1. THE VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT RETAILER mar 16
COELIAC AUSTRALIA'S tom mcleod
Five Minutes With
SALT AND PEPPER AT A PINCH
In the Aisles
talk
Shop
TAYLOR
ROAD IGA
JEWEL OF THE WEST

2. 28 The Australian RETAILER
Q & A

3. Minutes WITH
Fivetom mcleod I
coeliac disease – when the human immune system reacts abnormally to
gluten – is a serious condition affecting one in 70 australians. with no
known cure and the only effective treatment being a controlled diet, it's
no wonder gluten-free product categories are surging in popularity. The
australian retailer talks to the president of coeliac australia to learn more.
The Australian RETAILER 29
Tell us a bit about Coeliac Australia – what is its
function and its history as an organisation?
Coeliac Australia is a national not-for-profit association,
comprising five state organisations supporting people with
coeliac disease. Coeliac Australia provides a framework for the
states to work together, share resources and fulfil its vision:
“To enhance the quality of life of people with coeliac disease
and those medically diagnosed as requiring a gluten-free diet
for life and to support research towards a cure or other ethical
forms of treatment.
The state organisations have been in existence since the mid-
1970s and Coeliac Australia soon thereafter.
What is your professional background?
My professional background is in governance, risk and audit. I
am a chartered accountant. I was previously the head of
internal audit at Rio Tinto and before that, the general manager,
audit and fraud at SingTel Optus. I am now the co-founder
of a boutique governance, risk, audit and fraud prevention
consultancy called McLeod Governance.
My “coeliac” background is that I was diagnosed about 13 years
ago – I was having sharp pains in my stomach that would literally
bring me to my knees. It was the inevitable visit to the doctor that
started me on the journey to diagnosis. I can still recall the moment
of being told I may have coeliac disease (one has a blood test first
and then a biopsy) – I had only vaguely heard of the disease.
The diagnosis and my strict adherence to a gluten-free diet has
fundamentally and positively changed my health.
Tell us about Coeliac Disease and its
implications for those who have it.
In people with coeliac disease (pronounced ‘seel-ee-ak’ and spelt
‘celiac’ in some countries), the immune system reacts abnormally
to gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats), causing
small bowel damage. The tiny, finger-like projections which line the
bowel (villi) become inflamed and flattened.
This is referred to as villous atrophy. Villous atrophy reduces the
surface area of the bowel available for nutrient absorption, which
can lead to various gastrointestinal and malabsorptive symptoms.
Symptoms can also be caused by inflammation in other parts of
the body. Coeliac disease affects people of all ages, both male
and female. You must be born with the genetic predisposition to
develop coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease affects, on average, approximately one in 70
Australians. However, around 80 per cent of this number remain
undiagnosed. This means the vast majority of Australians who
have coeliac disease don’t yet know it.
People with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten
throughout their life, so in this sense there is no “cure”. However,
a strict, gluten-free diet does allow the condition to be
managed effectively.
A strict, lifelong, gluten-free diet is currently the only recognised
president
coeliac australia

4. 30 The Australian RETAILER30 The Australian RETAILER
medical treatment for coeliac disease. By
removing the cause of the disease, a gluten-
free diet allows the small bowel lining to heal
and symptoms to resolve. As long as the gluten-
free diet is strictly adhered to, problems arising
from coeliac disease should not return. Relapse
occurs if gluten is re-introduced into the diet.
There seem to be increasing
numbers of people who are being
diagnosed with Coeliac Disease –
why do you think this is?
Although better diagnosis rates in recent
years can be partially attributed to improved
awareness of the condition, there has also been
a true increase in the incidence of coeliac
disease. The reasoning behind this true increase
in a subject of ongoing research and debate.
It has been suggested the increase is due to
an environmental change, most probably
involving the increased prevalence of grain
in our diets.
Additionally, what is known as the “hygiene
hypothesis”, that is our increasingly (at least
compared to previous generations) clean
environment reduces the challenges that
impact on the developing immune system,
thereby making those in that environment
more susceptible to immune disorders and
allergic diseases.
What can independent retailers do
to cater for people who are living
with Coeliac Disease?
As simple as it sounds – be educated. There
are at least one in 70 Australians affected by
coeliac disease with approximately 80 per cent
of those affected currently undiagnosed.
Extrapolating that across the Australian
population it is estimated at least 330,000
people are coeliac. Consequently, we
estimate 1.3 million people have a family
member who is either a diagnosed or
undiagnosed coeliac.
Retailers can seek out Coeliac Australia
endorsed products, as the coeliac community
is very attuned to which products they can and
cannot consume.
And perhaps finally, don’t treat coeliac disease
as a ‘fad’. Coeliac disease is not a choice, it is
a genetic predisposition.
Tell us about the Gluten-Free
Standard that was developed by
Coeliac Australia.
The Gluten-Free Standard for Food Service
Providers was developed to establish the best
practice of gluten-free food preparation. It is
compiled of three main principles:
• Source – gluten-free ingredients;
• Segregation – separation throughout
preparation to ensure the integrity of the
gluten-free ingredients; and
• Service – ensuring the communication lines
are open.
Q & A

5. The Australian RETAILER 31
We also have a Gluten-Free Accreditation
Program where food service providers are
licensed to use our unique gluten-free symbol
on menus after successfully meeting the criteria,
including an onsite compliance audit against the
Gluten-Free Standard.
This program highlights to the gluten-free
consumer that the business has rigorous
procedures in place and enables the consumer
to eat with confidence. Alarmingly, a 2015 survey
of state Coeliac Australia members reported that
only 9 per cent of our members trusted a ‘gluten-
free’ claim on a menu.
What criteria does a product
have to meet to carry the Coeliac
Australia gluten-free logo?
The Coeliac Australia Endorsement Program,
utilising the Crossed Grain Logo, is a trademark
owned and administered by Coeliac Australia
under a licence agreement. The symbol of the
crossed grain in a circle is both nationally and
internationally recognised by those who need to
follow a gluten-free diet.
Products that use this logo:
• Are gluten-free – the product must be tested
to have no detectable gluten as per the Food
Standards Australia New Zealand guidelines for
gluten-free;
• Have multiple ingredients or be a process
product;
• Are subject to laboratory testing every 12
months, and random annual audit testing;
• Free from oats or malted barley;
• Packaged and sealed for sale;
• Supportive of those following a gluten-free diet.
Manufacturers who subscribe to the endorsement
program are permitted to use the logo on
endorsed product packaging and marketing
material. Endorsed products have been proven
to remove uncertainty and give gluten-free
consumers confidence to make safe choices.
Do you think there is confusion
among retailers and consumers
surrounding coeliac disease and
gluten-free products, or are people
becoming more informed?
There is inevitably differing levels of understanding
of coeliac disease and gluten-free products but
we are seeing a much more informed market
than, say, ten years ago.
Some of this is driven by the attractiveness of the
gluten-free lifestyle; some of it is driven by the
greater availability of information on the internet
and we constantly get positive feedback that
some of this is driven by Coeliac Australia.
What do you think is the future for
the gluten-free products industry?
I read a fascinating article just recently that said
the global gluten-free packaged food market is
projected to grow at a compound annual growth
rate of approximately 6 per cent through to 2019.
This is, in part, driven by the perception that gluten-
free foods are healthier (this is not always the
case). In such a growth market it is reasonable to
assume that we will see new product innovation.
The days of gluten-free products being substandard
are fast becoming a distant memory.
...we estimate 1.3 million people have a
family member who is either a diagnosed or
undiagnosed coeliac.
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Did you
know?
a first-degree
relative (parent,
sibling, child)
of someone
with coeliac
disease has
about a 10 per
cent chance of
also having
the disease.