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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Whole Foods 365 Brand Gluten-Free Mixes 86’d
Whole Foods Market has decided to discontinue its branded gluten-free baking mixes due to “lack of interest.” Back in 2007, the market introduced their own line of mixes – not to be confused with the Gluten Free Bakehouse ready-made baked goods. The mixes for pizzas, breads, cakes, brownies and the like were part of the store’s 365 Everyday Value line. The products initially were priced slightly less than the comparable Gluten-Free Pantry mixes the house brand largely replaced. The ingredient labels for the Whole Foods products mimicked those of Gluten-Free Pantry’s, although the actual manufacturer of the store-labeled versions was never confirmed by either company.
According to a statement from Whole Foods:
The 365 Gluten Free Baking Mixes have been discontinued and are no longer available through any other outlets. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. There are many reasons that go into the decision to discontinue a product. Hundreds of new products are presented to us every day; therefore, the mix of products in each category is continually evolving. We evaluate attributes like value, quality, taste and convenience when we make the decision to accept or discontinue a product. Most often a product is discontinued to make room for a new product that offers a better combination of these attributes, or because there is a lack of interest in the product.
A Whole Foods customer service representative confirmed in an e-mail that customers’ lack of interest in the products led to the decision to end distribution. Interestingly, stores are being encouraged to stock Gluten-Free Pantry mixes as a replacement when the existing inventory of store-brand products runs out.
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Author Information: John Libonati, Philadelphia, PA
Publisher, Glutenfreeworks.com.
Editor & Publisher, Recognizing Celiac Disease.
John can be reached by e-mail here.
Gluten-free eating has become more and more popular and mainstream over the last few years, as more people are being diagnosed with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance/allergies (either by medical professionals or via simple elimination diets). So it’s not surprising that among the many predictions for 2010’s favorite edibles, The Daily Beast has named gluten-free food as number three on their 
Unilever United States, Inc., of Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is voluntarily recalling a limited number of tubs of Breyers® ice cream because it was mispackaged and may contain undeclared wheat. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of allergic reaction if they consume this product.