Papa John's Adds Gluten-Free Pizza to Its Menu

On Monday, Papa John’s announced it would be making its gluten-free pizza crust available nationwide. There’s just one problem. Due to the likelihood of in-store cross-contamination, the pizza chain does not recommend people with celiac disease or a severe gluten intolerance eat the crust.

Papa John’s began testing its gluten-free crust — which is made with sorghum, teff, amaranth and quinoa — earlier this year at locations in Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis, Houston and Nashville. The crust is processed in a separate facility; however, without separate ovens, counters and in-store kitchen protocols, there is no guarantee your gluten-free pizza is truly gluten-free.

And that’s a problem since even in small amounts, gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — can cause severe digestive upset in those sensitive to gluten.

The gluten-free food market is a billion dollar industry, whose growth has been largely driven by gluten-free products being mistaken for health foods. While gluten-free items are indeed healthier for people with celiac disease and gluten-sensitivities, a gluten-free label doesn’t make your food more nutritionally sound. A gluten-free pizza, for example, can have just as many calories, carbohydrates, fats or sugars as its gluten-containing counterpart.

To prevent cross-contamination, other chains embracing gluten-free options like Chick-fil-A provide individually packaged gluten-free buns and require customers to assemble their own sandwiches.

“Releasing a gluten-free crust that’s not accessible to the people who truly need to adhere to a gluten-free diet, those with celiac disease, is like releasing a wheelchair without wheels — pretty pointless,” Valery Kallen, MS, RD, a New York City based nutritionist, told The Mighty. “Sounds like a shameless attempt to jump on the gluten-free diet fad bandwagon.”

What’s your take? Would you try Papa John’s new gluten-free pizza? 

Header image via Papa John’s.