34 / 52
The Food Issue
2017
Grains
West
34
BY GEOFF GEDDES • ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHAEL MATEYKO
EXPERTS FINDMANY
POPULAR FOOD TRENDS
HARD TOSWALLOW
Feature
W
hen someone said, “the best things
in life are free,” were they talking
about being free of gluten and
hormones? Based on celebrity endorsements
and pop culture sentiment, it seems there’s
growing support for these food trends. At the
same time, many experts warn that this type of
“free” comes at the expense of science-based
decision-making, costing consumers money
and, to some extent, their health.
“The impact of popular culture on public
perceptions, health policies and consumer
trends is incredible,” said Timothy Caulfield, a
professor in the Faculty of Law and the School
of Public Health at the University of Alberta.
He is also a Canada Research Chair in Health
Law and Policy, and the author of two books:
The Cure for Everything!: Untangling the Twist-
edMessages about Health, Fitness and Hap-
piness
and, most recently,
Is Gwyneth Paltrow
Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity
Culture and Science Clash.
Among other things, Caulfield has
gained renown for debunking myths and
assumptions about innovation in the health
sector for the benefit of the public.
“It’s amazing how much noise there is
today regarding food,” he said. “We have a
lot of good information and science around
healthy eating, but it’s constantly obscured by
the bunk so it’s tough to know what the truth
is anymore.”
DEBUNKING
F O O D
M Y T H S
“This is a fascinating phenomenon,” said Caulfield. “Despite the lack of evidence
supporting the gluten-free diet as a healthy choice, it remains a force in the market.”
While a gluten-free diet is essential for those with celiac disease, for everyone else
Caulfield cited a number of studies showing just the opposite: eating whole grains as part
of a balanced diet is good for you.
So what’s behind the gluten-free craze? As is often the case, it appears to be money
that’s fuelling the bunk.
“I have yet to see peer-reviewed research showing any problem with gluten,” said
Stuart Smyth, an assistant professor and Research Chair in Agri-Food Innovation at the
University of Saskatchewan. “Unfortunately, it becomes a marketing fad as consumers
start asking stores for gluten-free and companies put that label on a host of products that
never had gluten in the formulation to begin with.”
In some cases, using the “gluten-free” designation has allowed companies to justify price
increases of five to 10 per cent in spite of never changing the composition of the product.
“There is even gluten-free soap and shampoo now,” said Smyth. “You might get a bit
in your mouth in the shower but I don’t think it is part of anyone’s diet. That just shows you
how absurd the trend is.”
Gluten-free