If a server tells you they can accommodate a gluten free allergy aka celiac disease and the chef/manager agrees they can make a gluten free option with one or more entrees on menu, then there is an interaction resulting in symptoms of gluten allergy, do I report this to FDA. Who will check to see if they have a gluten free facility with in there kitchen or separate to securely offer me a meal? Do I call a health inspector or what?
A Hunch
Celiac is not a gluten allergy (a histamine reaction)
It's not a gluten sensitivity.
It's a gluten enteropathy which is an immune system response that damages the small intestine over time.
If you have celiac disease (not just a gluten sensitivity but actually celiac disease), you know that it's very difficult to eat in a restaurant. My neighbor's dad has celiac = he lives in NY, we live in CA. She has a separate toaster for the couple of times he visits a year. That's how serious they take it. Not even cleaning the toaster is enough, they actually have 2 separate toasters.... and she maintains almost gluten free all the time, not just when dad is visiting.
Unless the restaurant is completely gluten free, you have no expectation that gluten products won't touch the same cooking surfaces as products with gluten.
-- If the menu item is marked gluten free on the menu, then you have an expectation that the actual food won't have gluten in it which would be enough for people with gluten sensitivities and mild allergies but not for people who have severe gluten allergies or celiac.
You should have no expectation that a order that you ask to be gluten free that normally isn't, will be gluten free.
You are responsible for your own healthcare decisions.
The health department doesn't monitor specific food choices for restaurants.
If the restaurant is part of the Gluten Free Food Program or something similar, then you would have recourse against the restaurant and a reporting agency. Otherwise, your choice to take the risk.
?
Maybe just cook at home and avoid situations like that.
Andy C
You choose to either eat there or not. Caveat emptor should be the American motto.
Anonymous
You would start by making a complaint to the local health department.