photo credit: Pizza Hut
Sound the trumpets! Pizza Hut will be offering gluten free pizza to the masses!
It is being reported that popular pizza chain Pizza Hut will be releasing a gluten free option to about 1/3 of its chain stores. That means, 2,400 out of the 6,300 stores nationwide will have the option available to those of us who suffer from Celiac Disease. This is also good news to those who suffer from a gluten allergy/intolerance or wheat allergy/intolerance.
Pizza Hut will start selling a gluten free pepperoni and cheese pizza, starting on January 26. Pizza Hut tested this pizza in Australia and received enough feedback to bring it to the states.
Even though Domino's Pizza has been selling a gluten free option since 2012, Pizza Hut will be the first pizza chain to offer a CERTIFIED gluten free pizza (which is excellent news for our community).
Pizza Hut global CEO David Gibbs issued the following statement:
"We partnered with the most-respected names in the gluten free community to develop a best-in-class pizza for those looking to limit gluten in their diet. Our gluten free pizza has all the flavor America has come to expect from a Pizza Hut Pizza, which is why we are thrilled to add this pizza to our lineup."
Pizza Hut has partnered up with Udi's gluten free foods and the Gluten Intolerance Group to help create this new item.
Pizza Hut says that they will keep the gluten free pizza ingredients in designated gluten-free kits. Employees will wear gloves while preparing the pizza, and will bake the pizzas on parchment paper. They will also use a designated pizza cutter for gluten free use only.
As we all know, the term "gluten free" seems to make the masses' skin crawl. Many people are sick of hearing the term. I did some research as to what various people think about Pizza Hut going gluten free, and the following are comments that most people are in agreement with. I took these comments off of a Yahoo forum.
"The entire GF deal amazes me. I have a friend who has suffered with Celiac Disease for years. She's extremely careful about what she eats, cross contamination and how it is all prepared. During many 'get-togethers,' over the years, mutual friends and her have talked about her issue and have since decided (no testing, no trip to the dr, no nothing other than THEY decided they are allergic) that the must be GF to survive. My better half is in this group. It's hilarious to watch this group of self diagnosed friends when we get together for meals at each others home or go out to eat. They all 'pick and choose" when it needs to be GF!!!!!!! LOL. Recently one made the comment 'mine has been feeling so good laately thaat I just HAVE TO HAVE a try of those cakes'. Not a teeny 'try'. FULL BLOWN SERVINGS OF SEVERAL!!! It's really disgusting and aggravating to have them saying 'oh we can't cook that because it has wheat in it and I can't eat that' and to turn right around and say 'oooohh, I'm going to try all of these cakes' (not made with GF products.
I feel for those with REAL DIAGNOSED issues but am tired of the rest....
It's a pain in the #$%$ to deal with when they're off and on as to what they 'can' eat!" -Walter
"We have been eating gluten filled products for thousands of years but in the last ten all of a sudden its the worst allergy ever. Total marketing scam. To the ones who do have a serious allergy you have my sympathy but this is just another corporate money maker." -tom A
"I LAUGH every time I read Gluten Free, because the only reason you need to avoid gluten is if you have a gluten allergery or Celiac Disease. While it is beneficial to 1%, the other 99% have absolutely no reason to avoid gluten!"- Tom B
"What a stupid fad. Only about 1% of the population have a legitimate need to avoid gluten. The rest that avoid gluten are posers jumping on a fad diet." -Phukyahu
"So glad I live in New England where we have real pizza and I don't have to eat that #$%$ from Pizza Hut or Domino's. FYI less than 1% of American's have Celiac disease, why are we alwas conforming to meet the few?" -G
"This gluten free junk drives me nuts. no offence to the 1/2 of one percent of the population that actually haas celiac disease. but the rest of you band wagon jumpers should try jumping off a cliff instead." -Jack and Cyn
My Two Cents:
I am happy that Pizza Hut is unveiling a gluten free pizza. It's great news for those who want to be able to go out for pizza with their friends and/or family. Celiac kids especially will be pleased as punch, as they can now attend gatherings with their friends.
I want to address the comments I read this morning before I go on.
"Walter" brought up a lot of great points in his post. I've seen a lot of this go on. If you have a Celiac friend and see how better they feel on a gluten free diet, many people wonder if they too have Celiac Disease. They self-diagnose themselves and go on a gluten free diet too. While it's great to have the support of your friends, diagnosing yourself as Celiac is kind of stupid. If you have a legitimate concern, you need to see a doctor (especially if you're like me and have/had a Celiac family member). Unlike Walter's friends who can "pick and choose" when to be gluten free, we Celiacs do not have that luxury. We can't have that piece of cake, or that bottle of beer. We have to be ON-POINT, every second of every day, for the rest of our lives. There is no wiggle room.
I know a woman who is gluten free to lose weight (plus she thinks she may have an allergy), and she says she feels so much better when she eats gluten free foods. However, she would go back on her word and get a slice of regular pizza a second later. It sucks to witness it, but people are going to make their own choices in life, and if she has an allergy, she will pay for it later (in the bathroom).
"Tom A" brought up a point that I have seen numerous times: "We have been eating gluten filled products for thousands of years but in the last decade.... it's the worst allergy ever." Yes, we have been eating gluten filled foods for thousands of years. Also, people have had Celiac Disease for thousands of years. It just hasn't been accurately diagnosed, due to not knowing exactly what Celiac Disease is. Also, Celiac Disease was very rare back then. When my grandmother was diagnosed with it 30 some-odd years ago, not much was known about the illness. There weren't special stores in every town that offered food that was safe for her. There weren't designated aisles in popular supermarkets where she could purchase gluten free foods. Celiac and GF was unheard of. My grandfather had to travel out of state to buy grains and flours. He grounded the grains himself and made her baked goods from scratch. He sacrificed his retirement years (and health) in order to care for her (she was deathly ill, bedridden and needed total assistance for her activities of daily living because of having Celiac Disease). I've grown up around Celiac Disease my whole life (and was diagnosed via blood test and biopsy in 2011). Within the past few years, gluten free has become this huge empire and so many people are jumping on the bandwagon. Of course "Tom A" would find the craze to be a corporate money maker. In a way, it is. Companies are using a serious disease in order to make money off of it. People are pointing out how bad gluten and wheat are, and completely eliminating it from their diet. By the way, gluten and wheat are not bad (unless you're Celiac). There are so many health advantages to having gluten and wheat in your diet. Wheat is very heart healthy. Unfortunately, there are some folks (like myself) that were born with a bad gut. Some of us inherited it from family members, others are the first in their family to get it.
"G's" comment is one I really want to discuss. He/she brought up the question of why the 99% of people who don't have Celiac Disease have to conform to our way of life. Again I want to go back to Companies jumping on the bandwagon. The gluten free empire is now worth billions of dollars. Corporations have seen their stocks skyrocket and more companies are wanting that same success. Now these popular food chains are unveiling these options and people are stuck seeing "gluten free" on their menus. Of course, seeing these options everywhere can be quite annoying, but it is great for those of us who have Celiac. To those who think like "G," you don't have to buy the gluten free option. I know you're sick of seeing GF everywhere, and by no means are we wanting to make the masses conform to our lifestyle. We just want to eat out like everyone else. We don't want to be cut out of gatherings because we can't eat what you eat. We want to enjoy fellowship with our loved ones without falling deathly ill. That is all.
While the gluten free "fad" is somewhat annoying, it has been great for our community. We have an abundance of options that we have never had. If my grandmother were alive today, she would be so excited. She loved food. She would savor every flavor.
As for my opinion on Pizza Hut offering gluten free pizza, I've never really cared for Pizza Hut (I ate from there once or twice in my pre-diagnosed days), but if I wanted to order a late night pizza, I'm glad I have a place that I can call. Otherwise, I'm happy spending my money at local restaurants that offer gluten free pizza (i.e. "Mario's" in Watertown, Connecticut).
Fellow Celiac Warriors: What do you think about Pizza Hut offering a gluten free pizza? Will you be trying it?