Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Woman Calls Radio Show to Admit Lying About Gluten-Free Baked Goods

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    A caller to a St. Louis radio show drew ire from listeners after she claimed that she worked at a local bakery, and that she routinely lied to customers and told them that regular baked goods were gluten-free when they were not.

    Woman Calls Radio Show to Admit Lying About Gluten-Free Baked Goods - Image: CC--adlang
    Caption: Image: CC--adlang

    Celiac.com 10/16/2018 - Apparently, local St. Louis radio station Z1077 hosts a show called “Dirty Little Secret.” Recently, a woman caller to the show drew ire from listeners after she claimed that she worked at a local bakery, and that she routinely lied to customers about the gluten-free status of baked goods.

    The woman said she often told customers that there was no gluten in baked goods that were not gluten-free, according to local tv station KTVI.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    Apparently the woman thought this was funny. However, for people who cannot eat gluten because they have celiac disease, telling people that food is gluten-free when it is not is about as funny as telling a diabetic that food is sugar-free when it is not. Now, of course, eating gluten is not as immediately dangerous for most celiacs as sugar is for diabetics, but the basic analogy holds.

    That’s because many people with celiac disease suffer horrible symptoms when they accidentally eat gluten, including extreme intestinal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and other problems. Some people experience more extreme reactions that leave them in emergency rooms.

    As part of a story on the “joke” segment, KTVI interviewed celiac sufferer Dana Smith, who found the punchline to be less than funny. “It’s absolutely dangerous, somebody could get very sick,” said Smith. 

    KTVI also interviewed at least one doctor, Dr. Reuben Aymerich of SSM St. Clare Hospital, who pointed out that, while celiac disease is “not like diabetes where you can reduce the amount of sugar intake and make up for it later, it’s thought you need to be 100 percent compliant if you can.”

    For her part, Smith sought to use the incident as a teaching moment. She alerted the folks at Z1077 and tried to point out how serious being gluten-free is for many people. Mary Michaels, owner of Gluten Free at Last Bakery in Maryville, Illinois, says it’s time people became more respectful.

    “I wouldn’t make fun of you if you had diabetes or a heart condition it’s kind of like that,” Michals said.

    We will likely never know if the radio station caller was telling the truth, or just putting listeners on. The Z1077 morning team did post a follow-up comment, which stated that they take celiac disease seriously, and that they did not intend to offend anyone. One host said his mom has celiac disease.

    It’s good to see a positive response from the radio station. Their prank was short-sighted, and the caller deserved to be called out on her poor behavior. Hopefully, they have learned their lesson and will avoid such foolishness in the future. Let us know your thoughts below.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Diabetic/Celiac Mom

    Posted

    My son has type 1 diabetes AND celiac disease, and to say that “eating gluten is not as immediately dangerous for most celiacs as sugar is for diabetics” is also an ignorant fallacy.  Diabetics can have sugar, and it isn’t dangerous; it’s just unhealthy (as for anyone) and causes more of a spike and drop in blood sugar (as for anyone, just a bit higher).  Also noteworthy, sugar-free foods, candies, etc. still have carbohydrates and affect blood sugar.

     I would say the immediate effect of consuming gluten produces far worse repercussions.  My son has had accidental run-ins with gluten, and his whole body hurt.  He had a terrible headache and stomach ache.  He was writhing in pain, and my normally limitlessly energetic child passed out for the day at 4:00 p.m.  He couldn’t even force water.  It was horrible to watch.  This isn’t a joke or anything to take lightly.  To lie about being gluten-free is cruel.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Diabetic/Celiac Mom

    Posted

    Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease, not just an allergy.  It causes systemic inflammation that can affect the entire body.  Just one consumption of gluten can cause a reaction in the body that can last up to 6 months.  It can also cause permanent damage to the intestines which inhibits absorption of nutrients during digestion.  

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Awol cast iron stomach

    It's all joke for some until someone or someone they love has this condition.

    Society is  uneducated about celiac, auto immune diseases, and allergies in general. They will get there, I am not sure when, but it certainly is necessary. 

    Many are just under educated about this topic, but this caller is either a "troll" or a cruel individual. Not funny.

    What is amazing is one of the radio hosts mother's is celiac and had to be exposed to this shenanigans for the pay check knowing the truth celiacs face . He/she certainly earned their pay check that day dealing with a sensitive issue in an insensitive world of nit wits.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Destiny Stone
    Paul Seelig Falsely Accuses Man of Murder to Avoid Felony Charges Related to Fake Gluten-Free Bread
    Celiac.com 06/08/2010 - Paul Seelig of Durham, owner of Great Specialty Products; a bread company that claimed to manufacture gluten-free bread which actually contained gluten and made many people sick, is now facing additional indictments for false murder implications.
    Selling, 48, is facing nine felony fraud charges for selling gluten contaminated bread which he claimed was gluten-free. People began complaining about Seelig's bread products after getting sick from them, which led state state officials to close Seelig's business in January, and arrest Seelig on criminal charges in February.
    In March, State School Board member Kathy Taft was raped and left for dead. She later died, and almost two months after that Jason K. Williford was charged with Kathy Taft's rape and murder....


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 04/09/2011 - A Durham, North Carolina man is currently on trial for fraud after being accused of deliberately selling bread labeled gluten-free that contained gluten, and which sickened more than two dozen people with food allergies.
    According to a Wake County prosecutor, the man, Paul Seelig, owner of Great Specialty Products, repeatedly lied to customers about the ingredients in his bread. Seelig faces more than two dozen fraud charges for taking customers' money under false pretenses. Prosecutors plan to call almost 50 witnesses.
    Prosecutor Evans told jurors that witnesses would include two dozen customers who suffer from celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and who became ill after eating Seelig's products, along with the University of Nebraska experts who tested...


    Dyani Barber
    Paul Seelig Found Guilty of Selling Fake Gluten-Free Bread Gets 11 Years
    Celiac.com 04/12/2011 - Paul Seelig was found guilty today of 23 counts of obtaining property by false pretense after a two-week trial in Durham, NC. The jury found that he illegally represented baked goods as gluten-free, but they actually contained gluten. Mr. Seelig received an 11 year prison sentence for his crimes, which included the sickening of more than two dozen customers, one of whom had a premature delivery that was possibly caused by her involuntary gluten consumption.
    Seelig's company, Great Specialty Products, purchased regular gluten-containing items from companies in New Jersey such as Costco, and then repackaged them in his home kitchen and sold them as "gluten-free" at the NC State Fair, various street fairs and via home delivery. Seelig claimed that his baked items...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 04/23/2015 - Not only did a gluten-free diet and lifestyle changes NOT cure Australian "wellness" blogger Belle Gibson of terminal brain cancer, but the 23-year-old is admitting that she never actually had cancer in the first place.
    Gibson published a book and even created a popular cellphone app, "The Whole Pantry," and in the process made at least $300,000 from people who also hoped to cure cancer or other ailments by changing their diet. She had promised to donate a portion of those proceeds to cancer charity, but apparently kept all the money, which proved to be the catalyst for her subsequent downfall.
    Deeper scrutiny and investigation of Gibson's claim revealed that she never actually had cancer in the first place.
    Since being revealed as a fraudster...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - JA917 replied to JA917's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      A year and a half of test confusion...

    2. - Scott Adams replied to JA917's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      A year and a half of test confusion...

    3. - JA917 replied to JA917's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      A year and a half of test confusion...

    4. - Scott Adams replied to JA917's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      8

      A year and a half of test confusion...

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Redward's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      11

      Alprazolam gluten free?


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,481
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    NanaE
    Newest Member
    NanaE
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • JA917
    • marion wheaton
      6
    • Jula
    • GardeningForHealth
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...