False Advertizing

[Kategrad7]

I am currently spending the next 9-10 months in a very small town in upstate New York and when eating out my options are pretty limited. There is a coffee shop that has had soups and chilies that are labeled gluten free and they are fantastic!

Last week I got sick and could not for the life of me figure out what it was, everything I ate was labeled as gluten free, including the white chicken chili but I was so tired I could barely function. I went back to that same store this weekend and found that they store the loaf of French bread on top of the soup containers!

I went to the manager and explained that the soup is advertized as gluten free and when they keep the bread on top of the soup containers (the lids have holes for the ladles) it is not really gluten free. He said he would

[sandsurfgirl]

Please please do not go in there and threaten to sue him or something like that. Restaurants to do not have to accommodate anybody's allergies. They do it to be helpful as well as bring in a larger customer base. If people start threatening restaurants they will all just quit offering it. If I owned a restaurant honestly I would be scared to offer anything gluten free for that very purpose.

The best thing you can do is be nice, tell them you appreciate that they are offering gluten free good and then explain why CC is an issue. Be simple and direct. "Most people with celiac disease will have a reaction to very small amounts of gluten. Even a few crumbs can make a person with celiac sick for a week. Could you please be careful with the gluten free soups and any other items you label gluten free? I was sick after eating in your restaurant for X amount of days and I was in a lot of pain."

You will get more flies with honey than with vinegar.

[Emilushka]

I completely agree. People don't understand how little gluten it can take to get you sick, and it's not because they don't care. They just don't realize how miserable Celiac is. I get people all the time who say, "Oh, I just wouldn't be able to give up [delicious bread product]!" and it's because they don't understand what misery it is to eat that delicious bread product if you have Celiac. I told someone last night that if your pooping made you cry, you'd find that delicious product a lot less tasty. That almost got the message across.

But please remember that to people who haven't seen this up close and personal, it doesn't seem that bad. It's not really a part of the public consciousness yet. The store owner is probably a great guy who would really care about helping people not get sick.

[Skylark]

I agree too. That manager needs to know that you will be a regular customer and appreciate his attention to details if things can be sorted out. He also needs to know exactly what happens to you when so-called "gluten free" food has breadcrumbs in it.

There is legal recourse, but you would have to hire a lawyer and I think you would have to prove there was gluten in the soup. Then you have to demonstrate monetary damages (like medical bills or missed work).

[Kategrad7]

Thank you for all the help. I am very non-confrontational and just saying something to the management was a big step for me in terms of being pro-active about my health.I would never consider legal action appropriate especially in this case. I was just wondering if there was an over all organization that has pamphlets for shop owners who want more information on how to keep products gluten free or what that means, so it's not just me standing there saying "um thats not a great thing to do" as he places the bread on top of the soup containers. Sometimes I wish there were three classifications, wheat free, gluten free and celiac safe, then we would know that the food as well as the prep was safe!

[irish daveyboy]

  On 9/30/2010 at 8:28 PM, Kategrad7 said:

Thank you for all the help. I was just wondering if there was an over all organization that has pamphlets for shop owners who want more information on how to keep products gluten free or what that means, so it's not just me standing there saying "um thats not a great thing to do" as he places the bread on top of the soup containers.

This may be of help.

Open Original Shared Link

Plus

just how small is 20 Parts Per Million (very,very,very small) check it yourself.

In the example 1/5 of 1 square equals 20 dots

The whole page (scroll right) = 1,000,000 dots.

Open Original Shared Link

Best Regards,

David

[Takala]

  On 9/30/2010 at 8:28 PM, Kategrad7 said:

Thank you for all the help. I am very non-confrontational and just saying something to the management was a big step for me in terms of being pro-active about my health.I would never consider legal action appropriate especially in this case. I was just wondering if there was an over all organization that has pamphlets for shop owners who want more information on how to keep products gluten free or what that means, so it's not just me standing there saying "um thats not a great thing to do" as he places the bread on top of the soup containers. Sometimes I wish there were three classifications, wheat free, gluten free and celiac safe, then we would know that the food as well as the prep was safe!

_________

Yes, there is a restaurant organization for this.

Open Original Shared Link

Also, word gets around because most places have a support group or message board for celiac/gluten intolerant. Most of us are pretty lenient, and cautious, because we may not be sure of what the reaction was to, but if we are sure and it happens a few times, and we have seen the evidence, it might get mentioned somewhere.

My favorite place is changing locations, and is closing for the month of Oct while they move. They are rather astonished we drive that far to get their food, but not only is it gluten free, it's absolutely delicious Indian curry, and when we gluten free people find something that works, we are loyal customers. I found them by googling gluten free and the name of the town. When they reopen, we will go back. I am already planning the drive route, it might be easier for my spouse to drop in there after work and get take out sometime. I hope I can still point people there.

There is another place up near the lake that I found a news magazine article on, that mentioned they had a gluten free sushi menu option now. We called and then checked it out, and it was also fantastic. My rule is that I eat at something several times before mentioning it, to make sure they're consistent, but I am eagerly awaiting the next trip. The thought of having a decent gluten free meal out in that part of the tourist area is wonderful. The restaurant scene is very competitive in these tourist areas and when I checked the reviews, everybody was very positive about this one. There is a different restaurant that has some gluten free options, on another side of the lake, that was written up by a gluten free reviewer, but the reviews from the gluten eaters showed that the service is a bit inconsistent, and the hours are too, so, oh well. Oh, and they close all the time before holidays. I was trying to memorize when they were actually going to be open, and thought, this sounds like too much of a hassle.

There is also a nondescript looking from the outside, bar and grill watering hole on the way up to the ski areas, just off the highway, that we've stopped in lots and I've gotten the simple meat and vegetables routine and have never had any problem with, and the staff has always been really nice, even if they don't have it written on the menu. I pass the word around locally, even to regular diners, because I really want this place to stay open. The rest of the menu is actually great, too.

Hopefully you can get this resolved with the people who are putting the bread on top the soup containers. ( I'm appalled !) I am sure that most restaurant owners would rather have us dragging companions into these places because we can eat there, instead of the opposite.