Use Your Voice to Change the Gluten-free Market

It would be great for our community if we could all buy more products that don’t cost more than what everyone else buys. I’m not talking about meats, seafood, veggies, dairy, fruits and nuts – those cost the same for everyone. It’s understandable that crackers, pasta, cereal and pretzels made in Italy and Israel cost significantly  more than products made in the United States.  However, if U.S. companies made similar products, they would cost significantly less, just due to the non-import factor. The farther something has to travel to get to your local stores, the more it’s going to cost.

What will drive change in the U.S.? In large part our purchasing choices are driving massive change already. There is power in numbers. Therefore, the more of us asking for gluten-free foods from companies, the more food we’ll get. The more competition there is, the lower the prices. It seems simple and it actually is, to a degree.

I don’t mind when people complain about how challenging this diet is, or how expensive it is (if one is buying replacement type foods). The only complaint I have about my diet is the cost. I changed my spending habits just so I could buy the best tasting products I could find. And most of them are not cheap. We’re all entitled to complain if we choose to, but the simple act of complaining isn’t going to change anything. We all have to do our part to improve our choices.

Consider calling one company a month to inquire about their gluten-free product list or ask that they make gluten-free soups or Cheez-Its. Those twelve actions a year will likely take you no more than one hour total to complete. I’m basing this estimate on each call or e-mail complete taking you about five minutes. It’s unlikely that anyone can’t find one hour a year to improve their own life.

When people say they can’t make a difference alone, in effect they are right. What they don’t take into consideration is what all the actions of everyone added together can do. That is what tips things in our favor – not one person asking for gluten-free pasta at Carrabba’s – hundreds or thousands of people doing so. My choice would probably be to skip dinner at Carrabba’s because it’s a chain anyway, but I ask them about offering gluten-free pasta for others that would go there if they offered it.

Everyone can complain until the cows come home about the challenges of living free and the great expense of doing so. But in addition to complaining, I hope everyone will consider joining forces with the entire gluten-free community to be part of the change that is already in full swing. It feels exceptional to know you are part of making a difference for yourself and others at the same time! We all appreciate the support group leaders, gluten-free bloggers, gluten-free Moms and everyone else out there that is making a difference in this gluten filled world of ours. But everyone can’t devote that much time to our cause. People have busy lives and often they think they can’t add one more thing to their plate.

Just think of how easy our lives would be if the FDA required companies to call out ALL forms of gluten on food labels. The time we’d save when shopping alone is enough reason to spend the fifteen minutes it takes to get through to a live person at the FDA. Their number is 1-888-463-6332. Here is their latest ruling on the gluten-free label law. The page was updated on June 18th, 2009 and presently there is no set date for any proposal to be ruled on. The FDA suggests that companies voluntarily label foods per their proposal. Also, there is no requirement for companies to list ALL forms of gluten on their product labels. If companies can learn how to list wheat and other allergens on labels - they can certainly learn to list gluten.

Please let us know if you recently did something to affect change in our community – in a large or small way. By hearing what you did, someone else might be inspired to do something similar!