Cautionary Tale for Both Patron & Restaurant, #2

This link came from a dear friend and loyal Allergic Girl reader (Hey Stevie!).

Keep in mind the story is in translation, and there seems to be a basic misunderstanding about the difference between food allergies, food intolerances and celiac disease.

However the Russian-origin Reaganism: “Trust, But Verify” before dining with any special dietary request couldn’t be truer here (and everywhere).

Question: why would anyone serve “pasta” to a group of celiac diners? And why would a celiac diner feel safe looking down at a bowl of “pasta”?

Bottom line: it is always “diner beware”, always. And always, “Trust, but Verify” before dining.

The meal had been arranged for around 60 participants from across Europe attending a youth summer camp in Germany for sufferers of a type of lactose and gluten intolerance known as celiac disease.

“A few hours after the luncheon people began throwing up,” 18-year-old Henrik Tornberg, one of three Swedes who attended the meal, told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

“Everyone thought it was strange; we had filled out forms requesting gluten-free food.”

But the banquet, which had been organized by the Swedish Celiac Youth Society (SCUF), featured pasta made from spelt, a grain related to common wheat which contains moderate amounts of gluten.

More here.