Diabetic eating

COMPLIMENTS to Kathryn Gardiner for her letter regarding Diabetic eating.

Hopefully chefs will take note but I highly doubt that they will.

As Ms Gardiner pointed out, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions here in Australia as well as in other western countries. The number of people with gluten intolerance has also risen dramatically over recent years yet chefs totally ignore the dietary requirements of these two ever growing segments of our population.

In Canada and the USA supermarkets dedicate whole aisles to gluten free and diabetic products.

But here in Queensland? No, of course not – there is barely a token representation of such things.

These are market areas just waiting to be developed, but it seems that emphasis is being put mainly on the younger generations, people – supposedly – with “the” money to spend.

The population of “baby boomers” has now reached the official retirement age and along with advancing years, comes the necessity for alternate dietary and medicinal support.

Why are manufacturers not helping? Why are supermarkets not demanding that their suppliers offer the products asked for by customers?

We do not need 30-40 breakfast cereals. We do not need 20-30 laundry detergents. We do not need a whole host of any product from which to choose.

But we do need specialised products for people with specific needs.

While Ms Gardiner’s plea was directed to chefs in local restaurants let’s not forget where the “problem” lies – with the lack of availability of products in the supermarkets.

Come on people, it is 2017 and the demand is there.

— JNETTE HARVEY, Rangeville