Jamie's Italian Pays $12,000 Fine for Serving Regular Pasta To Customer With Celiac Disease

That is unbelievable. That is a HUGE screw up. Poor Kristy. Unfortunately that is why I stay home to eat, TRUST NO ONE.

I wish that restaurants didn't try to have a gluten free option. I would rather they were ignorant. Then I could educate when I went in. As it is everyone thinks they understand. Servers half listen and then communicate to the cook/chef who also half listen. Then I get sick. They do not understand the difference between diet and disease. A server actually said to me, "this gluten craze is absurd. it is all in people's heads" I gave the guy a big tip, a piece of my mind. I didn't eat there. I went back to asking for the manager again. This is still the best way to increase your chances of safe food. Sorry to this hear this happened at such a good restaurant. I think the server should be held accountable. Food safety starts with them.

This is a truly tragic case but I'm not sure you can eat out at a restaurant and completely be free of the risk of human error. I would hate to see a lot of law suits against restaurants for fear no one would serve gluten free food. However, the seriousness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance needs to be front and center in the food service industry. I think a bigger health risk for most celiacs is the small amount of gluten we are getting in processed foods due to cross contamination. I can't count the times I have reacted to a supposedly gluten free product.

Absolutely, they should be fined. This is not a frivolous matter... she checked, she got sick, this affected her transplant potential.

If a restaurant cannot guarantee their gluten-free menu items to be completely gluten-free, they shouldn't offer them! I think fining the restaurants can be a way to drive home the importance, and seriousness of the issue!

Gluten and dairy and sulfur free - I suffer analphalaxis when I eat sulfur - only takes a couple of restaurants to get it wrong (and they have) before you start to go INTO the kitchen, talk to the chef and tell him/her that I will DIE if they mess up - I am 49 years old - and have lived successfully with this for over 20 years - people are really good when they know its life or death - so make sure that they 'get how serious it is! (take my own food everywhere anyway... never travel without gluten free solutions (message me if you want some awesome pointers)

This is a good eye opener. How about some easy ways to tell if the pasta is gluten-free? On the menu, inform the consumer: all of our gluten-free pasta is infused with spinach to give it a distinct green tone. If you are served pasta that isn't this color, please let your server know. Something like that could help. When it all looks alike, it's difficult for everyone.

The fines were minimal and would hardly make a dent in the restaurant's profits. The adverse publicity, on the other hand, could have a huge impact. I think this should be a headline story because it's actually a case of deliberate poisoning/physical abuse. TV journalists/Newspaper Editors -- are you listening?!

Personally, I think this is horrible. As a person who cannot have gluten or casein, I fully understand that by eating out I am taking a ris . Always. If she was in such precarious health that being 'glutened' in a restaurant (their mistake or not) could cause her such harm, why take that risk? She isn't to blame for this mistake, of course, but it is unreasonable, imo, for all restaurants to now fear serving any gluten-free food to their clientele. Seems like a step backwards, not forwards for the gluten-free community.

I have to agree with Sue: there is always a risk. Even eating regular food, you never know if you'll come home with a case of food poisoning (gluten-free related or not). I was once accidentally served regular pizza when I ordered gluten-free pizza. It was OBVIOUS there was something wrong with my pizza - way too puffy. They let us keep it and brought me the correct one (nice and flat). Visually, gluten-free pasta looks different too. I think both are at fault, she should have perhaps, as mentioned, talked directly to the chef and realized there IS a difference between regular pasta and gluten-free pasta - visually. But also, the restaurant needs to educate the staff better. I would hate to also see start turning into a some sue happy situation. It only takes one before others start jumping on the band wagon for the same reason.

Restaurants should not try and serve "gluten-free" food! I never eat out because the staff never takes me seriously and most of the time I end up sick! Unfortunately, the managers don't really care.

This is a good eye opener. How about some easy ways to tell if the pasta is gluten-free? On the menu, inform the consumer: all of our gluten-free pasta is infused with spinach to give it a distinct green tone. If you are served pasta that isn't this color, please let your server know. Something like that could help. When it all looks alike, it's difficult for everyone.

I love that idea! I hate being the "picky customer," so I feel like I am insulting the staff by asking "are you sure it's ___-free?" I worked in a restaurant long before I knew that I had any issues with food, and I've been that employee who thinks "wow, what an annoying customer."