For those of you who follow my twitter and Facebook accounts you may be aware of a recent article in The Sun
regarding a lady suing because she was accidentally served normal pasta instead of the requested gluten free pasta. It was heightened by the fact that she had checked three times with the serving staff that the pasta she was given was definitely gluten free. Despite being a little sensationalist (after all that’s the nature of the newspaper), the fact remains that a renowned restaurant offered a gluten free meal and then failed to deliver. Unfortunately for Ms Richardson the ramification of that is that she was too ill to undergo a life saving operation.
What I’m astounded by is the responses to the article. The issue is not whether coeliacs or those with any allergy should eat out at all, but that a restaurant promised a certain meal and did not provide it. If any establishment offers any gluten free meal it has a responsibility to ensure that it is doing so within strict guidelines. It is no different to chopping cooked meat on a raw meat board…..the likely outcome is that someone will be ill.
Sadly, and I really hope this is not the case, it may put some catering establishments off providing gluten free options. Putting together gluten free meals should be part and parcel of any eatery, but the trick is the management of it. It should be set out and handled properly, to not only protect the business, but also to enhance the experience of the diner.
Coeliacs only make up one percent of the population. However, we rarely dine alone, so if a company does not offer a well-managed gluten free option, then a business could potentially lose out on two plus diners – can anyone afford to do that?
