Q&A: How gluten-free processed foods put people with celiac disease at risk Inaccurate labels and confusing packaging lead people with serious medical conditions to get ‘glutened,’ says public health scholar Emily Abel

https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/03/gluten-free-processed-foods-celiac-disease/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8DCcqnCfP3aBLDTkjeoQDBUCtLn9zZSSfUda0ZEn05CxP0u9bt1j0pSoxO3vExn0T6Bwt_MAXumCNxd3MPjt6XxrsflA&_hsmi=345346121&utm_content=345346121&utm_source=hs_email Despite what the labels tell us, people with celiac disease know that they can’t always trust gluten-free food products to be truly safe for them to eat. Besides issues like inaccurate food labels, American culture often treats gluten-free eating as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical requirement. “A critical feature of the celiac experience is that unless people have the time, skill, money, and inclination to prepare all their meals from basic ingredients, they must rely on an industry that has minimal interest in their well being,” writes public health professor Emily Abel in her book “Gluten Free for Life: Celiac Disease, Medical Recognition, and the Food Industry. STAT’s Sarah Todd spoke with Abel about current labeling laws, why gluten-free foods often contain higher levels of sugar and salt, and the influence that food manufacturers can have on celiac advocacy groups.