For a person with coeliac disease gluten must be excluded entirely, and even small contamination matters: a few crumbs are enough to do harm. The legal threshold for gluten-free products is 20 ppm. That is why, at an event, gluten-free (in Italian, senza glutine) is above all about organisation: separate preparation, dedicated utensils, labelled dishes served to the right seat.
The critical points are fried food (the oil is shared), bread, buffet and desserts. At a buffet one ladle moved from one tray to another is enough; for coeliac guests a dedicated dish served at the table is safer. The Italian coeliac association, AIC, runs a training programme for restaurants and caterers working away from home.
What to ask
Ask the caterer what procedures it uses against contamination, where it fries, how it labels dishes and whether it has specific training. Collect the names of coeliac guests with the RSVPs. The guide to gluten-free catering and the one on special diets explain what to check.
