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MIT

Featured, Special Diets, Wellness

Avoiding Gluten?

homemade artisan bread on vintage wooden background.

our approach

We take food allergies and intolerances seriously, and our trained culinary teams create inclusive menus to accommodate special dietary needs, including gluten intolerance. Our cafés offer a variety of menu items that are made without gluten-containing ingredients. These menu items are identified on our menus with the “↓G” icon shown below

 

 

 

 

Menu items labeled as made without gluten-containing ingredients are prepared using ingredients that do not inherently contain gluten or products that have been certified gluten-free by the manufacturer. These items are also prepared in a manner to minimize risk of cross-contact in our kitchens and service areas. In addition, many of our cafés offer a variety of packaged products (breads, cereals, muffins, pastas, desserts, condiments, etc.) that are certified gluten-free. These products may be available on request or located in dedicated areas in the café.

Because we operate in open kitchens where gluten is present, we use the term “made without gluten-containing ingredients” instead of the FDA-regulated term “gluten-free.” The steps we take to control cross-contact allow most of our guests who avoid gluten to find they can safely dine in our cafés. However, guests who are sensitive to small traces of gluten, such as what might occur with airborne flour, may need additional assistance to safely dine in our café. In these instances, we will work with you individually to determine appropriate accommodations.

For more information about “made without gluten-containing ingredients” options and how they are prepared in your café, please speak with t the Ingredient Expert in your café, or use the “Ask the Wellness Team” form on our Wellness page to connect with a national or regional dietitian.

IF YOU’VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A GLUTEN-RELATED DISORDER, TAKE ACTION! 

Bon Appétit, in coordination with your college/university or employer, is here to support your dietary needs. When you have a gluten-related disorder, planning ahead is an important part of eating away from home, no matter the setting. To fully benefit from this support, we ask that you participate in the management of your dietary needs in the following ways.

Self-Identify. Use the “contact us” feature on home page of this website to get in touch with the Bon Appétit management team at your dining location. On college campuses, we ask that you also work through the school’s accommodation process.  We work together to provide reasonable accommodations so that you may participate in the dining experience as much as possible.

Get to know your chefs and managers who are trained as Ingredient Experts. This may start with an individual meeting to discuss your needs and the best ways to communicate.  Our Ingredient Experts understand the importance of food allergies and intolerances. Going forward, you should direct all ingredient questions to the Ingredient Expert on duty.

Reach out to an RDN. Our registered dietitians are available to provide assistance in navigating your dietary needs. Use the Ask the Wellness Team form on our Wellness page  to connect with a national or regional dietitian.

Recognize common sources of gluten and work to avoid them. Gluten can be found in both single ingredient foods as well as packaged foods. Packaged foods must declare wheat in the allergen statement, but gluten is not required to be labeled. Gluten is found in in barley, rye, some oats, or hidden in other sub-ingredients. If you are unfamiliar with the common sources of gluten, the leading experts in celiac disease awareness, The Celiac Disease Foundation, maintains an extensive overview of common sources of gluten as well as other considerations to help you avoid gluten exposures.

  • Read menu signage and explore the café’s menus on our website. Look for menu items with the “↓G” icon. Use the Dietary Preferences filter at the top of the menu to filter menu items that are made without gluten-containing ingredients. Contact the Ingredient Expert if you have questions about a menu item.
  • Read menu item names and descriptions. We work to include wheat/gluten and/or ingredients that may be sources of wheat/gluten in the menu item name and/or through a restaurant-style descriptor. This provides many with all the information they need while also letting you know when you may need to ask to see a label for a product used that day.
  • Always ask to see the label for products not made in house such as vegetarian burgers, deli meats, French fries, and bottled sauces to name a few examples. These are the types of products you may check frequently at home too. Products change often and we’re happy to share the label so you have real-time information that will help you make the best choices.
  • When in doubt about any ingredients, seek out the Ingredient Expert who can answer your questions. More detailed ingredient information, including package label review, is available upon request.

Take steps to avoid cross-contact. Cross-contact occurs when one food touches another food resulting in the transfer of gluten. Minimizing cross-contact is a priority in our kitchens, but here are a few things for you to consider.

  • Make selections from served stations. Self-serve areas put you at substantial risk of cross-contact from other guests.
  • If choosing from a self-serve area, talk to the Ingredient Expert for the best options to avoid cross-contact.
  • In either service style, you may also always ask for a portion from a batch that’s not been out in on the service line.
  • Ask dining associates to change their gloves, and to use a new utensil, or a fresh pan, at made-to-order stations.
  • Avoid eating deep-fried foods. Fry oil is reused between changes; this can lead to cross-contact with foods previously cooked in the fryer.
  • Eat at slightly off-peak hours when the café is less busy, typically earlier or later in the meal period. There will be less opportunity for cross-contact due to drips and spills at self-serve stations, and fewer guests means you won’t feel hurried to ask questions about menu items.

 Keep an open dialogue. Let our management team know what’s working well, what’s not, and when in doubt ask questions. If we do not hear from you, we believe that you are successfully navigating the dining facilities.

More on Gluten

Gluten-related disorders are a spectrum of conditions related to the consumption of a protein found in all forms of wheat, rye, and barley. Oats often come in contact with gluten during processing and are also excluded unless they are certified gluten-free. The most common gluten-related disorders include celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity/non-celiac wheat sensitivity, and wheat allergy.

How can you determine if you have a gluten-related disorder?

The first step is to seek professional advice from your healthcare provider. In many cases your provider can run a simple blood to screen for celiac disease, but in some cases, further diagnosis is needed. Once diagnosed, consider seeking the advice of a registered dietitian nutritionist to understand your individual dietary needs. A gluten-free diet can be challenging when navigating food options without support and guidance, and simply eliminating foods based on self-diagnosis or a hunch can leave you frustrated as well as nutrient deficient.

Also, be aware that you must be on a diet that includes gluten for the blood test for celiac disease to be accurate.

What’s the difference between the celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy?  

There are a variety of gluten-related disorders and distinguishing their differences will help you understand how they impact your health.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the lining of the small intestine which interferes with nutrient absorption from food. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide, and the disease is often hereditary. An exposure can last a few hours to days and common symptoms include digestive problems, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, and long-term intestinal damage accompanied by nutritional deficiencies.1

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS)/NON-CELIAC WHEAT SENSITIVITY (NCWS)

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity shares many symptoms with celiac disease, which resolve when wheat/gluten is removed from the diet, even though individuals do not test positive for celiac disease or wheat allergy.1 This condition is also less likely to cause nutrient deficiencies.2 Current research has recently determined that NCGS/NCWS does, in fact, cause an immune reaction but there is disagreement among experts on the exact cause of the immune response.3

Wheat Allergy

A wheat allergy is an immune response that occurs when an allergic individual is exposed to wheat. An allergic reaction causes symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, digestive tract, skin, and/or cardiovascular system. The most severe reaction is anaphylaxis which can be deadly. Currently, it is estimated that 2.4 million children and adults are affected.4

Common symptoms of a wheat allergy include:

    • Swelling, itching or irritation of the mouth and throat
    • Hives, itchy rash
    • Nasal congestion
    • Itchy, watery eyes
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Digestive problems
    • Anaphylaxis

REFERENCES

  1. Celiac Disease Foundation  accessed August 2025 
  2. American College of Gastroenterology accessed August 2025 
  3. Gluten Intolerance Group accessed August 2025 
  4. FARE accessed August 2025 

 

Disclaimer

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT “↓G” LABELING

Menu options prepared without gluten-containing ingredients are labeled “↓G”. However, due to our open kitchens that handle gluten, we cannot guarantee that items made without gluten-containing ingredients are “gluten-free,” as defined by the FDA. We make every effort to avoid gluten cross-contact; however, there is always the potential for cross-contact with other gluten-containing food items, particularly in our self-serve facilities. We encourage guests to speak to the chef or manager regarding any questions about ingredients.

This information is not intended to take the place of advice from a healthcare professional. Check with your physician before starting any diet or exercise program. In addition, while all efforts have been made to ensure the information included in this material is correct, new research is released frequently and may invalidate certain pieces of data. August 2025.