Our partnership with Coeliac New Zealand

Dining Out Program

Better protection for diners with Coeliac Disease, a new partnership with Coeliac New Zealand

We know it can be hard to find a new restaurant if you or a family member has a food allergy or autoimmune disorder. We also know how hard it is to trust others with your food. People with Coeliac disease or those on a strict gluten free diet are no exception.

When the smallest crumb of gluten can wreak havoc on your system and cause long lasting cumulative damage on your body then this concern is well justified.

To help restaurants meet their obligations with providing with safe meals and to help diners navigate a dining environment which is not always equipped to provide gluten free options, we along with Coeliac NZ have developed a ranking system for restaurants offering Gluten Free meals.

Recent changes to New Zealand law mean many restaurants have changed their menus to say their meals have no gluten added or NGA, we are pleased to see this heightened awareness around gluten free dining, but there is still a lot of room left to fully explain the risk factors in each individual location.

To make things clear we have we split our Gluten Free section into 3 levels.

GF

GF Plus (GF+)

Chef’s Hat

GF

Our restaurants who opt to advertise their meals as being in the GF category confirm that there is no gluten added to their preparation. However there may be a risk of cross contamination due to preparation and handling of their food – a common example of this is when you see gluten free cakes stored beside regular cakes in a café. Restaurants may also opt into this category if their kitchens are smaller and they have concerns about contamination even if their practises are otherwise outstanding. We understand that not everyone avoiding gluten requires strict cross contamination measures and this category caters mostly to them.

GF plus

The next level we offer is GF+ which requires restaurants to always have at least one staff member onsite who has completed training through the Coeliac NZ online academy. These restaurants are aware of the importance of cross contamination, risk management and have demonstrated a commitment to offering a safe GF option to diners. As always, if you live with Coeliac disease or an allergy, we suggest you speak with your server to ensure your needs are met, at the time of booking and when ordering.

Chef’s Hat

This is our top tier of protection especially for diners with Coeliac disease and includes restaurants who are part of Coeliac NZ’s Dining Out Program. The DoP is a comprehensive program offered by Coeliac NZ and requires restaurants undergo a rigorous accreditation process including an inspection by an independent auditor. These restaurants have put the needs of Coeliac customers at their core. While we still encourage you to confirm your needs at time of booking, you do have the highest level of assurance from restauranteurs in this category.

We are so pleased to announce our official partnership with Coeliac NZ. With their support we can ensure we meet the needs of our diners.