Q&A: How gluten-free processed foods put people with celiac disease at risk

People with celiac disease face a food paradox. Gluten-free bagels, brownie mixes, and frozen burritos beckon from grocery store shelves. Yet despite this abundance, they can’t trust that these foods are actually safe to eat.

The story of how the food industry went gaga for gluten-free products, putting the health of people with celiac at risk in the process, takes center stage in Emily Abel’s new book, “Gluten Free for Life: Celiac Disease, Medical Recognition, and the Food Industry.” The underlying issues range from inaccurate food labels to a culture that often treats gluten-free eating as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical requirement — giving food manufacturers and restaurants more leeway to play fast and loose with the term. (Indeed, sometimes the gluten-free label is randomly attached to foods containing vegetables and fruits, for instance, that one would never expect to contain gluten.)

Under current labeling rules, for example, manufacturers must disclose whether their products contain wheat (a major food allergen) but not rye or barley. All three grains contain gluten. 

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