[syntheticnature]

The whole gluten free kick fries my brains. It exists because some people have an actual problem with gluten, but lots of people have jumped on the bandwagon since if it's on the label it must be for general health reasons. (Where are the "nut-free" folks? How about the folks that only eat things labelled "New and Improved?") Actual gluten issues have existed for a while -- I found a cookbook for those with Celiac disease from the 70s at a used book sale, but now it has a lot more attention.

This, of course, muddies the waters for those with an actual issue, as a bandwagoner gone gluten free won't have a reaction if they accidentally consume gluten. This leads to erroneous beliefs about what is/isn't gluten free.

Of course, this isn't unique to gluten. One can find plenty of people claiming to be vegetarian, even vegan, who solely refuse to eat red meat.

[Psyonic]

While you may find it annoying, the upside of this is awareness. More people are aware of gluten intolerance than ever before, and for people with celiac's and serious gluten intolerance, life is now much easier.

[ebrenes]

As many things, this is now a double-edge sword. As gluten-free is getting mixed signals as a fad diet and as a serious medical condition. For celiac's it's in their interest that it be viewed as a serious condition, that could be life threatening.

I've come across accounts of celiacs who are concerned that the rise of gluten-free options while expanding their menu options, has also raised their level of anxiety. Because some places might just be trying to adapt to a fad diet, but aren't taking enough precautions to avoid food cross-contamination, such as re-utilizing utensils to cook "gluten free" foods.

I think part of the concern is that "gluten intolerance" as a serious medical condition is getting overshadowed by the flaky diet mumbo jumbo.