Delete the Wheat - Blog

Pizza Cross Contact Report by Good Morning America

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Dining out is one of the biggest challenges for a person living with celiac disease. And, to be frank, restaurants offer varying levels of safety from cross contact to those with celiac disease and gluten-related disorders. A pizza parlor, with flour flying in the air and settling on counter tops, utensils, and even the wait staff, is one area of significant concern. ABC News did a well-done segment entitled “Gluten-free pizza may not be safe from cross-contamination at restaurants.”

Take a look. 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/gluten-free-pizza-safe-cross-contamination-restaurants/story?id=63620855

Unfortunately, two of the fifteen pizzas GMA ordered exceeded the FDA’s 20 parts per million threshold for gluten-free food, despite initial assurances to producers that the pizzas were safe for someone with celiac to consume.

Once again, I’d like to commend Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC for working behind the scenes on this, helping the team at GMA understand how to sample and test these pizzas. *

Wishing you a safe and happy Fourth of July,

Melinda

 * I have no financial interest in Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC.

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Melinda Dennis, MS, RDN

Hi! I was diagnosed with celiac disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis (an associated skin rash) in 1992 when celiac disease was considered to be rare. Following my passion for teaching, I received my MS in Nutrition and Health Promotion from Simmons College in Boston, MA, completed my clinical internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and in 2004 co-founded the Celiac Center as the Nutrition Coordinator and a research co-investigator where I work today.

I enjoy lecturing nationally and internationally and have written extensively on the nutritional management of celiac disease, including the award-winning book Real Life with Celiac Disease: Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten Free. I am lead author and editor of the comprehensive nutrition and medical website: celiacnow.org and served two terms as the first dietitian Councilor at Large for the North American Society for the Study of Celiac Disease.

I now serve as Executive Committee Member of the Celiac Research Program at Harvard Medical School. and as Senior Nutritionist Consultant to the National Celiac Association.

I've been interviewed by NPR, US News and World Report, Today's Dietitian, Boston Magazine, AARP, Eating Well, the Harvard Health Letter, the Boston Globe, the LA Times, WCVB TV Boston, Fox News, and numerous radio stations and gluten-free magazines. It's been my pleasure to work with many patients and multiple gluten-free companies to advance the awareness of gluten-related disorders. Click here to access links to various interviews and articles.

Banner Photo: Courtesy of Newton Community Farm, MA