Celiac Disease Foundation & Juice PLUS+

I am a member of the Celiac Disease Foundation and just finished reading the Winter 2008 newsletter. I have been eating Juice PLUS (fruits, vegetables & grains) capsules for sometime. I was pleasantly surprised to listed on page 9, "Product News", of the CDF newsletter.

It stated, "Juice PLUS+ capsules are regularly tested using Tepnel ELISA methodology (AOAC method 991.19) for the presence of gluten, and can be classified according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission standard as gluten free."

I am a wellness educator and I enjoy educating people on the relationship between nutrition and disease. I do recommend Juice PLUS+ to everyone. It has been clinically proven to put the immune system into balance. Anyone with an autoimmune disease, or any disease, can benefit from better nutrition. Juice PLUS+ is whole food nutrition.

If you would like to order Juice PLUS+, please visit http://www.addsomejuice.com/ A portion of the proceeds, generated from customers with celiac disease, will be donated to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

To become a member of CDF visit http://www.celiac.org/

Red Robin- Gluten Free Menu? Is it safe?

I thought I would share this information with everyone. My sister -in- law and I both have celiac disease~ what are the chances of that! This weekend we are celebrating my husband's birthday and Father's day, so we were looking for a GF friendly restaurant. I thought Red Robin was okay, you can get a burger wrapped in lettuce and the french fries are fried in a dedicated frier (no Red Robin seasonings on either). In fact, I ate there last week and had the above items without and outwardly ill effects, so that is why I suggested it.

Shame on me for not reading the fine print on the GF menu. I had it emailed to me from Angel at corporate angel@redrobin.com

Hi Lori,
All of our Red Robin restaurant team members are trained in proper allergy food handling. Please notify your server of your allergy and they will notify the manager on duty who will supervise your food preparation.
Thank you for choosing Red Robin!

Here is what the menu reads in red print

PLEASE READ:
Note: This page must accompany any and all allergen
information provided by Red robin.
(By the way, this page was not given to me at the Bolingbrook restaurant the day I ate there.)

THIS INFORMATION IS VALID ONLY FOR SELECT U.S. RED
ROBIN RESTAURANTS. RED ROBIN RELIED ON OUR SUPPLIERS’
STATEMENTS OF INGREDIENTS IN DECIDING WHICH PRODUCTS
DID NOT CONTAIN CERTAIN ALLERGENS. SUPPLIERS MAY
CHANGE THE INGREDIENTS IN THEIR PRODUCTS OR THE WAY
THEY PREPARE THEIR PRODUCTS, SO PLEASE CHECK THIS LIST
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MENU ITEM YOU LIKE STILL MEETS
YOUR DIETARY REQUIREMENTS.

FROM TIME TO TIME WE MAY SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS DUE
TO INVENTORY SHORTAGES. WE CAN’T BE SURE THAT THE
SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS WILL BE FREE OF THE ALLERGEN YOU
WISH TO AVOID.

AS WE COOK, PREPARE, AND SERVE YOUR MEAL, THE LISTED
MENU OPTION MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH THE ALLERGEN YOU
WANT TO AVOID. FOR EXAMPLE, WE MIGHT COOK THE LISTED
MENU OPTION ON THE SAME BROILER AS A MENU ITEM THAT
CONTAINS THE ALLERGEN YOU WANT TO AVOID. THAT’S JUST THE
WAY OUR KITCHEN IS SET UP. RED ROBIN CANNOT GUARANTEE
THAT ANY MENU ITEM WILL BE PREPARED COMPLETELY FREE OF the allergen you are trying to avoid.

Does this sound safe to you? So what if they have a GF menu! They certainly do not want the the business of the 3,000,000 plus Americans living with celiac disease~ not to mention our buddies with gluten intolerance! Do your homework, Red Robin! Please do not advertise that you have a GF menu because your safety practices stink! Email Angel angel@redrobin.com and tell her what you think.

We are eating at one of the other GF restaurant listed on this site.....Remember, there is ALWAYS a risk when eating out, however, some restaurants are more safe than others. Don't be fooled just because they offer a gluten free menu!