For a family managing celiac disease, a quick meal can require advance research, questions about ingredients, and careful planning around how food is prepared. During a road trip, between appointments, or after a long day, finding somewhere everyone can eat together should be easier.

We’re asking McDonald’s USA and Wendy’s to pilot affordable gluten-free meals for adults and children with celiac disease at select U.S. restaurants, with verified procedures to prevent gluten cross-contact.

Millions of Americans have a medical need

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that about 2 million people in the U.S. have celiac disease, many of whom remain undiagnosed. In people with celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine. A gluten-free diet is essential treatment.

A 2020 review found that rates of new celiac diagnoses rose over several decades in the Western world. A U.S. study found a median gap of about 20 months between documentation of a high-risk condition and a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis. Once families get an answer, they still need dependable options away from home.

McDonald’s Spain offers a model to learn from

McDonald’s Spain advertises gluten-free buns for selected burgers, gluten-free Happy Meal options, and fries prepared in dedicated fryers. American families deserve a serious effort to determine how comparable options could work here.

Safe preparation matters as much as ingredients

A gluten-free bun alone does not make a meal suitable for someone with celiac disease. Gluten can transfer through shared utensils, prep surfaces, and cooking equipment. The pilot should include staff training, clear procedures, and independent checks that those procedures work in practice.

One meal option can bring in a whole family

When one person can’t safely eat at a restaurant, the whole family may go somewhere else. A dependable option could bring in family orders and repeat visits. A pilot would let both companies measure that demand alongside operating costs and safety performance.

For families, the benefit is simpler. Once in a while, everyone could order from the same place without making a separate stop or packing a separate meal.

What we’re asking McDonald’s and Wendy’s to do

1. Work with celiac specialists and qualified food safety experts to design a pilot at select U.S. restaurants.
2. Offer at least one complete adult meal and one complete children’s meal with verified gluten-free ingredients and preparation procedures.
3. Train staff and have independent experts verify cross-contact controls, including how fryers are used wherever fried foods are offered.
4. Keep prices accessible and make it easy to find participating restaurants, check ingredients, and see how to order.
5. Publish the pilot’s findings and explain whether the companies plan to expand it.

People with wheat allergies also deserve consideration. Assess their needs separately and provide clear ingredient information and appropriate allergy controls.

Please sign and share to ask McDonald’s and Wendy’s to test an affordable gluten-free meal that families living with celiac disease can count on.