Guest Blog: New GF Products on the Market

A couple months ago, B traveled to the West Coast to attend a food industry trade show to learn about new gluten-free and allergy-friendly products. Suffice it to say, I was a little jealous, but very glad he was willing to share his experience and insights so graciously here. His report follows. (My apologies for the delay in my getting it posted, which occurred on my end, not his.) You may already have seen some of the items discussed below, and if not, keep a look out for what will be appearing on store shelves soon.

Gluten-free Finds at Expo West 2011

We now interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for a report from the floors of the 2011 Natural Products Expo West at Anaheim Convention Center: Hi, it’s B. I’m guest-writing for L today to provide a glimpse at some of the new gluten-free products on display this year at Expo West, a trade show for natural products retailers and one of the best opportunities to see the newest gluten-free foods heading to the market.

On the positive side for gluten-free consumers, a number of new products were introduced at the show held over the March 11-13 weekend, but unfortunately, due to some of the convention center’s fairly peculiar sampling rules, I wasn’t able to taste all of these and tucked in to only a few. Perhaps the most-positive news came during a seminar with Dr. Lucy Gibney, founder of Dr. Lucy’s, probably best-known for its line of cookies found at a number of Starbucks around the country (a relationship which, sadly, will likely soon be coming to an end, Lucy informed me). During the seminar, Lucy stated, “The question is no longer if a store will get in on gluten-free; it’s how they will.”

The products those stores will be offering continue to grow in diversity and improve in quality. Gluten-free remains among the food industry’s fastest growing trends, as sales of gluten-free foods have doubled in the past two years (to $2.64 billion in 2010) and are projected to hit $5.5 billion by 2015, according to a report from Packaged Facts, a market research firm. Among the products at Expo West this year hoping to get their piece of the gluten-free pie (again, I can’t vouch for the taste of most of these and, as always, advise everyone to inspect ingredient labels of all products, as these have been known to change between show debut and product launch):

Glutenfreeda Foods Inc. – A frozen, single-serve Gluten-free Shredded Beef Burrito joins the company’s line. It’s described as an “anytime meal” with no trans fats, and basically, it’s Hot Pockets meet gluten-free. As for other major allergens, the ingredient list mentions cheese.

Glutenfreeda also featured a line of gluten-free cheesecake hand crafted and made with ingredients from local dairies and farms (“local” to where, the company doesn’t explain). The three-item line includes Strawberry Swirl, Chocolate Truffle and New York Style, all noting the presence of eggs and milk. They come frozen and, considering they’re promised to be all- natural, my guess would be the “local” is to the company’s Washington headquarters. www.glutenfreedafoods.com

Sam Mills USA – This European company featured Pasta d’oro 100% corn pasta, a gluten-free version of such pasta favorites as penne, rigati, fusilli and fettucine, to name only a few in this extensive line that is free from gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, sugar, cholesterol, yeast, soy, sodium and nuts. Sam Mills also had its line of gluten-free sauces on display, with recipes including Olive Zingara Style, Tomato & Basil, Tuna and Olives, Tomato & Vegetable, and Rocotta Cheese & Vodka.

Andrew & Everett – This favorite around the L household for its range of gluten-free cheeses with no casein added announced a couple of introductions set to come to gluten-free refrigerated cases: a butter free of gluten, antibiotics and preservatives (no word on its casein content; it’s still in development), and a revamped version of its popular Mozzarella String Cheese, which will now be individually wrapped, 8-count packages. Oh, and I again put in a request for a gluten free/casein-free cream cheese.

Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Bakery – While this company has gluten-free in its name, its baked goods are also free of casein, peanuts, soy, corn, dairy and lactose. Its dedicated facility has now introduced its take on the iconic Hostess Ho Ho, as well as brownie bites. The products are handmade in the company’s New York bakery, and can be found in select freezer cases around the country.

These were quite good, and while they may be hard to find, they’re well worth bugging local retailers to stock in their frozen or in-store bakery cases. www.Shabtai-Gourmet.com

Enjoy Life Foods – The new Crunchy Vanilla Honey Graham Cookie joined Enjoy Life’s cookie range, which includes sugar cookies, a chocolate chip cookie and double-chocolate chip cookies.

Granola made its way into Enjoy Life’s portfolio, with Double Chocolate Crunch, Cinnamon Crunch, Very Berry Crunch and Cranapple Crunch, each of which may be eaten with rice milk or straight out of the bag. The company also introduced reformulated versions of its soft-baked cookies (in Snickerdoodle, Double Chocolate Brownie, Lively Lemon and Happy Apple varieties, to name only a few). Also retooled has been Enjoy Life’s Chewy On-the-Go Bars, with flavors such as Cocoa Loco, Caramel Apple and Sunbutter Crunch.

For bakers, Enjoy Life added Semi-sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks, and all of the company’s products are free of wheat, peanuts, eggs, fish, dairy, tree nuts, soy, shellfish, casein, potatoes, sesame and sulfites. Enjoy Life’s products are produced in a dedicated nut-free and dedicated and/or certified gluten-free facility, and so far, they have not disappointed in terms of quality or
allergen issues. www.enjoylifefoods.com

Annie’s Inc. – Annie’s Homegrown added two new varieties to its gluten-free Bunny Cookies, with SnickerDoodle and Ginger Snap joining the original Cocoa & Vanilla option.

Coffaro’s Baking Co. – A biscotti is now available without wheat or dairy. Coffaro’s Biscotti can be found in such flavors as Cranberry Almond, Chocolate Chip and Lemon Vanilla. www.Coffaros.com

Green Rabbit LLC – This company, probably best known for its MimicCreme non-dairy cream substitute, has now introduced Healthy Top Whipping Cream. Made from almonds and cashews, it’s free of lactose, gluten and caseinates, but as is fairly obvious, it does contain tree nuts. www.mimiccreme.com

Oat Solutions LLC – Ahhh, oats. I know oats are controversial, to say the least, in gluten-free circles; numerous studies have found oats contain gluten, but oat proponents contend those studies examined oats which had been contaminated with gluten during sorting and delivery. I leave it to each of you to opt for yourself whether to consume oats, but Oat Solutions LLC will be promoting its Simpli Oatmeal and Whole Oat Flour as gluten-free.

The same company also announced a “low-gluten alternative to sugary sodas, juice boxes and chocolate milk.” Each Oat Shake has no dairy or lactose, but there was no indication of exactly how much constitutes “low-gluten” in Oat Solutions’ eyes. www.livesimpli.com

XO Baking Co. – The tales of people discovering their Celiac Disease and having to adjust their entire dining life is easily relatable; the founder of this company was a baker and had to change her entire career direction. Lindsey Deitsch’s company now has an entire range of baking mixes, all promising to be gluten-free and made from a blend of whole-grain brown rice flour and coconut flours. Its mixes include Fudge Brownie, Gingerbread Cookie, Double Chocolate Chip Cookie, Banana Bread and Corn Bread, all free of wheat and dairy. www.xobaking.com

Daiya Foods – While Daiya’s range of shredded-cheese-like products are free of dairy, lactose, casein, gluten, peanuts and soy, the products still haven’t quite overcome the issues of melting and off-taste which have plagued them since last year’s launch. It doesn’t taste and perform exactly like cheese for a simple reason: it’s not cheese. It’s a vegan product made from tapioca and arrowroot flours, oils, pea protein and other ingredients. New to the range this year will be Pepperjack-style Shreds. Is it an ideal cheese replacer? No, but it’s a suitable substitute for the time being. www.daiyafoods.com

Verve Inc. – Better known by the name of its chewing gum, Glee Gum, Verve added a pair of sugar-free options. Lemon-Lime and Refresh-Mint Glee are free of corn, soy and gluten and, in place of sugar, are sweetened with xylitol. www.gleegum.com

Prima Provisions Co. – Otherwise known as Chebe and featuring a range of gluten-free baking mixes (including rolls, focaccia, pizza crust and cinnamon rolls) and frozen dough (ciabatta, breadsticks and cheese rolls, among others), the company was proudest of its planned brand overhaul in 2011, which will see it adopt a new brand identity -- Chebe: Delicious by Nature. www.chebe.com

Peanut Butter & Co. – Obviously not for nut-free consumers, Peanut Butter & Co.’s product launches this year included one product with an ingredient I haven’t seen. Its new Squeeze Packs are available in three flavors – Smooth Operator (a natural peanut butter), The Bee’s Knees (peanut butter blended with honey) and Dark Chocolate Dreams (peanut butter blended with dark chocolate). It’s the latter with the new-to-me ingredient. With soy off of L’s menu, I frequently find myself cursing chocolate products with lecithin, because it is usually derived from soy. The ingredients in Peanut Butter & Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams, however, list “lecithin (from sunflowers).” I’ll have to do some more research into this and may report later, if L has me back.

Oh, back to Peanut Butter & Co.’s launches. It also added Snack in the Box, a decidedly allergen-unfriendly product. Its ingredients include flour, wheat gluten, soy flour and soy lecithin in its crackers. My advice would be to check the package carefully and make sure even the Squeeze Boxes indicate they are manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility. www.ilovepeanutbutter.com

Morini Brands – There’s no escaping Natural Products Expo’s past; exhibitors and attendees alike proudly boast of its origins with what they affectionately refer to as “Birkenstock attendees” looking solely for the latest vegetarian products. As such, the show traditionally has any number of meat alternatives, and this year was no exception, with Morini Brands launching Bahama Rice Burger, Rice Sausage and Rice Meatballs, all free of soy, wheat and gluten. For those of you worried about adding Omega-3 fatty acids to your diet but with no desire to eat more fish or the seed-based options, these products claim to have between 1,000 milligrams and 2,000 milligrams of ALA Omega-3s per serving. www.BahamaRiceBurger.com

Ian’s Natural Foods – The company promises a “new great tasting recipe” for its Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Patties and Chicken Nuggets Kids Meal, all free of wheat, gluten, milk, casein, eggs, nuts and soy.

Maplegrove Gluten Free Foods Inc. – While Ian’s coined probably my favorite product name I saw on the show floor this year (that would be Ian’s Mac & No Cheese), Maplegrove Gluten Free added a convenient take on macaroni and cheese. Its Rice Mac & Cheese Meal is free of gluten and microwaveable in its package. It also promises to be free of soy, eggs and nuts.

Maplegrove also introduced a White Rice Macaroni & Yellow Cheddar Cheese. The all-natural pasta in Maplegrove’s line of macaroni and cheese (not the microwaveable bowl mentioned above) is made with only rice or potato flours and are produced in a dedicated gluten-free facility. Plus, the company assures the products are free of soy, eggs and nuts. www.maplegrovefoods.com

Turtle Mountain LLC – First, a caveat: Turtle Mountain’s Coconut Milk Non-dairy Frozen Desserts are essentially ice cream-like products free of dairy and gluten, with many of their products also free of soy. Probably. Its products don’t have gluten, dairy or soy, and they’re manufactured in a facility free of those allergens, according to their website. However, likely due to the complete lack of a gluten-free standard in the U.S., they don’t actually claim to be gluten-free.

So, with that out of the way, let me note the company has added So Delicious Greek Style Cultured Coconut Milk, a soy-free and dairy-free product in Blueberry, Chocolate, Plain, Raspberry, Strawberry and Vanilla flavors. No word on the gluten content, so again, my advice would be to check the package and the Turtle Mountain website – www.SoDeliciousDairyFree.com.

Turtle Mountain has also added a line of coconut milk beverages. These promise to be soy-free and dairy-free, but as for the gluten content, it’s almost anyone’s guess. The label has a “Certified Gluten-Free” tag (a damned unique sight on any Turtle Mountain product), but a company rep explained it’s produced by a co-packer: essentially, this company is producing the product, and Turtle Mountain puts its label on it. With no knowledge of the co-packer’s identity, it’s tough to confirm the product’s lack of gluten, but again, I’ll repeat the mantra: “Check the package labels carefully.” The tentative ingredient label does indicate “natural flavors,” which can contain gluten and/or soy. For what it’s worth, the chocolate version has an excellent flavor, and an Egg Nog variety was drawing raves.

Udi’s Gluten Free Foods – Udi’s burst on to the gluten-free scene last year with an excellent range of muffins, breads and pizza crust, with bagels arriving in select freezer cases later in the year. This year, Udi’s embraced buns, introducing Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns. I had the chance to sample the hamburger buns in a pulled pork sandwich, and while the texture was spot-on, it was a little chewy. Still, this was as close to a regular hamburger bun as I’ve had in a gluten-free product, and Udi’s entire range claims to be free of gluten, dairy and soy. www.udisglutenfree.com