Burger King recently released information that they would now be providing a gluten sensitive menu. See press release. Although the foods they are offering (to include apples, french fries, and salad) are gluten free (and have always been gluten free), my concern was one of cross contamination. I think the importance of avoiding cross contamination is often overlooked. When a gluten free product comes in contact with a gluten product, the gluten free product is no longer gluten free. For example, if you take (gluten free) french fries and put them in the fryer where chicken fingers were just fried, those french fries are now no longer gluten free. (Chicken is also gluten free, but the bread crumbs are not!) So as many news articles and blogs were popping up across the internet, I decided to email the BK RD to clarify if the menu was gluten free. Her response is below.
The Gluten Sensitive List is meant to be a guide for our guests with gluten sensitivity, providing foods and ingredients on the BURGER KING® restaurant menu in the U.S. that do not contain wheat, barley, oats or rye. The Gluten Sensitive List is not intended for people with severe gluten intolerance. The information on the Gluten Sensitive List is based on suppliers' ingredient lists and is as complete as possible at the time of publication (December 2009). However, actual gluten content of these foods and ingredients may vary, depending upon the supplier, product handling, and each restaurant's food preparation practices.
Therefore, those people who have Celiac Disease where a 100% gluten free diet is necessary to maintain a healthy life and avoid malnutrition, BK's gluten sensitive menu choices are likely not a good choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment