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Anyone who's coeliac and living in Spain will know how tricky it can still be to find places to eat out safely, so it's good news that Lorca is building on a scheme designed to make life easier for coeliac diners.

 

Belén Díaz, the Councillor for Health at Lorca City Council, visited Las Caballerizas restaurant in Lorca Castle on Friday along with Juana Alacid, president of the Celiac Association of Murcia (ACMU), to see one of the establishments that's gained the 'Celiac-friendly' seal.

 

The initiative was launched last year by the council and the association to identify and guarantee safe places for people with coeliac disease to eat.

 

Ms Díaz explained that after such positive results in the first year, more and more local businesses are keen to get involved, with the visit marking another establishment completing the training and advisory process needed to earn the seal.

 

The scheme is aimed at bars, restaurants, butchers and takeaways, and during its first phase more than 40 establishments were visited to check whether their facilities met the requirements to start the validation process.

 

In the end, 30 met the criteria and began training and certification, which included more than 1,000 kitchen and dining room staff being trained by ACMU on how to safely handle food for coeliac customers.

 

So far, three places have completed the validation process: Las Caballerizas del Castillo de Lorca, 1900 Lounge Bar and Antonia Navarro Catering. The last of these is particularly significant, as it provides catering to more than a hundred schools across the Region of Murcia, meaning plenty of families now have access to gluten-free school meals prepared to a high standard.

 

More venues are set to join this year, including Taberna La Cepa, Gastrobar Cañarejo, Tebeo, Restaurante Polonia, Pastelerías Blanco y Azul and Tostadelia, with another 17 still working through the various stages of training and assessment.

 

Once an establishment completes the process, it receives the official 'Coeliac-friendly' seal, making it easy for people to spot venues where they can eat with confidence.

 

Ms Díaz said the seal gives "both the residents of Lorca and those who visit us" peace of mind that the right food safety measures are in place.

 

She added that the scheme also benefits local businesses, giving them a competitive edge by catering to people with specific dietary needs, and helps boost Lorca's reputation as a destination that's accessible and welcoming to visitors with particular requirements.