National Coeliac Week is 14-20 March. A Coeliac is a person who is “allergic’ to a protein known as gluten.

Gluten is found in wheat, oats, rye and barley and any food containing them. It is the only one of the recognised food allergens that does not cause an immediate effect at touch, smell or consumption. It only has an impact on the body when the food hits the lower gut.

For gluten to be absorbed by the human body there needs to be the right structures in the gut, and Coeliacs do not have this or they are not as they need to be.

For some Coeliacs, the symptoms of this allergy are just bloating, pain and flatulence. For others it can lead to loss of part or all of the lower gut and even death.

Many believe that peanuts are the most significant food allergen in Australia, it is in fact gluten. There are figures that some 1 in 5 adults may have some degree of gluten intolerance or allergy. If a business is not offering a gluten free alternative in their product range or menu, it will now be losing sales.

Friday’s Green Tip – sustainability is not just about the environment, it is essential to a business’s finances and social credibility. Not being sustainable in all that a business does, is just poor business.

Every little bit helps.