Optimal Food Safety Programs

In the past decade, few consumer-driven trends have competed with gluten-free products. The demand was a surprise, motivated by people who must avoid gluten or choose not to consume it. Consumers "must avoid" generally suffer from celiac disease. This is a serious condition that reduces the ability of the small intestine to properly absorb nutrients from food.

I am very familiar with the symptoms and dietary restrictions because my two daughters have celiac disease. Both were diagnosed in 2001 while it was rare to find gluten-free labeled foods. At that time, the only directives on packaged foods were on the label (sometimes confusing) and used fresh and unprocessed foods. Fortunately, because of the demand from celiac patients and others who choose to avoid gluten, gluten-labeled products are readily available today.

Although gluten is not technically a food allergen, in practice it can and should be handled in a factory (or in your kitchen if you have a celiac patient who joins you for meals) as you would any other allergen, like peanuts or eggs.

Gluten is found in wheat, but it can be found in other grains such as barley and rye, so it can be confusing if you see items labeled "wheat free" because they may contain gluten. In addition, there is a level of contamination of gluten-containing grains typically found in oats, a gluten-free grain that is generally not considered as such because of cross-contamination. Oats must be grown and harvested separately and tested for gluten-free status.

When my daughters were first diagnosed, we were amazed at how limited a diet adapted to celiac disease is. At that time, being a celiac patient was very difficult. Think about it: no bread, pizza, liquorice, oats and beer (or many other alcohols). However, since then, more gluten-free foods have become available in grocery stores and restaurants.

So, what are the optimal food safety programs to make a gluten-free product? Just as with allergens, the best option is to have a dedicated line - or better, a separate facility - specifically for making gluten-free snacks and baked goods. If this is not possible, as in most cases, a bakery can manage risk by establishing strict programs to monitor, verify and validate cleaning and separation protocols. The best practices from allergen control plans such as supplier qualifications, sanitary fittings design, proper scheduling, testing for clean contact surfaces and finished product, segregated and identified allergen materials, and employee training are a few of the prerequisite programs that should be the foundation of a gluten-free control program.

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