investment and make real gluten-free pizzas.

Celiacs have been sold out and sold a bill of goods by NFCA.

How can they keep a straight face with this release unless it is because of the dollars?

Scott,

We appreciate your concern with this matter, and we are thankful that you offered us the invitation to respond.

To begin, we created the GREAT Kitchens expansion to addresses what we feel is a self-guided, unsupervised gluten-free movement that has spread nationwide. Our multimedia training program is designed to address the misinformation, confusion and a lack of understanding regarding the differences between gluten-free ingredients, cross-contamination and what is, in fact, safe for consumption.

To accompany this training, we created a credentialing – A Green and Amber Designation.

We created a Green Designation for those restaurants willing to go through the extensive effort of using gluten-free ingredients, putting their staff through comprehensive training and ensuring that there are strict cross-contamination controls in their kitchens.

For all of those restaurants that are not prepared to meet these three standards, we offer the Amber Designation, which acknowledges that the restaurant is using gluten-free ingredients and has completed staff training to understand the health needs of those with gluten-related disorders. However, these restaurants cannot guarantee an environment free of cross-contamination. Instead, their staff is trained to communicate these potential risks, as Domino's has done by including their disclaimer in all communications about the Gluten Free Crust and posting the video that you noted.

Domino's partnered with NFCA because they wanted input from gluten-free experts. Instead of launching a gluten-free product independently, they actively sought out the NFCA and its GREAT Kitchens program to understand the safest, most transparent way to go to market. NFCA helped Domino's realize that the handcrafted nature of their pizzas and current store operations cannot guarantee a gluten-free pizza free of cross-contamination. As a patient advocacy organization, we felt it was our obligation to ensure that the potential cross-contamination was communicated to consumers.

The GREAT Kitchens program is taking the steps to address those restaurants who promote gluten-free options without training, transparency or even knowledge of cross-contamination. Ultimately, we hope to move all restaurants to a Green Designation. We need your support in encouraging your local restaurant to do just that. Ask them to go the extra mile.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to respond. We hope to gain the community's support as we move forward with our mission to eliminate the self-guided restaurateur and educate America's restaurants on what it takes to fully meet gluten-free needs.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

I asked point blank if they took money from Domino's on NFCA's facebook page, and they admit it! I thanked them for further hurting the gluten-free branding that I rely on and will not return to that page.

Scott,

 

We appreciate your concern with this matter, and we are thankful that you offered us the invitation to respond.

 

To begin, we created the GREAT Kitchens expansion to addresses what we feel is a self-guided, unsupervised gluten-free movement that has spread nationwide. Our multimedia training program is designed to address the misinformation, confusion and a lack of understanding regarding the differences between gluten-free ingredients, cross-contamination and what is, in fact, safe for consumption.

 

To accompany this training, we created a credentialing – A Green and Amber Designation.

 

We created a Green Designation for those restaurants willing to go through the extensive effort of using gluten-free ingredients, putting their staff through comprehensive training and ensuring that there are strict cross-contamination controls in their kitchens.

 

For all of those restaurants that are not prepared to meet these three standards, we offer the Amber Designation, which acknowledges that the restaurant is using gluten-free ingredients and has completed staff training to understand the health needs of those with gluten-related disorders. However, these restaurants cannot guarantee an environment free of cross-contamination. Instead, their staff is trained to communicate these potential risks, as Domino's has done by including their disclaimer in all communications about the Gluten Free Crust and posting the video that you noted.

 

Domino's partnered with NFCA because they wanted input from gluten-free experts. Instead of launching a gluten-free product independently, they actively sought out the NFCA and its GREAT Kitchens program to understand the safest, most transparent way to go to market. NFCA helped Domino's realize that the handcrafted nature of their pizzas and current store operations cannot guarantee a gluten-free pizza free of cross-contamination. As a patient advocacy organization, we felt it was our obligation to ensure that the potential cross-contamination was communicated to consumers.

 

The GREAT Kitchens program is taking the steps to address those restaurants who promote gluten-free options without training, transparency or even knowledge of cross-contamination. Ultimately, we hope to move all restaurants to a Green Designation. We need your support in encouraging your local restaurant to do just that. Ask them to go the extra mile.

 

Again, thank you for the opportunity to respond. We hope to gain the community's support as we move forward with our mission to eliminate the self-guided restaurateur and educate America's restaurants on what it takes to fully meet gluten-free needs.

 

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

Thank you for your reply. While I support guiding more restaurants towards safety for celiacs, I don't think that is what is going on in the case of Domino's. Actually, I think the NFCA putting their stamp of approval on this, which is what you have done, could actually end up hurting many celiacs, and that is who you are supposed to be helping, isn't it? So is it safe to say then, that anyone can get an "Amber Designation" from you, even if the likelihood of cross-contamination is extremely high? Again, I think putting the NFCA's stamp of approval on anyone who wants it is a very bad idea. Also, besides taking money from Domino's to get your approval, what did you contribute to making their pizzas safer for celiacs? It sounds to me like they launched this line of pizzas exactly how they intended in the first place, which is making them unsafe for celiacs. What influence did you have on them?

I asked point blank if they took money from Domino's on NFCA's facebook page, and they admit it! I thanked them for further hurting the gluten-free branding that I rely on and will not return to that page.

All of the credentialing programs (GIG, NFCA) accept money, so this is a non-starter.

As the NFCA has explained, the Amber designation is available for business that have gluten-free ingredients per se but for whatever reason don't hold out that the end product is safe for everyone. Domino's was coming out with this pizza regardless of the NFCA's involvement, so the NFCA was proactive in letting its core constituency know that it wasn't safe.

As far as money goes, this very site accepts payment for product reviews, so the idea of criticizing the NFCA for accepting money is ludicrous. In any event, it's unlikely that Domino's would advertise on a site called "celiac.com" given that the pizza isn't appropriate for many who read it.

I am extremely disappointed to continually read that Alice Bast, NFCA founder, tasted the pizza after special safeguards were put in place for her to avoid cross contamination, and she calls it "delicious." That's an endorsement, folks, and it's an endorsement under false pretenses. Then the NFCA has the nerve to not recommend the pizza to celiacs when their own founder has tried it and endorsed it. Who is guiding the leadership of the NFCA? Some feel betrayed, not unlike the Komen situation. I wish the NFCA would do or say something to restore our faith in them again but in the absence of that, I will now rely on GIG.

As the NFCA has explained, the Amber designation is available for business that have gluten-free ingredients per se but for whatever reason don't hold out that the end product is safe for everyone. Domino's was coming out with this pizza regardless of the NFCA's involvement, so the NFCA was proactive in letting its core constituency know that it wasn't safe.

 

As far as money goes, this very site accepts payment for product reviews, so the idea of criticizing the NFCA for accepting money is ludicrous. In any event, it's unlikely that Domino's would advertise on a site called "celiac.com" given that the pizza isn't appropriate for many who read it.

How wrong you are Mark...Domono's ads did start running on this site in the Ads by Google areas the day they launched their so called "gluten-free" pizza, so they are actively buying ad space on google under the terms "gluten-free pizza." I could easily accept their money and display them, but I instead chose the correct choice--to block them. I went into my Google AdWords account and blocked all ads from dominos.com. I won't take their money, unlike the NFCA, who, through their Amber Designation will apparently take anyone's money.