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Southwest Healthcare Palmdale Regional Medical Center has achieved validation as a Gluten-Free Food Service facility for patients. Palmdale Regional Medical Center’s nutrition team met the rigorous standards and expectations for safety required to achieve this honor. 

The Gluten-Free Food Service (GFFS) audits and validates restaurants and food businesses that serve gluten-free food. The Gluten-Free Food Service validation program is a program of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), a non-profit organization that has been serving the needs of the gluten-free community for over 45 years. GIG is on a mission to make life easier for everyone living gluten-free and Palmdale Regional Medical Center is proud to be a part of this program. 

Palmdale Regional Medical Center will be displaying the validated Gluten-Free Safe Spot logo throughout the facility to represent the independent verification of quality, integrity, and purity of businesses serving gluten-free food to patients. Validation as a Gluten-Free Safe Spot establishes trust with gluten-free patrons in the ability of a facility to provide safe gluten-free food. 

“At Palmdale Regional Medical Center, we empathize with our patients’ desire for the best options with regard to their health and nutrition,” said Nana Deeb, Chief Executive Officer. “By making gluten-free cuisine choices available to our patients, we are supporting and addressing evolving dietary needs that contribute to every patient’s expectation of high-quality care during their stay with us. This includes what everyone needs on a daily basis – good nutrition that is right for them.” 

Since the program was established in 2009, GFFS has always held its food service establishments to the highest standards. Consumers recognize locations that have been validated as Gluten-Free Safe Spots serve gluten-free food that meets the nonprofit GFFS’s rigorous standards and expectations for safety. GFFS validates participating establishments, from restaurants to college dining, senior living, hospitals and more, by visiting locations in-person to ensure they follow best practices for gluten-free food safety and ensure high-quality staff training. 

Facts about the demand for gluten-free

The demand for gluten-free options has surged in recent years, due in part to increased awareness and diagnosis of gluten-related disorders: 

• Celiac disease affects approximately 1% of the global population, according to the Gastroenterology journal, causing an autoimmune reaction to gluten ingestion
• Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) impacts up to 13% of the population, According to the National Insitute of Health.
• According to GIG’s research in 2022: 
  • 71% of gluten-free individuals are concerned about the safety of hospital food
  • 95% of gluten-free individuals feel safer at a GFFS Validated Safe Spot 

“It’s very exciting to award gluten-free validation to Southwest Healthcare Palmdale Regional Medical Center. The commitment shown by Palmdale Regional Medical Center in achieving our certification reflects their dedication to catering to individuals with gluten-related disorders. This certification not only recognizes their efforts but also highlights the commitment to ensuring safe gluten-free food at a time/place when the gluten-free individuals need it the most," said Cynthia Kelly, CEO of the Gluten Intolerance Group.