Why am I promoting such an event? Because I know some peole who have coeliac disease myself. At work there are two managers I know of who are coeliac, one of them is in one of the departments which I support. I also know of someone who was only recently diagnosed too, though we arn't close I know how much of a bummer it must be for her. What is Coeliac Disease? Coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune means the body mistakenly produces antibodies that damage its own tissues. It is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary gluten. A number of serious health consequences can result if the condition is not diagnosed and treated properly - coeliacsociety.com.au.
Before I started working here I was only ever aware of the term "gluten free", then I learnt of the word "coeliac" but never really understood much about it. All I knew, was that every time I had to organise catering for my teams I had to make sure we had some gluten free options (and then I had the vegetarians and lactose intolerant people too!). The manager I support actually sings me praise as he claims to starve at functions/meetings organised by other people, and says that I look after him well. I guess when you're dealing with so many people under the one roof you have to be aware of all these things. I'm lucky to not have any intolerances/dietary requirements at all.
Anyway, so the Gluten Free Expo is run by The Coeliac Society of NSW, and I found out today that the other manager with coeliac disease at work is actually a member after I forward on this info to her. This is their 6th annual expo and it will be held on the 6th and 7th of August at Sydney Showground (Sydney Olympic Park). The expo is open to the public and is completely free. I guess you could call it a good food show, with gluten free products.
There will be food/product sampling, cooking demonstrations, talks, etc etc - all gluten free of course. Apparently the expo used to be held at Chatswood in the early days and moved due to demand. I'm told that there is also another similar expo run in Darling Harbour but it's not by the Coeliac Society though.
Here's some photos and a media release kindly provided by Natasha from Wordstorm.
2010 Gluten Free Expo, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park:
Friday August 6, 4pm- 8pm
Saturday August 7, 9am- 5pm
Free Admission
For more information, please visit http://www.glutenfreeexpo.com.au/
The Coeliac Society of NSW will host the 6th annual Gluten Free Expo on Friday 6th August and Saturday 7th August at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park. The expo is a free event for the public, showcasing a wide variety of gluten free products, available for the public to purchase and taste as well as a number of services including informative talks, seminars and live cooking demonstrations.
The expo is expected to attract over 10,000 people this year, due to an increase in the Coeliac Society’s membership and the recent growth of coeliac diagnosis. Although 1 in 100 Australians have coeliac disease, 75% of sufferers have not been detected, resulting in over 200,000 Australians unaware of the fact that they are living with the disease .
The recent increase in coeliac diagnosis has also encouraged a growth in the variety of gluten free food available on the market. “Food manufacturers are now developing gluten free products that once had to be ruled out of a coeliacs diet completely” says Graham Price, Technical Officer of The Coeliac Society. “The expo is a great opportunity for people to learn about the range of gluten free products that are now available, under one roof”.
The expo will be host to numerous authors, medical professionals and chefs, who will provide informative talks and entertainment at no added cost. Among the special guests will be medical researcher Dr Robert Anderson, an international authority in coeliac disease and current leader of the commercial development of the ‘coeliac vaccine’. The vaccine, which is still in development, will ultimately be able to minimise the effects of gluten on those with coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.
A vast and exciting range of gluten free products, a gluten free café, recipes and live cooking demonstrations are planned for the expo. Popular chef Teresa Cutter, a regular on Channel 7’s Sunrise and writer for numerous health publications, will be among the chefs presenting a live cooking demonstration.
The 2010 Gluten Free Expo is proudly sponsored by Coles, Simply Wize, Tasty Bite and Country Life Bakery.
Thanks for letting us know about this event.. I might just have to put it in my calendar! I don't have any problems with gluten myself, but am interested in gluten-free cooking :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ladybird: Good to know you find the post useful =)
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