At Riceworks, keeping our snacks gluten-free is not just a business decision. It’s personal.

We’ve partnered with the celiac community for walks, fundraisers and conferences. Our participation goes beyond just writing a check: We’ve attended these events, handed out free samples and talked to the people who are sampling our gourmet rice crisps.

We’ve heard how hard – and how frightening – a celiac diagnosis can be. On the one hand, there’s a sense of relief from sufferers when they get diagnosed: There’s a reason behind all the symptoms, the stomach aches and the mysterious weight loss.

On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed with questions: How can a person live without gluten? Will you have to shop in tiny gluten-free grocery sections for the rest of your life? How careful are food companies about gluten contamination?

When you choose Riceworks, you can put at least some of those questions to rest. Our delicious flavors have more taste, variety and crunch than any of the wheat snacks you’ve given up.

As for how careful are we, the answer is “extremely.” We know the problems even trace amounts of gluten can cause to some sufferers, damage that can harm the digestive system and limit the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

We make sure our suppliers know that Riceworks ingredients must stay free of any gluten.

We make Riceworks crisps on their own line, in a separate area from any other product containing gluten.

We go beyond what is strictly necessary from a business perspective. But we do it because when our customers open a bag of our gourmet crisps, we want them to leave all the worry behind and just enjoy the tasty, whole-grain crunch of Riceworks.