Burger King releases gluten-sensitive list

NEW Gluten- Sensitive List at Burger King

On January 5, Burger King added a Gluten-Sensitive List to its website. (To get there, go to www.bk.com, click on the Menu & Nutrition icon near the bottom right of the screen, then scroll down from Nutritional Downloads at the bottom left of the new screen until you get to Gluten Sensitive List. Whew!) This is a welcome move that further demonstrates the encouraging trend of restaurants trying to become more Celiac- and allergy-friendly. That said, I feel these lists of “safe” menu items from BK and others are somewhat skimpy. I would love to see more restaurants actually develop new, tasty gluten-free items to expand the number of menu choices.

A number of interesting items also caught my eye when examining this list.

• Burger patties are on the list, but buns are not.
• Many of the sauces for dipping chicken tenders or chicken fries are listed… but the tenders and fries themselves don’t make the cut. (Ditto some breakfast condiments.)
• Above the list, Burger Kings states, “Actual gluten content may vary depending on the supplier, product handling, and each restaurant’s food preparation practices.”
• In the fine print, my aging eyes can still read, “This list of products is not intended for people with severe gluten intolerance.”

Again, I like the fact that more and more restaurants feel the responsibility to be sensitive to the Celiac community. This is a great start. Next, it would be great to see restaurants increasing their diligence enough to feel comfortable minimizing the legal qualifiers like the last two bullet points above. Finally, if large chains would show leadership in developing NEW menu items for the Celiac and food allergic community, that could prompt a wonderful domino effect.

Am I being too hard on Burger King and the many others who simply publish “gluten-sensitive” lists of items already on their menu? Do you applaud their effort to communicate information the way it currently stands? Are my hopes of increased diligence and new menu items by the large chains realistic? What more would you like to see? Please provide your feedback by clicking the Comments button below.

Meanwhile, please visit www.allergyeats.com, to find, in one easy place, links to menus, allergy & sensitivity information, nutritional information, and more for many restaurant chains across the U.S.