9 ms·

The Gluten Project: A Search Engine for 35K Certified Gluten-Free Products

81 points by dpflan 9y ago

flybayer 9y ago
Hey, the founder here! I'd love to answer any questions you have or take constructive feedback :) It's built with React, Next.js, and hosted on Zeit.co All the code is open-source: https://github.com/BeeDesignLLC/GlutenProject.com https://github.com/BeeDesignLLC/GlutenProject.com
- dpflan 9y ago
  How did you fill the database? Is it manual, automated, crowd-sourced? Did you convert this GCFO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) PDF to a more dynamic, searchable, user friendly experience?
  - flybayer 9y ago
    I used pdf2json to scrape all the data from the GFCO PDF, which they publish annually. So mostly tool-assisted manual labor :D However, I'm now negotiating with GFCO to get continually up-to-date information. I'm also working with another major GF certification and will soon be adding their products too.
    - rambojazz 9y ago
      What's the license of the data in GFCO?
      - flybayer 9y ago
        There's no license because it's facts and can't be copyrighted.
        semi-extrinsic 9y ago
        For the US, correct [1]. For other countries, YMMV. Edit: e.g. in the UK, sui generis rights apply to a database [2], such that if creation of a database required "substantial investment in obtaining, verifying or presenting the contents of the database" then someone else cannot copy it and re-publish in another form. This is very different from US law, which requires some "creative originality" to be involved. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_Publications,_Inc.,_v._Rural_Telephone_Service_Co https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_Publications,_Inc.,_v._R.... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_generis_database_right https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_generis_database_right
        rambojazz 9y ago
        Would this also apply to a database such as IMDB, since movie information is just facts? So, like, I can crawl their website and make a public-domain database of movies/actors? This would be cool, since I'm not aware of any free database for movies/actors.
    - DanBC 9y ago
      Do different certification organisations have similar requirements? GFCO seem to require less than 10 PPM, and no barley. Is that consistent with other orgs?
      - flybayer 9y ago
        GFCO (glutenfreecert.com) holds the manufacturer to whatever they self-declare (20ppm, 10ppm, 5ppm, etc and even undetectable). GFCO certifies individual products with testing. GFCP certifies facilities with required systems and processes. These folks basically do the certification at a higher place in the chain and is where the industry is headed.
      - code_duck 9y ago
        Definitely no barley, because barley is just as much a gluten containing grain as wheat. Barley, rye, wheat and other grains each have their own protein. For those they are hordein, secalin, and gliadin, and they are all considered gluten.
    - nickk2006 9y ago
      Really cool project! Forwarded link to friend who’s alergic to gluten. Is the information regarding where to purchase the products added manually?
      - flybayer 9y ago
        Thank you! :) Purchase links are added a few different ways. We're an affiliate for Nuts.com, so we have access to their entire product list. It takes a bit of manual work to match up the data, but I'll be able to automate it as soon as it makes sense to do so.
    - code_duck 9y ago
      My concern in devoting time to a project like this would be that GFCO could easily make their own data searchable at any time, given that they already have their own database, and thus search isn’t very difficult to implement. It’s the same problem faced by any developer relying on one company or API for all of their data. What would their motivation be to work with you rather than just enhance their own website?
- ilogik 9y ago
  Is this US data only?
  - flybayer 9y ago
    GFCO certifies products for several different countries, but the majority is US. We are going to be adding country support so folks can easily find products available to them no matter what country they are from.
- chestervonwinch 9y ago
  I notice that you only include products from the GFCO. What's your opinion on products like Omission beer, which can't be approved by the GFCO since they are made with gluten and removed after? I use Omission as an example since they provide parts per million test results on their web site as work around for current regulations.
- code_duck 9y ago
  Thank you for doing this. I've had a hard time finding certain gluten free items and at this point, can and will only eat certified gf items.
rch 9y ago
I need the same thing for buckwheat free products... People with imaginary gluten sensitivities (only a subgroup) are creating more and more real allergy hazards for me.
- bloak 9y ago
  I don't understand how allergy hazards are being created for you. Please explain. As far as I can tell, buckwheat is a fairly exotic ingredient even in specialist wheat-free foods. We once bought some buckwheat pasta: never finished the packet. Typical wheat-free pasta is made from rice and maize. I can't think what the justification would be for adding buckwheat as a minor ingredient to something.
  - wyager 9y ago
    > I don't understand how allergy hazards are being created for you My guess: cry wolf syndrome. Waiters, chefs, etc. only have so much energy and attention they can dedicate to minding food allergies. If people with fake gluten intolerance constantly barrage food workers with (usually clearly nonsense) requests to modify food items or dumb questions that anyone with a real food allergy would already know the answer to, it’s going to sap the ability of food workers to help real allergy patients.
    - code_duck 9y ago
      The gluten-free trend is helpful and non-helpful. Restaurants having vaguely or probably gluten-free items doesn't help me at all, because I can only eat strictly gluten free, as in certified gluten free by a lab, or whole foods such as raw chicken cooked in strictly untainted setting at home and handled at every step of the way using items that have never been used for gluten. Very few restaurants have that level of facilities or staff education. It's like having a peanut allergy where one speck will cause doom, but it's a delayed reaction that can build up over months, too. After I was diagnosed I tried eating at restaurants and believing they could be careful enough, and it did not work out. The problem is often contamination of their ingredients - even if something has no gluten ingredients on the label, and even claims to be gluten free, it doesn't mean it's safe for celiacs. Even dried herbs and spices are commonly tainted. So you'd have to find a restaurant that has certified gluten free whole food ingredients for everything, and a complete duplicate kitchen where nothing has ever touched gluten. You could take a gluten testing kit with you, but that's expensive, inconvenient, impractical, and you still might end up sitting at the table with nothing to eat.
csallen 9y ago
Congrats on the launch! What are your long-term goals for this? Is this a side project right now and, if so, do you hope to eventually go full time?
- flybayer 9y ago
  Thank you Courtland! Our long-term goal is to be the best global resource for finding certified gluten-free products. We want to have products from as many GF certifications as possible. Another huge thing is adding ingredient lists and filters for other food allergies since many GF folks have other allergies. I've been working full-time on this for about 7 weeks, but I'm expecting to do more consulting work before it provides a full-time income. All revenue will come from affiliate links on each product.
jnordwick 9y ago
> "(undiagnosed) Celiac disease" Why undiagnosed? My brother has actual celiac, there were actual tests and biopsies that could be done.
- flybayer 9y ago
  Good question! She stopped eating gluten a couple years before learning investigating a Celiac test. The problem is Celiac tests only work if you are currently eating gluten. Since even a tiny speck of gluten gives her insane pain, she'll probably never be able to get properly tested. That said, several doctors think she does have Celiac.
  - code_duck 9y ago
    Right, one has to not only eat some gluten but eat it for up to 3 months to avoid a false negative. This is fairly new information to many doctors (neither of my MDs were aware of that, nor my GI specialist - I had to inform myself from the internet and do my own self conducted, self monitored gluten challenge to ensure the test they ordered was accurate). Now I'm in the position of being very clearly sensitive to gluten, having a first degree family member with celiac, and a 2 positive blood tests. That is enough for most European doctors and some American doctors to firmly diagnose, but most American doctors insist on a biopsy that shows intestinal damage. They gave me a biopsy when I had been on an almost gluten free diet for months, and it didn't show anything. I'll probably never get tested because there is no way I want to go through great suffering and risk permanent damage by eating gluten for weeks or months just to prove it to health insurance.
    - opless 9y ago
      Same here - I'm ridiculously sensitive to gluten. I've not been diagnosed, and I doubt I will ever be. I was contaminated over Xmas, and the past two months have been hell on earth. I managed to drag myself into work but the joint+muscular pain, not to mention the brain fog made me regret that decision - every. single. day. But you have to put food on the table and pay your rent. I would never consider eating gluten for a week let alone three months. I'd be extremely ill.
lokopodium 9y ago
Remember, if you are not actually gluten-intolerant, excluding gluten carries no health benefits at the price of significant inconvenience.
- jnsaff2 9y ago
  Source?
  - ars 9y ago
    Many many many millennia of human history is not enough of a source for you? The gluten free fad is barely 5 years old.
    - flybayer 9y ago
      This is why that's not a good answer: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/is-gluten-on-the-increase/ http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/is-gluten-on-the-incre...
      - ars 9y ago
        Did we read the same article? That article says there has been no change, and in fact people ate even more gluten in the past. (The small bit at the end where he tries to guess a reason can be ignored, since he's basing it on nothing.) Maybe I misunderstood you and you were bringing that article to confirm what I said?
- fwsgonzo 9y ago
  While that is right, the standard test doesn't always tell the truth - NCGS is a real thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-celiac_gluten_sensitivity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-celiac_gluten_sensitivity
  - smoyer 9y ago
    Maybe (or probably for some sub-set of those people?) ... one of the researchers who helped popularize NCGS did a small-scale study that indicates FODMAPs may be the culprit. Keep an eye on this research because you may need to limit other foods as well as those with gluten (gluten and FODMAPs both exist in many foods). https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/are-18-millions-people-really-sensitive-to-gluten-20140704 https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/are-18-millions-p...
jamisteven 9y ago
This is great but the GUI, in my opinion is not conducive to drive sales, it seems very odd to me.
phone_book 9y ago
Why not call this Project Glutenberg? Seriously though this looks good. Every week I end up searching for either, "Is X gluten free" or "gluten free Y", followed by looking at nutrition labels on google images, hoping a company website actually lists something, or looking at 4 year old forum posts. Few suggestions: - Can you do away with the load more button? just autoload on scroll. - Also maybe alphabetize the list, I clicked on cereal and it's just random. - The search seems strange, I put in Chex but it seems to match anything with 'Che*' - Also maybe have separate pages. Like, I want to click on cereal and then drill into the cereal products with search. It seems like there is just a master list and search works over that.
- quickthrower2 9y ago
  > Why not call this Project Glutenberg? That would be way too cheesy.
  - sebito91 9y ago
    It's not all that bad :D https://glutenberg.ca/en/verify_age https://glutenberg.ca/en/verify_age
  - smoyer 9y ago
    Sometimes cheesy is also catchy and helps with promotion - perhaps a nice tag-line instead like: "The largest list of gluten-free foods is hot off the presses" ;) (and most cheeses are gluten-free)
  - lokopodium 9y ago
    Cheese is normally gluten-free.
- flybayer 9y ago
  Haha, we thought about calling it that! Your suggestions are great, and I totally agree with them. We just launched 3 weeks ago, so those items haven't been top priority. But they are on my list.
ttflee 9y ago
Enjoy gluten, if you can. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)

81 points by dpflan 9y ago

Hey, the founder here! I'd love to answer any questions you have or take constructive feedback :) It's built with React, Next.js, and hosted on Zeit.co All the code is open-source: https://github.com/BeeDesignLLC/GlutenProject.com https://github.com/BeeDesignLLC/GlutenProject.com

dpflan 9y ago
How did you fill the database? Is it manual, automated, crowd-sourced? Did you convert this GCFO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) PDF to a more dynamic, searchable, user friendly experience?
- flybayer 9y ago
  I used pdf2json to scrape all the data from the GFCO PDF, which they publish annually. So mostly tool-assisted manual labor :D However, I'm now negotiating with GFCO to get continually up-to-date information. I'm also working with another major GF certification and will soon be adding their products too.
  - rambojazz 9y ago
    What's the license of the data in GFCO?
    - flybayer 9y ago
      There's no license because it's facts and can't be copyrighted.
      - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
        For the US, correct [1]. For other countries, YMMV. Edit: e.g. in the UK, sui generis rights apply to a database [2], such that if creation of a database required "substantial investment in obtaining, verifying or presenting the contents of the database" then someone else cannot copy it and re-publish in another form. This is very different from US law, which requires some "creative originality" to be involved. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_Publications,_Inc.,_v._Rural_Telephone_Service_Co https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_Publications,_Inc.,_v._R.... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_generis_database_right https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_generis_database_right
        rambojazz 9y ago
        Would this also apply to a database such as IMDB, since movie information is just facts? So, like, I can crawl their website and make a public-domain database of movies/actors? This would be cool, since I'm not aware of any free database for movies/actors.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    Do different certification organisations have similar requirements? GFCO seem to require less than 10 PPM, and no barley. Is that consistent with other orgs?
    - flybayer 9y ago
      GFCO (glutenfreecert.com) holds the manufacturer to whatever they self-declare (20ppm, 10ppm, 5ppm, etc and even undetectable). GFCO certifies individual products with testing. GFCP certifies facilities with required systems and processes. These folks basically do the certification at a higher place in the chain and is where the industry is headed.
    - code_duck 9y ago
      Definitely no barley, because barley is just as much a gluten containing grain as wheat. Barley, rye, wheat and other grains each have their own protein. For those they are hordein, secalin, and gliadin, and they are all considered gluten.
  - nickk2006 9y ago
    Really cool project! Forwarded link to friend who’s alergic to gluten. Is the information regarding where to purchase the products added manually?
    - flybayer 9y ago
      Thank you! :) Purchase links are added a few different ways. We're an affiliate for Nuts.com, so we have access to their entire product list. It takes a bit of manual work to match up the data, but I'll be able to automate it as soon as it makes sense to do so.
  - code_duck 9y ago
    My concern in devoting time to a project like this would be that GFCO could easily make their own data searchable at any time, given that they already have their own database, and thus search isn’t very difficult to implement. It’s the same problem faced by any developer relying on one company or API for all of their data. What would their motivation be to work with you rather than just enhance their own website?
ilogik 9y ago
Is this US data only?
- flybayer 9y ago
  GFCO certifies products for several different countries, but the majority is US. We are going to be adding country support so folks can easily find products available to them no matter what country they are from.
chestervonwinch 9y ago
I notice that you only include products from the GFCO. What's your opinion on products like Omission beer, which can't be approved by the GFCO since they are made with gluten and removed after? I use Omission as an example since they provide parts per million test results on their web site as work around for current regulations.
code_duck 9y ago
Thank you for doing this. I've had a hard time finding certain gluten free items and at this point, can and will only eat certified gf items.

rch 9y ago

I need the same thing for buckwheat free products... People with imaginary gluten sensitivities (only a subgroup) are creating more and more real allergy hazards for me.

bloak 9y ago
I don't understand how allergy hazards are being created for you. Please explain. As far as I can tell, buckwheat is a fairly exotic ingredient even in specialist wheat-free foods. We once bought some buckwheat pasta: never finished the packet. Typical wheat-free pasta is made from rice and maize. I can't think what the justification would be for adding buckwheat as a minor ingredient to something.
- wyager 9y ago
  > I don't understand how allergy hazards are being created for you My guess: cry wolf syndrome. Waiters, chefs, etc. only have so much energy and attention they can dedicate to minding food allergies. If people with fake gluten intolerance constantly barrage food workers with (usually clearly nonsense) requests to modify food items or dumb questions that anyone with a real food allergy would already know the answer to, it’s going to sap the ability of food workers to help real allergy patients.
  - code_duck 9y ago
    The gluten-free trend is helpful and non-helpful. Restaurants having vaguely or probably gluten-free items doesn't help me at all, because I can only eat strictly gluten free, as in certified gluten free by a lab, or whole foods such as raw chicken cooked in strictly untainted setting at home and handled at every step of the way using items that have never been used for gluten. Very few restaurants have that level of facilities or staff education. It's like having a peanut allergy where one speck will cause doom, but it's a delayed reaction that can build up over months, too. After I was diagnosed I tried eating at restaurants and believing they could be careful enough, and it did not work out. The problem is often contamination of their ingredients - even if something has no gluten ingredients on the label, and even claims to be gluten free, it doesn't mean it's safe for celiacs. Even dried herbs and spices are commonly tainted. So you'd have to find a restaurant that has certified gluten free whole food ingredients for everything, and a complete duplicate kitchen where nothing has ever touched gluten. You could take a gluten testing kit with you, but that's expensive, inconvenient, impractical, and you still might end up sitting at the table with nothing to eat.

csallen 9y ago

Congrats on the launch! What are your long-term goals for this? Is this a side project right now and, if so, do you hope to eventually go full time?

flybayer 9y ago
Thank you Courtland! Our long-term goal is to be the best global resource for finding certified gluten-free products. We want to have products from as many GF certifications as possible. Another huge thing is adding ingredient lists and filters for other food allergies since many GF folks have other allergies. I've been working full-time on this for about 7 weeks, but I'm expecting to do more consulting work before it provides a full-time income. All revenue will come from affiliate links on each product.

jnordwick 9y ago

> "(undiagnosed) Celiac disease" Why undiagnosed? My brother has actual celiac, there were actual tests and biopsies that could be done.

flybayer 9y ago
Good question! She stopped eating gluten a couple years before learning investigating a Celiac test. The problem is Celiac tests only work if you are currently eating gluten. Since even a tiny speck of gluten gives her insane pain, she'll probably never be able to get properly tested. That said, several doctors think she does have Celiac.
- code_duck 9y ago
  Right, one has to not only eat some gluten but eat it for up to 3 months to avoid a false negative. This is fairly new information to many doctors (neither of my MDs were aware of that, nor my GI specialist - I had to inform myself from the internet and do my own self conducted, self monitored gluten challenge to ensure the test they ordered was accurate). Now I'm in the position of being very clearly sensitive to gluten, having a first degree family member with celiac, and a 2 positive blood tests. That is enough for most European doctors and some American doctors to firmly diagnose, but most American doctors insist on a biopsy that shows intestinal damage. They gave me a biopsy when I had been on an almost gluten free diet for months, and it didn't show anything. I'll probably never get tested because there is no way I want to go through great suffering and risk permanent damage by eating gluten for weeks or months just to prove it to health insurance.
  - opless 9y ago
    Same here - I'm ridiculously sensitive to gluten. I've not been diagnosed, and I doubt I will ever be. I was contaminated over Xmas, and the past two months have been hell on earth. I managed to drag myself into work but the joint+muscular pain, not to mention the brain fog made me regret that decision - every. single. day. But you have to put food on the table and pay your rent. I would never consider eating gluten for a week let alone three months. I'd be extremely ill.

lokopodium 9y ago

Remember, if you are not actually gluten-intolerant, excluding gluten carries no health benefits at the price of significant inconvenience.

jnsaff2 9y ago
Source?
- ars 9y ago
  Many many many millennia of human history is not enough of a source for you? The gluten free fad is barely 5 years old.
  - flybayer 9y ago
    This is why that's not a good answer: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/is-gluten-on-the-increase/ http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/is-gluten-on-the-incre...
    - ars 9y ago
      Did we read the same article? That article says there has been no change, and in fact people ate even more gluten in the past. (The small bit at the end where he tries to guess a reason can be ignored, since he's basing it on nothing.) Maybe I misunderstood you and you were bringing that article to confirm what I said?
fwsgonzo 9y ago
While that is right, the standard test doesn't always tell the truth - NCGS is a real thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-celiac_gluten_sensitivity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-celiac_gluten_sensitivity
- smoyer 9y ago
  Maybe (or probably for some sub-set of those people?) ... one of the researchers who helped popularize NCGS did a small-scale study that indicates FODMAPs may be the culprit. Keep an eye on this research because you may need to limit other foods as well as those with gluten (gluten and FODMAPs both exist in many foods). https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/are-18-millions-people-really-sensitive-to-gluten-20140704 https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/are-18-millions-p...

jamisteven 9y ago

This is great but the GUI, in my opinion is not conducive to drive sales, it seems very odd to me.

phone_book 9y ago

Why not call this Project Glutenberg? Seriously though this looks good. Every week I end up searching for either, "Is X gluten free" or "gluten free Y", followed by looking at nutrition labels on google images, hoping a company website actually lists something, or looking at 4 year old forum posts. Few suggestions: - Can you do away with the load more button? just autoload on scroll. - Also maybe alphabetize the list, I clicked on cereal and it's just random. - The search seems strange, I put in Chex but it seems to match anything with 'Che*' - Also maybe have separate pages. Like, I want to click on cereal and then drill into the cereal products with search. It seems like there is just a master list and search works over that.

quickthrower2 9y ago
> Why not call this Project Glutenberg? That would be way too cheesy.
- sebito91 9y ago
  It's not all that bad :D https://glutenberg.ca/en/verify_age https://glutenberg.ca/en/verify_age
- smoyer 9y ago
  Sometimes cheesy is also catchy and helps with promotion - perhaps a nice tag-line instead like: "The largest list of gluten-free foods is hot off the presses" ;) (and most cheeses are gluten-free)
- lokopodium 9y ago
  Cheese is normally gluten-free.
flybayer 9y ago
Haha, we thought about calling it that! Your suggestions are great, and I totally agree with them. We just launched 3 weeks ago, so those items haven't been top priority. But they are on my list.

ttflee 9y ago

Enjoy gluten, if you can. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)