About 1% of the US population has Celiac disease, meaning there is an immune response in the intestine whenever gluten is consumed. As much as six percent of the American population has Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. Even a crumb can cause vomiting, diarrhea, migraines, and skin reactions, not to mention excruciating pain and bloating. Furthermore, repeated gluten exposure can increase risk for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Being gluten free isn't just for aesthetics, it's for long-term health and comfort.

In a country where food is a means of celebration, gluten free people are quite ostracized. Whether it's skipping cake at a birthday, or not being able to have a hamburger because the buns are plated with the meat, we miss out on the aspect of our culture. 

I don't remember much before my diagnosis at age three. I've had sympathy expressed for not being able to try the Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream, or a croissant, or even goldfish. The individual foods aren't what I feel acute grief for, though -- I feel the most loss for these everyday, social interactions. We eat three meals a day, and most of these are communal meals: breakfast with my brothers, lunch with my friends, and family dinners. It doesn't come as a surprise, with an already-restricted palette and food isolation, that Celiacs are at higher risk for eating disorders, particularly Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. 

With the introduction of the gluten free goldfish, it's a moment of connection, of community. It's the snack stops on a backpacking trip. It's throwing one up in the air and trying to catch it. Food is irrevocably part of culture, and vice-versa. The product would be a gluten free snack, sure, but it would also be inclusion in a tumultuous world.