Cross Contamination

Cross contamination of gluten containing foods with those that are gluten free is a problem for all people with gluten sensitivities, but especially people with Celiac disease. Just a little bit of gluten is all it takes to get the whole horrible cycle going again. There are three areas of possible contamination that need to be considered: food preparation at home, at restaurants and manufacture prepared foods.

We are trying to keep all new foods that come into our house gluten-free. But when I learned of my diagnosis, I had just gone shopping, buying bagels and cereal. We decided not to throw them out or give them away and have the boys (husband included) finish them up. When putting butter or Nutella on bagels, crumbs can stick to the knife and contaminate the containers. My husband marked a new container of butter with GF so that he and the boys knew not to use it when buttering their bagels. I did the same to a container of Nutella (don't mess with Mom's Nutella!). We used the toaster for those glutenous bagels, but threw it away once they were gone. Just think of all those crumbs inside! Since we were getting a new toaster, I had fun shopping and bought one in my favorite color: green!

If your house is not completely gluten-free (GF), you want to make sure that you do not put GF foods on surfaces that you had regular food. Crumbs could contaminate your GF food there. Make sure to use separate utensils on your GF food when preparing both gluten and GF food at the same time. If you use canisters or other containers to store food, either have certain containers for GF food or wash them out thoroughly between uses. Do you have a standing mixer? I found that there was still some flower around the top of my mixer (because I am a messy baker). So, I used a wet cloth to clean it off so that none of it would contaminate what I am mixing. And our flatware drawer is just below the counter where the toaster sits. My kids didn't always get the door shut, so there were plenty of crumbs in there. To be safe, I cleaned the drawer and the flatware organizer.

Many of these above tips would apply to food preparation in restaurants. There must always be at least one certified food handler present any time a restaurant's kitchen is in use. To become certified, they have to learn about proper food handling to prevent illness. One concept they really understand is preventing cross-contamination. Think about raw meat. You can't have the same utensils or surfaces touch raw and cooked meat because any contaminates, such as bacteria, could be transferred to the cooked meat and make patrons ill. The same concept applies to gluten for people with Celiac. You cannot even use a pizza cutter on a pizza with a gluten crust and then on a pizza with a GF crust, because the gluten can be transferred between the crusts on that pizza cutter. So, when you talk to your server at a restaurant about your dietary requirements, use the words cross contamination; this will help ensure that your meal remains GF.

When buying food in the grocery store, the ideal is to find food labeled gluten-free certified. In August of 2014, a new FDA regulation went into effect stating that any food with this certification meets criteria set by the FDA.

"The Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP) offers consumer protection and guidance by requiring rigorous, annual audits to ensure the products it certifies are the result of good manufacturing practices and appropriate gluten-free protocols. This reduces the risk of recalls, ensures consistent gluten-free safety throughout the manufacturing process, and provides additional assurance to consumers." (Gluten-Free Certification Program)

A food that says it is naturally gluten-free does not undergo the certification, but does not contain gluten. However, there is still the possibility for cross contamination through the manufacturing process, although this risk is minimal. Look under the ingredient list for something like, "manufactured in a facility that processes wheat. " If it says something like this, it is best to avoid this product. 

With a little research or proper preparation, you will reduce the risk of gluten cross contamination.