Product Lists

You stop into Starbucks for a cup of coffee. Coffee is safe, right? Then you see all the delicious flavors: Caramel Macchiato, Caffee Mocha, Maple Macchiato.

Are they all gluten-free? Which ones? How about a simple hot chocolate?

Find out here in Starbuck’s allergen list. You’ll be surprised what we can and cannot have. Read More »

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is launching two new health and wellness initiatives this month to address health concerns for all customers and their families. In its ongoing efforts to fight childhood obesity and help kids live healthier lifestyles, Stop & Shop announced that the first issue of its brand new Kid Healthy Ideas, a free health and wellness quarterly magazine, is now available in all stores.

The 12-page, full-color publication, is geared towards kids ages 8 to 12 and features health-related educational articles, games and recipes.

Read More »

Gluten-free products dominated the new products category at Expo West this year, which saw record attendance in both the number of attendees and exhibiting vendors.  Here is my second installment of my favorite picks for gluten-free candy, cookies, and mixes.

Candy

• Justin’s – has turned their line of squeezable peanut/nut butters into three candy bars: Milk Chocolate Peanut, Dark Chocolate Peanut, and Milk Chocolate Almond.  They taste like a healthy version of a snickers made with quality ingredients and packed with protein. Read More »

Chef James Aptakin serves his delicious Hawaiian short rib sauce. Credits: A. Fothergill

The Fancy Food Show is put on by National Association for the Specialty Food Trade two times per year; a summer show in New York City and a winter show in San Francisco. With over 17,000 attendess and 80,000 products from 1300 vendors, it is a chance for retailers, restaurants and food service professionals to sample some of the best products on the market. For the vendors, it’s a way for them to connect with those people, in hopes of future sales. It’s also a good way to be “in the know” as new products come out.  Some vendors are already established and some are brand new, hoping to be picked up by small or large grocery stores. Either way, there is always something new.

Last year, there were more new gluten-free products. Whether it’s not quite the right venue or there are less new-comers, it was surprising there were not as many. Last year, gluten-free was a top trend. One reason might be in the labeling.

Some manufacturers are hestitant to call their products gluten-free because they worry about giving the right information to the public. One owner of a spice company said he doesn’t put gluten in any of his products but he can’t Read More »

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.