Gluten free food wasn't gluten free - is there anything to be done?

Lily091213

I am a Celiac and therefore must eat gluten free food. I ordered a gluten free burger from a well known burger restaurant, from their special GF menu, and a while after eating, had all of the symptoms I get when I eat gluten. I'm not a particularly severe case, but if I was, it could have caused serious damage. I've known people that have been hospitalised from it. It is literally poison for some people, and as far as the restaurant knew, me.

I'm not after compensation or anything, as a) that sounds petty and b) it's tricky to prove. However, for the sake of other people, is there anything I can do? I feel like a complaint to the restaurant will probably go into their special filing cabinet. I could tell friends not to eat there, but I also feel like it's worth highlighting at a bigger level. Is this something that the food standards authority care about, or do they only care about cleanliness?

[Deleted User]

Drop the restaurant a line. Probably cross contamination which is something they could address.

cono1717

I imagine it will be filed in folder 13 not from malice just because they wont remember doing it. If during a busy period they've used the wrong tongs to move something or something has splashed they wont notice and wont remember.

I ate at a pub once ordered a steak came out well done (I wanted it medium but hey) and piping hot you'd of swore blind it was cooked. Went home and was sick a few hours later and then for 3 days after. Cross contamination is a pig. But it happens (occasionally) chalk it up to a bad experience and go from there.

Lily091213

Yeah that's fair enough - from a personal standpoint, it's easily done and didn't particularly affect me terribly, so I can just not go there again and that's the end of it. But I feel a sense of sistership with fellow Celiac sufferers (or even people who are intolerant) and wondered if there was a governing body of checking restaurants for gluten free claims.

cono1717

Maybe the FSA? http://www.food.gov.uk/

Edit: More appropriate link http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/allergy-guide/gluten

Edit 2: I should have googled more: Here's a flowchart to follow to make a claim http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/claim-gluten-food.pdf

powerful_Rogue

I feel your frustration. My partner is also a Coeliac.

Id give the resurant a call and see what they say. Personally Id also drop Coeliac UK an email regarding this and see what they suggest.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/food-industry-professionals/caterers-and-restaurateurs/accrediting-your-business/

giraffe69

Edit 2: I should of googled more:

Edit 3 I should have googled more

halibut2209

If it's a well-known restaurant, it sounds like it's part of a chain. If so, then contacting the head office should result in similar events not being repeated. I work for a chain restaurant, and our head office take a VERY slim view of procedures not being followed. Should something like this happen in my restaurant, the manager would be hauled over the coals.

duchy

Lily091213 wrote: »

Yeah that's fair enough - from a personal standpoint, it's easily done and didn't particularly affect me terribly, so I can just not go there again and that's the end of it. But I feel a sense of sistership with fellow Celiac sufferers (or even people who are intolerant) and wondered if there was a governing body of checking restaurants for gluten free claims.

If you feel sistership then surely leaving the restaurant in ignorance makes little sense/ You can't expect them to correct a problem they know nothing about. Odds are if you take the complaint anywhere else first the first question will be "What did they say when you let them know there was a problem"

Unless the place was called ESP Burgers you need to contact them first.

cono1717

giraffe69 wrote: »

Edit 3 I should have googled more

I don't think you need to google anything

paddyrg

Let them know. Let head office know. Don't even mention money at all, just that you hope they can look into how it could have happened/possible training issue as you enjoyed the meal but this marred it for you.

I'm pretty sure someone will have an investigate, procedures are likely to be tightened, and they'll probably invite you back as their guest sometime.