Advocating for truly celiac-safe options in restaurants nationwide
The Problem: “Gluten-Free” Menu Items Aren’t Celiac-Safe
Every day, 3.3 million Americans with celiac disease face an impossible choice: risk their health at restaurants or miss out on social experiences entirely.
The current reality:
Restaurant “gluten-free options” are prepared in kitchens where:
- Flour becomes airborne and settles on all surfaces
- The same hands that touched bread touch your food
- Shared grills, fryers, and prep surfaces cross-contact everything
- Even dedicated staff cannot prevent contamination in a shared kitchen
The result: People with celiac disease cannot safely eat at most restaurants. This isn’t overcaution—it’s medical reality.
Research confirms that restaurant dining is a significant source of gluten exposure for people on a gluten-free diet, despite ordering “gluten-free” menu items.
The Solution: Sealed, Certified, Celiac-Safe
What if restaurants offered a meal that:
- Arrives at the restaurant sealed in certified packaging
- Is heated without opening (sous vide or boil-in-bag technology)
- Never touches the restaurant’s kitchen surfaces, equipment, or staff hands
- Carries GFCO certification (tested below 10 ppm)
- Is served directly to the customer in its original container
This technology already exists. Airlines, hospitals, and meal delivery services use sealed packaging daily. The only thing missing is restaurants willing to stock it.
Why This Would Work
The Technology
Sealed meal solutions use:
- Sous vide packaging: Food sealed in pouches, heated in water without opening
- Retort packaging: Shelf-stable sealed containers that can be heated
- Certified manufacturing: GFCO or equivalent certification ensures <10 ppm gluten
These methods are already used by:
- Airlines serving gluten-free meals
- Hospitals with celiac patients
- Meal prep companies targeting celiac customers
- Overseas restaurants in celiac-aware countries
The Business Case
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Market size | 3.3 million Americans with celiac + millions more with household members affected |
| Group dining | Families avoid restaurants entirely if one member can’t eat safely |
| First-mover advantage | No major chain currently offers this—opportunity to lead |
| Minimal investment | No kitchen modifications—just stock and heat sealed products |
| Liability reduction | Certified third-party products reduce cross-contact risk |
| Premium pricing | Celiac customers willingly pay more for verified safety |
What We’re Asking
We’re not asking restaurants to rebuild their kitchens.
We’re asking them to:
- Partner with a GFCO-certified meal provider
- Stock sealed, pre-made celiac-safe meals
- Heat meals in their sealed packaging
- Serve without cross-contact
- Market the option to the celiac community
One menu item. Zero kitchen changes. Millions of potential customers.
Take Action
1. Sign the Petition
Add your name to our open letter to restaurant executives. We deliver signatures directly to decision-makers.
2. Send the Executive Letter
Use our template to contact restaurant headquarters directly. Personalize it with your story.
3. Share on Social Media
Use our toolkit to spread the word. Tag restaurants. Create visibility.
4. Recruit Allies
Friends and family members are powerful advocates. They can speak to the social exclusion they’ve witnessed.
Executive Letter Template
Use this letter to contact restaurant corporate offices. Personalize it with your experience.
[Your Name] [Your City, State] [Date]
To the Executive Team of [Restaurant Name]:
RE: A Market Opportunity and a Request
I’m writing on behalf of the approximately 3.3 million Americans living with celiac disease—an autoimmune condition that requires strict avoidance of gluten to prevent intestinal damage and serious health complications.
We want to eat at [Restaurant Name]. Currently, we can’t.
This isn’t about preference. Celiac disease means that even trace amounts of gluten—the equivalent of a few bread crumbs—trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine. Symptoms can last for days or weeks. Long-term consequences include malnutrition, osteoporosis, and increased cancer risk.
The current situation:
Your “gluten-free” menu items are prepared in the same kitchen as gluten-containing products. While this serves customers who avoid gluten by preference, it does not serve those of us with celiac disease. Cross-contact occurs through shared surfaces, airborne flour, utensils, and staff handling.
I am not criticizing your practices—they reflect industry norms. But they exclude millions of potential customers.
The proposed solution:
[Restaurant Name] could offer one celiac-safe meal option using sealed, pre-packaged meals:
- Prepared in a GFCO-certified facility (tested below 10 ppm)
- Sealed in tamper-evident packaging
- Heated without opening (sous vide/retort technology)
- Served directly to the customer without touching kitchen surfaces
This requires no modifications to your kitchen. Simply stock a certified product, heat per instructions, and serve.
The opportunity:
- 3.3 million Americans with celiac disease
- Millions more family members who dine with us
- An underserved market estimated at $15+ billion annually
- First-mover advantage in the restaurant industry
- Brand differentiation as an inclusive, health-conscious company
My request:
Please consider piloting one sealed celiac-safe meal option at select locations. I would be happy to connect you with GFCO-certified meal providers or celiac advocacy organizations.
People with celiac disease would love nothing more than to be your customers. Please give us that opportunity.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Email]
Social Media Toolkit
Campaign Hashtags
Primary:
- #SealedMealsNow
- #CeliacSafe
Secondary:
- #IncludeCeliacs
- #CrossContaminationIsReal
- #CeliacAwareness
Sample Posts
Twitter/X:
People with celiac disease can't eat at restaurants—not because gluten-free options don't exist, but because cross-contact in shared kitchens makes everything unsafe.
Solution: sealed, certified meals that never touch the kitchen.
@McDonalds @ChickfilA @Wendys—who's first?
#SealedMealsNowThere are 3.3 million Americans with celiac disease.
ZERO fast food chains offer them a genuinely safe meal.
That's a massive market just... sitting there.
Sealed + certified = celiac-safe.
#CeliacSafe #SealedMealsNowInstagram/Facebook:
When you have celiac disease, eating out isn't just difficult—it's often impossible.
"Gluten-free menus" don't help when the food is prepared in kitchens covered in flour. Cross-contact means the same reaction as eating bread.
But there's a solution: sealed, certified meals that never touch the restaurant kitchen. Heat in package. Serve. Done.
The technology exists. We're just waiting for restaurants to use it.
Join the Sealed Meals Initiative.
#SealedMealsNow #CeliacSafe #CeliacDiseaseTarget Restaurants
We’re focusing initial outreach on:
| Restaurant | Rationale |
|---|---|
| McDonald’s | Industry leader, sets standards |
| Chick-fil-A | Known for customer service innovation |
| Chipotle | Already positions as “food with integrity” |
| Panera Bread | Health-forward positioning |
| Sweetgreen | Health-conscious demographic |
Allies Guide
Why Allies Matter
People with celiac disease are 1% of the population. But their friends and family—who’ve seen the exclusion firsthand—are millions more.
Allies can say what celiacs often can’t:
- “I want to include my friend, but I can’t”
- “My family avoids restaurants because of my child’s diagnosis”
- “I’ve watched my partner get sick from ‘safe’ restaurant food”
Ally advocacy often lands differently with skeptical audiences—they have nothing personal to gain.
Ally Messaging
“I don’t have celiac disease, but someone I love does. I’ve watched them be excluded from every restaurant, every road trip stop, every spontaneous meal with friends.
I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking for one option—a sealed, certified meal they can actually eat.
This isn’t about me. It’s about including everyone at the table.”
Ally Actions
- Sign the petition — ally signatures show this affects groups, not just individuals
- Share on social media — use ally-specific posts
- Send the letter — add a note about your loved one’s experience
- Ask at restaurants — “Do you have any truly celiac-safe options? I’m asking for a friend who can’t eat food from a shared kitchen.”
Measuring Success
Short-Term Goals
- Petition signatures reaching 25,000
- Social media engagement and visibility
- Media coverage in restaurant industry publications
- Responses from restaurant corporate teams
Medium-Term Goals
- Meetings with restaurant executives
- Pilot program discussions
- Partnership conversations with GFCO-certified meal providers
Long-Term Goal
At least one major restaurant chain offers a sealed, celiac-safe meal option.
This proves it’s possible. Others will follow.
Join the Movement
The first restaurant to offer a truly celiac-safe meal will change everything. But it won’t happen without pressure.
Sign. Share. Send the letter. Recruit allies.
Every voice matters.
This is an independent grassroots advocacy effort by the Celiac-Safe Community Resource. We are not affiliated with any restaurant company or meal provider.
Sources
- Rubio-Tapia A, et al. “The prevalence of celiac disease in the United States.” American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2012.
- Catassi C, et al. “A prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to establish a safe gluten threshold for patients with celiac disease.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007.
- Gluten-Free Certification Organization. “GFCO Certification Standards.” Accessed January 2026.
- Beyond Celiac. “Cross-Contact.” Accessed January 2026.
- Silvester JA, et al. “Living gluten-free: adherence, knowledge, lifestyle adaptations and feelings towards a gluten-free diet.” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016.
- Weisbrod VM, et al. “Preparation of Gluten-Free Foods Alongside Gluten-Containing Food May Not Always Be as Risky for Celiac Patients as Diet Guides Suggest.” Gastroenterology. 2020.