Celiac.com covered P.F. Chang's efforts to have the suit dismissed, and also P.F. Chang's failure to prevent the woman from modifying the lawsuit, thus keeping it viable, if only for a time.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte, of the Northern District of California, had dismissed the original complaint in August, but reinstated the suit once plaintiff Anna Marie Phillips amended her complaint. On Nov. 23, 2015, Whyte ruled that Phillips had sufficiently pleaded her claims in that amended complaint.

Many in the restaurant industry were watching the suit carefully since it was first filed in December 2014, as the claim of discrimination, based on higher charges for gluten-free items at P.F. Chang's, could have serious repercussions for the industry as a whole.

Phillips has now asked the judge to dismiss her lawsuit.

At least for now, the question to whether surcharges or higher charges for gluten-free food options constitute some form of discrimination against those with celiac disease or gluten-intolerance, remains un-litigated.

The position of the Department of Justice is that celiac disease is not a disability in every case, and that there are plenty of cases in which it is not a disability.

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My mother went through this very thing. With being celiac herself, she well informed herself via the internet as to what did and didn't have gluten in it. Both my oldest brother and I were eventually diagnosed celiac. This left my other brother and my father being the only two non-celiacs. It can be difficult to wrap your head around just how important maintaining a gluten-free diet is for a celiac when you aren't celiac yourself.

So yes, sharing your toaster with both gluten and gluten-free bread can make a celiac ill. Having wheat flour in your kitchen can cross-contaminate, be ingested by a celiac resulting in an adverse reaction in either the celiac child or adult. Keeping gluten away from a celiac is extremely important. Removing those croutons from the top of that salad does not suddenly make it "safe" for any celiac.

I am celiac and my husband is not. My 1 year old, Brixton, hasn't eaten any gluten to date. He will also have to be tested when he gets a little older as celiac disease is genetic. How do I maintain a gluten-free household that is both healthy for me and satisfying for my husband? Easy! Get two toasters, seriously! An extra pot just for those special nights my husband wants real good ol' gluten loaded fettuccini. I buy premade boxed treats and snacks that have gluten in them so he doesn't feel "deprived" and so I also don't have to make him cookies and treats with gluten in them.

I can say my husband really has taken to gluten-free baked items. I make gluten-free waffles and pancakes every weekend and he drools over them. Not to mention the delicious gluten-free cookie dough I make! Yum! He also knows that when we go out to a restaurant, anything is game for him. He goes to town on the fresh bread, pasta, etc. that the restaurants have. We do however try to maintain a healthy diet from day to day, therefore we primarily eat protein, vegetables, fruit and good (healthy) fats. For those days we want a little something extra, we always have boxed gluten snacks for him and some delicious gluten-free flours for me to whip up something tasty for my whole family.

The most important thing to remember is that a gluten-free diet isn't just a diet someone with celiac disease "can" follow if they want. It is a necessary diet and lifestyle they MUST follow for their health and wellbeing. Consider it their "medication" for the disease. With that in mind it may make the celiac and non-celiac families live in harmony.

Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deemed canary bird seed as a health food suitable for those who need to adhere to a gluten-free diet. Canary seed is similar in size to flax or sesame seeds, is high in protein, and has a nutty flavor with a pleasant aroma.

Canary seed can be added whole into energy bars and snack bars, sprinkled on yogurt or cereal. It can be used to top buns, bagels and breads. It can be ground into flour and use to make delicious cookies, muffins, crackers, breads, tortillas and pasta. Coincidentally, perhaps, Canda is the largest producer and exporter of canary seed.

Kevin Hursh, executive director of the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan says, "It's hoped the approval for human consumption can broaden the market."

Now the bad news. Canary seed, might not not be suitable for everyone with a serious gluten sensitivity, as it shares a single common protein with wheat. That means the seed will be labelled with an allergen warning, until research can determine if the restriction can be safely removed, say Hursh.

In the meantime, stay tuned to see what canary seed means for the future of gluten-free foods.

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Celiac.com 04/25/2016 - In a scandal that is shaping up to resemble the story of Paul Seelig, who sold "gluten-free" baked goods that were actually regular baked goods merely labeled "gluten-free," an Ohio couple is suing their local pizzeria for serving "gluten-free" pizza that they claim was just regular pizza labeled as gluten-free.

According to court documents, the Reynoldsburg, Ohio couple claims that, on April 11, 2014, they bought a pie from Donatos Pizza at 7580 East Broad Street in Reynoldsburg. The couple claims that the pizza was advertised as gluten-free, but was made with standard pizza dough, which contains wheat flour.

The couple is seeking compensation for nearly $9,000 in medical expenses, nearly $4,000 in lost wages and unspecified future damages.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Franklin County. According to court documents, Donatos has not yet been served its copy of the lawsuit.

Stay tuned for more details on this and other stories about gluten-free issues.

The shirt in question is a simple white T-shirt that sports the slogan "Are you gluten free?" in bold black letters. Zara pulled the shirt after a petition urging the removal appeared on the website change.org, and collected over 50,000 signatures in just under a week.

In a statement released on March 14th, Inditex, the biggest fashion company in the world, which owns Zara, announced it was pulling the T-shirt from its stores. "The T-shirt mentioned in this petition was pulled from our online store a few weeks ago now and we are currently confirming that it is not for sale in our stores either," said the statement.

Zara's quick response came as a pleasant surprise to the petition's author. Marta Casadesús, who started the petition. Casadesús told reporters that she really "just wanted Zara to reflect on the message, I was trying to explain that perhaps it wasn't the best way to make people aware of the illness." She said she was "really happy" with Zara's decision to remove the shirt.

This is not the first T-shirt controversy to befall the fashion giant. In 2014 Zara stirred up controversy by selling a striped children's T-shirt that many people said resembled the uniforms worn by prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.

The navy-and-white striped "sheriff shirt" featured horizontal stripes and a six-pointed gold star. Zara also removed that shirt from its stores after numerous complaints.

So, what do you think? Is it offensive to wear a T-shirt that asks "Are You Gluten Free?"

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Kellogg calls the products a response to growing demand for gluten-free products from consumers with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. "We continue to see a growing number of consumers, including coeliac disease sufferers, requesting gluten free alternatives to our popular cereals."

In formulating their new products, Kellogg set out to combat a perception in the Australian cereal market that gluten-free cereals routinely failed to "deliver a great taste experience that's consistent with products containing gluten," said Janine Brooker, portfolio marketing manager for Kellogg Australia.

Kellogg "…wanted to make sure that our gluten-free Corn Flakes and Special K taste just as good as the original classics," Brooker added.

Kellogg's Corn Flakes Gluten Free and Special K Gluten Free are available in 330g boxes at supermarkets across Australia.

Celiac.com 03/29/2016 - To remain healthy, people with celiac disease must follow a strict gluten-free diet. Good availability of gluten-free foods is critical to this. High prices or limited availability can have a greater impact on celiac patients from lower socioeconomic conditions in regards to their ability to follow a gluten-free treatment diet.

A team of researchers recently set out to assess the availability and cost of gluten-free food in UK supermarkets and via the internet. The researchers included M Burden, PD Mooney, RJ Blanshard, WL White, DR Cambray-Deakin, and DS Sanders. They are variously affiliated with the Academic Department of Gastroenterology at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, UK, and with the University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK.

Their team analyzed data from supermarkets and internet shops delivering to homes in the city of Sheffield, UK, between February and March 2014. They used comprehensive internet searches to identify stores, and analyzed the costs of ten commonly purchased items, and then compared those with standard non-gluten-free alternatives. They also directly measured and compared the number of gluten-free foods available between stores, which were categorized according to previously published work.

None of the budget supermarkets surveyed stocked any gluten-free foods. Premium and full-service supermarkets stocked the greatest gluten-free range, with an average of 22 items (IQR 39, p<0.0001). They found that when a store did stock gluten-free products, those products were, on average, at least four times more expensive than the non-gluten-free alternatives (p<0.0001). Gluten-free products are prevalent online, but half of the ten products surveyed were significantly more expensive than gluten-free equivalents in supermarkets.

These results show that, for Sheffield at least, gluten-free foods are overall readily accessible, but also significantly more expensive than online versions, or comparable non-gluten-free store items. Still, that changes if you're in a low income neighborhood. Gluten-free food access was poor in low-income neighborhoods, as budget supermarkets stocked no gluten-free foods. This poor availability and added cost is likely to impact food availability and gluten-free diet adherence in low-income groups.

These results are for one city in the UK, but they are likely not too different than results would be in the US. Access to gluten-free food becomes more difficult in poorer neighborhoods, and it's always more expensive than non-gluten-free food.

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Celiac.com 03/28/2016 - An Oregon man who claims to have celiac disease filed another proposed class action suit against General Mills in federal court recently.

The company recalled nearly 2 million boxes of the cereal last year after what they claimed was a mistake at a local packaging plant. That recall incident has spurred several lawsuits already, which were covered in two previous articles, General Mills Sued Over Recalled Gluten-free Cheerios, and General Mills Sued Again, This Time for Misleading Labels on Gluten-free Cheerios.

In the latest suit, named plaintiff, Christopher Hamilton, of Marion County, Oregon, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class action lawsuit Feb. 29 in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon Eugene Division against General Mills Inc. and General Mills Sales Inc., alleging violations of the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act and consumer protection statutes in several states.

Hamilton's suit alleges that General Mills wrongly labels some of its Cheerios as "gluten free.” He claims he purchased a $15.98 twin pack of “gluten-free” original and honey nut-flavored varieties of Cheerios in late September from a Salem Costco that was later subject to recall.

The complaint states that a test sample of the purportedly gluten-free Cheerios contained 43 parts per million of gluten, which exceeds the 20 parts per million federal limit for a food product to be labeled as gluten free.

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In the U.S., Cadbury, and Cadbury Easter products are made by Hershey, which does not consider them to be gluten-free. However, Cadbury Creme Eggs contain no gluten ingredients, and their label states that they are manufactured in a plant that also processes tree nuts and peanuts, but not wheat.

Any Cadbury product processed in a plant that processes wheat products will be clearly labeled. So, this is a case of read the label, and make your own judgement based on your own experience or sensitivity levels.

The same is true in the UK, where possible allergens are all clearly listed. For example, the UK, the ingredient label for CADBURY DAIRY MILK HOLLOW BUNNY lists an allergen warning that the product MAY CONTAIN NUTS, WHEAT, as do other Cadbury UK products.

We feel that products containing no wheat or gluten ingredients, and made in a plant that does not process wheat, are likely safe for people on a gluten-free diet.

At the end of the day, both for Easter candy and for every day candy, it is important to read labels, check manufacturers websites, check ingredients and allergen lists, and to make judgements based on your own judgement about your sensitivity and comfort levels. 

Accordingly, we have added the following Cadbury products to the SAFE section of our Gluten-free Easter Candy List. These Cadbury products contain no gluten ingredients, and their allergen label does not list wheat:

CADBURY USA

• Cadbury Caramel Eggs
• Cadbury Creme Eggs
• Cadbury Easter Egg Trail Pack
• Cadbury Egg Heads
• Cadbury Orange Creme Eggs

CADBURY UK

• Cadbury Caramel Eggs
• Cadbury Creme Filled Eggs
• Cadbury Creme Mini Filled Eggs
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons Chick
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Mini Filled Eggs
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Daim Mini Filled Eggs
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Mousse Bunny
• Cadbury Mini Eggs

While Celiac.com places Cadbury Creme Eggs and several other Cadbury products in the SAFE section of our Gluten-free Easter Candy List, we do not recommend them for sensitive individuals. We also remind people to make decisions based on their own sensitivity and comfort levels, and to do their own research on any product they intend to consume.

We have added the following Cadbury products to the UNSAFE section of our Gluten-free Easter Candy List. These Cadbury products either contain listed gluten ingredients, or their possible allergen label lists wheat:

CADBURY UK

• Dairy Milk Hollow Milk Chocolate Freddos
• Dairy Milk Hollow Bunny
• Dairy Milk Mini Hollow Bunnies
• Dairy Milk Egg 'N' Spoon Chocolate
• Dairy Milk Egg 'N' Spoon Vanilla
• Dairy Milk Oreo Mini Filled Eggs

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These benefits are real, Corey says, even though there is no published research indicating a gluten-free diet benefits the general population, athletes who avoid gluten enjoy an overall healthier diet. Corey adds that a gluten-free diet benefits an athlete's health and fitness even if he or she did not have a problem with gluten.

"The main thing is the change in the overall diet," said Corey, who has worked with a wide variety of amateur and pro athletes, including players from the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball.

In most cases, the benefits come not so much by removing wheat, but by removing “…unhealthy, highly processed foods that are not very nutritious and replacing them with foods that are better quality and more nutritious.

Corey says that the athletes he treats who eliminate gluten generally avoid highly processed bread, pasta, cookies, desserts and snacks that contain wheat.

Major professional athletes who claim to have benefitted from a gluten-free diet, even though they do not have celiac disease, include: Tennis champion Novak Djokovic; New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira; Christie Rampone of the United States women's national soccer team; and Justin Pugh, New York Giants offensive tackle.

What do you think? Are athletes who follow a gluten-free diet for non-medical reasons seeing benefits largely from eating healthier, less-processed foods? Is that a bad thing?

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The man in the center of the battle is Bruce Skeen, an elderly gentleman with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Mr. Skeen's travails began when he paid $1 to attend Christmas function at Blacktown Workers Club in December 2013.

For the Christmas function, Skeen pre-ordered a gluten-free meal and gluten-free dessert, despite never having done so in the past. When his gluten-free roast dinner arrived without gluten-free gravy, Mr. Skeen became "angry and disruptive."

One week later, Mr Skeen returned to the club, where he became "physically and verbally aggressive" towards staff as he placed another order for a gluten-free meal and demanded gluten-free gravy be served at the upcoming New Year's Eve function. When he did not receive his gluten-free gravy he had demanded, he later sued the club for discrimination.

Skeen's suit was dismissed as frivolous by the Federal Circuit Court in Sydney last month. Suing establishments for discrimination over failure to provide gluten-free foods seems to be on the rise lately, and not just in America. 

What do you think? Is Mr. Skeen helping the cause of celiacs, or is he perhaps doing more harm than good?

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Celiac.com 03/16/2016 - If you have celiac disease, particularly if you are highly sensitive to gluten exposure, you may rely on commercial ELISA test kits for gluten detection.

There are a large variety of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) commercially available for gluten detection in food, including new formats and assays with antibodies against relevant gluten epitopes.

But, how accurate are these test kits for gluten detection? How reliable are they for people with celiac disease? A team of researchers recently set out to evaluate the accuracy of 14 ELISA kits for gluten detection. The kits they tested cover the full range of the current commercially available ELISA test kits.

The researcher team included Ilona D. Bruins Slot, Maria G. E. G. Bremer, Ine van der Fels-Klerx, with RIKILT–Wageningen UR, Wageningen, the Netherlands, and Rob J. Hamer with the Laboratory of Food Chemistry at the Wageningen University and Research Centre in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

In this study, the team assessed the performance of these kits in determining gluten content in a series of relevant food matrices varying in complexity.

Their results show that none of the currently available ELISA methods can accurately detect and quantify gluten in all cases. This includes the current type I method R5 as recommended by Codex Alimentarius.

In the face of these results, the team is calling for urgent improvements to testing kits, and recommends focusing on competitive formats, improving extraction methods, and the detection of relevant gluten peptides.

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