Coeliac woman passes out is rushed to hospital with kidney failure after eating ‘gluten free’ option

A woman with coeliac disease has suffered severe symptoms after a restaurant served her two meals it ensured were gluten free.

Kate Smithies-Williams went out for breakfast with her husband, Scott Williams, at a Perth eatery two weeks ago where she ate a chicken dish followed by a plate of waffles.

Moments after the meal however, the 27-year-old began drifting in an out of consciousness and suffered mild kidney failure, the West Australian reported.

Kate Smithies-Williams (pictured) suffered severe symptoms after a restaurant served her two meals it ensured were gluten free

‘If I was already sick or if I was an elderly person and I had this sort of reaction, I could have died,’ Ms Smithies-Williams said. 

The couple were surprised given they had dined at the eatery previously and did not have an issue with the food. 

The restaurant owner said while it offered a gluten free menu, it warned its coeliac customers not to order from it because there’s a risk the meals may have been contaminated.

‘If you’re really coeliac or really gluten intolerant, we don’t recommend that you eat the gluten-free. We only have one kitchen and flour is obviously airborne, so there’s always the possibility of cross-contamination,’ she said. 

The young CrossFit fanatic was diagnosed a coeliac at just one-year-old and said if it weren’t for her good health she might not have survived. 

The couple went out for breakfast at a Perth eatery two weeks ago. Ms Smithies-Williams ate a chicken dish, followed by a plate of waffles (stock photo)

The couple went out for breakfast at a Perth eatery two weeks ago. Ms Smithies-Williams ate a chicken dish, followed by a plate of waffles (stock photo)

The couple said they were surprised given they had dined at the eatery previously and did not have an issue with the food

The couple said they were surprised given they had dined at the eatery previously and did not have an issue with the food

The incident followed revelations that nearly 10 per cent of food sold as gluten-free at cafes and restaurants across Melbourne contained gluten.

Ms Smithies-Williams intends to decline a $40 refund and confidentiality clause from the restaurant so she can warn other coeliacs about the dangers of dining out. 

‘If they’re not prepared to put in that effort and time to make sure that it’s gluten-free, then they shouldn’t advertise it as such. I have lost faith in going out for dinner and it’s going to take me a long time to be able to go out and do that without fear of this happening.’   

Coeliac Australia’s Cathy Di Bella said it was unfair for restaurants to offer gluten free options then claim they may contain gluten. 

She claimed gluten was the ‘forgotten allergen’ so the organisation was helping to establish an accreditation program within the hospitality industry. 

Ms Smithies-Williams (pictured) intends to decline a $40 refund and confidentiality clause from the restaurant so she can warn other coeliacs about the dangers of dining out

Ms Smithies-Williams (pictured) intends to decline a $40 refund and confidentiality clause from the restaurant so she can warn other coeliacs about the dangers of dining out

 



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