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GUIDING GLUTEN-FREE

An estimated 3 million Americans have celiac disease, but fewer than 100,000 are accurately diagnosed. That's why food retailers are now doing much more than just stocking gluten-free products. Many are also educating the public about the symptoms of the intestinal disorder triggered by gluten intolerance, and ways to get a proper diagnosis. Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, N.Y., is one of

An estimated 3 million Americans have celiac disease, but fewer than 100,000 are accurately diagnosed.

That's why food retailers are now doing much more than just stocking gluten-free products. Many are also educating the public about the symptoms of the intestinal disorder triggered by gluten intolerance, and ways to get a proper diagnosis.

Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, N.Y., is one of them. Along with offering more than 250 gluten-free products in its stores, it partnered with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness in October for Make a Difference Day, an event aimed at driving diagnosis of celiac disease.

Wegmans ordered 100,000 NFCA “Do I Have Celiac?” brochures to display in-store. It also sampled gluten-free products, and had dietitians on hand in 25 stores to answer questions.

“Wegmans hired [additional] dietitians for the event to talk to people about how to manage the disease,” said Vanessa Maltin, spokeswoman for the Washington-based NFCA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for celiac disease.

The retailer is also participating in the NFCA's “Gluten-Free Cooking Spree,” an annual multi-city tour that educates doctors and chefs about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet.

Visiting six cities this year, the cooking competition involves teams of chefs, doctors and reporters who prepare gluten-free meals. A food critic, a celiac specialist and a child with celiac disease choose which recipe is best. The winners get a donation made to the hospital affiliated with the team's doctor. All participants receive a gift basket with a variety of gluten-free products.

At the tour's Washington stop in April, Wegmans will provide food for all the chefs and will sample its gluten-free products.

“Wegmans also will have a dietitian at the event to provide gluten-free diet information to attendees,” said Maltin.

Such efforts can help retailers attract new customers because, while celiac disease cannot be cured, it can be managed by avoiding all sources of gluten in the diet.

“By educating people about the symptoms, supermarkets can attract many new customers,” Maltin said.


Retailers are also stepping up efforts to help celiacs live gluten-free.

One way United Supermarkets, Lubbock, Texas, does so is with gluten-free cooking classes in select stores.

Likewise, United's Market Street banner had a gluten-free booth at the Texas Dietetic Association meeting in Dallas last year. And the retailer is considering sending a representative to the National Gluten Intolerance Group's annual conference June 6-7 in Irving, Texas.

A Hy-Vee store in Faribault, Minn., has begun holding “gluten-free open houses,” where products are sampled and featured in recipes. At a Feb. 23 open house, store dietitian Ayn Cavek discussed the importance of a gluten-free diet for those with celiac disease, as well as new research showing that such a diet can help those with autism.

“The open house is an opportunity to educate people that they can have the foods they love,” Cavek said. “The supermarket can be their pharmacy.”

The events help the Hy-Vee store demonstrate that gluten-free living can be both healthy and delicious.

“A lot of times, people will pay $5 or $6 for a loaf of gluten-free bread, get it home and find out they don't like it,” Cavek said.

That's why she samples about six different gluten-free products, such as baked goods and pasta, that taste good.

The open houses also serve as a reminder of the vast array of gluten-free groceries found in Hy-Vee's stores.

“Ten years ago, someone who came into a supermarket looking for gluten-free would be hard-pressed to find anything,” Cavek said. “That's changed so much that there are even frozen gluten-free foods for kids.”

Gluten-free living has become such a hot topic at Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, Ohio, that the retailer launched a support group for those with celiac disease.

The group meets monthly at the retailer's Washington Square store. A meeting was also held at DLM's annual health fair on March 1.


Another way retailers are spreading the word about celiac disease is via newsletters, brochures and other printed materials.

“Living Gluten-Free” is a theme of an article Big Y's dietitian Carrie Taylor authored in the latest issue of the chain's Living Well Eating Smart health and wellness consumer newsletter. The newsletter details what celiac disease is, what the typical symptoms are, and what living, shopping and eating gluten-free entails.

The article promotes several gluten-free products sold in the retailer's stores, including Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats, Tribe Hummus, Kozy Shack Pudding and Thai Pavilion products.

Taylor also writes about her favorite resource for gluten-free living, “Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide,” a book by dietitian Shelley Case.

Big Y has ordered copies of the book to coincide with Taylor's gluten-free-themed newsletter. The book is being merchandised in the chain's Living Well Eating Smart endcaps with a variety of gluten-free food.

Big Y uses shelf tags to identify products deemed gluten-free from the Celiac Sprue Association's gluten-free product listing and from another database.

Since the government has not yet released standards for gluten-free product labeling, the shelf tags encourage shoppers to do research when buying gluten-free.

“Customers are always advised, right on the tag, to verify that the product's ingredients are still gluten-free — as ingredients can change quickly without notice,” Taylor said.

As for other plans, Taylor wants to reach out to gluten-free organizations to collaborate on an informational brochure about celiac disease. She hopes to make the brochure available on the Big Y website and distribute paper copies at community events.

Taylor also may start offering gluten-free cooking classes once she becomes more knowledgeable about gluten-free flours and other products.

These and other efforts make perfect sense for food retailers, since the only treatment for celiac disease is diet, she said.

“Easing customers' transitions into their new eating plan is often a missed opportunity for food retailers,” she said.

Retailers need to have accurate educational materials and classes, as well as employee education on what living gluten-free entails, Taylor advised.

“Many individuals who are diagnosed with celiac disease lack referral from their physician to meet with a registered dietitian and discuss what their next steps need to be,” she said. “Having this information provided by a neighborhood supermarket helps set customers on the right path to living healthfully with celiac disease — and the customer will remember this.”

Taylor said Big Y stresses the importance of getting proper medical tests to confirm whether celiac disease may be the cause of certain health issues. Too often, she said, people will inaccurately self-diagnose without getting medical tests.