Giant Food Makes Gluten-free Eating Easy

Giant Food of Landover, Md. is making it easier for shoppers who follow gluten-free diets to choose the right foods. There are now easy-to-spot shelf labels on gluten-free items in all 173 neighborhood stores. The labels are blue and green and can be found directly below gluten-free foods. Nearly 3,000 products available at Giant Food have been identified as gluten free. Giant’s new gluten-free shelf tag:       It’s estimated that three million Americans have Celiac disease, an immune disorder in which gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, therefore necessitating a gluten-free diet. Many more Americans choose to follow a gluten-free diet for other personal or health reasons. Gluten is a protein found in carbohydrates including wheat, barley, and rye, so any products containing these ingredients, including pasta, cookies, and bread can be hazardous to a person’s health if they have Celiac disease. Gluten can also be used as an additive in items such as soy sauce and licorice. “We want to make grocery shopping as convenient as possible for all our shoppers,” said Anthony Hucker, president, Giant Food of Landover, Md. “People who maintain gluten-free diets no longer have to check ingredients on every item they purchase in Giant, but instead look for the blue and green gluten-free shelf tags. We’re happy to offer this convenience to all our customers, whatever their dietary needs may be.”