The Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free list update I posted earlier this year is a popular resource on CeliacSnack, which means a lot of people are becoming better gluten-free shoppers.

Anyone with gluten sensitivity, be it celiac disease or an allergy, knows it’s important to keep tabs on the latest GF list. If we’re lucky, that list gets a little longer each time. But more importantly, the new gluten-free grocery list shows you what ISN’T gluten-free anymore. I’ll take a shorter list with little risk of a gluten reaction over a long list with the risk of reaction any day. Anything to avoid a glutening.

Trader Joe’s 2009 Gluten-Free List

Enjoy! I’m printing mine out now.

Anyone practicing a gluten-free diet knows that often you need to BYOGF. Sometimes it’s a continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express. Other times it’s scanning the vending machine, often succumbing to the avalanche of gluten and resorting to a pack of stale Juicy Fruit. Maybe it’s a road trip, or just your daily hour-long commute.

Enter Amazon’s Subscribe and Save service. The model is simple; “subscribe” to a gluten-free staple you know you’ll use over and over again, and Amazon automatically ships out your order in the quantity and schedule of your choosing. As a reward for the steady business, Amazon gives you a discount somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15%.

I use it for my Think Thin bars that I strategically place around my daily life.  I know during my late night study sessions, the vending machines at the library are useless. My bag always has a couple bars in it. Those of you with cooking chops can keep a steady stock of GF ingredients delivered to your door.

Take a look around. Cheaper AND delivered to my door? Sign me up.

Amazon.com Subscribe and Save

I have to admit, Trader Joe’s was a complete mystery to me before I went gluten-free. Having never stepped foot in one, the best I could surmise from the outside was that Joe evidently traded something, but I had no idea it was groceries.

Then came Celiac, and my new brethren informed me Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods would be my new best friends. Each has their pros and cons, but I will say two grocery bags cost a lot less when they have a TJ’s logo on the side.

So, during my recent shopping spree, I was happy to hear from a helpful Joe (?) that Trader Joe’s recently updated their gluten-free list. I haven’t done a line-by-line comparison between this new list and the one on my fridge door, and to be honest this may or may not imply new products. It’s possible they just fine-tuned their previous list, but it does clearly state that the list was updated in December, 2008. Either way, it’s worth printing out a new copy for your next trade trip.

Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free List

[PDF]

Tonight, I present my second post in my two-part series, “Ra-Ra Corporate America!”®

First, it was Kraft and their surprisingly candid and helpful reply to my email. Now comes Peapod, a grocery delivery service found in a dozen or so US markets.

Similar to Amazon Fresh, Peapod offers gluten-free browsing. They call it NutriFilter®. Poor branding aside, it’s a great little tool. This lets Peapod shoppers walk through their “aisles” with gluten-free blinders on, something I wish Whole Foods handed out when I walk through their doors.

I haven’t used Peapod in a couple years, but when I did I was pleased. I’ve been testing search results for about 15 minutes with accurate GF results so far, but soon I’ll give this full test run and let you know how it goes.®

http://www.peapod.com

I wrote an email to Kraft Foods regarding their use of maltodextrine in their dry-roasted peanuts. I’d felt a mild reaction to something I ate during the day, and wanted to rule this out. Thanks to some handouts my nutritionist gave me, I knew maltodextrine could be wheat or corn-based. I was hoping it was the latter.

I received the following reply from Kim in their customer service department within three to four hours; the best reply from any food manufacturer that has even bothered replying to my inquiries. Read on…

Hi Bill,
Thank you for visiting http://www.kraftfoods.com/.

We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to have accurate information about foods to help plan their meals and diets. Therefore, it has been a long standing policy for all Kraft and Nabisco products to list ingredients that contain gluten on the ingredient statement. These items will be listed using commonly known terms such as Wheat, Barley, Oats or Rye. For other ingredients that contain gluten, the grain source will be declared in parenthesis after the ingredient name. For example, if the ingredient “natural flavor” contains a gluten source, the label would read: natural flavor (contains rye). Other ingredients that contain gluten are: Triticale, Spelt, Kamut, Mir or Farina (also known as Far or Farro).

For Kraft-branded products that contain vinegar, information from our vinegar suppliers assures us that the vinegar we use in our products is gluten free. All vinegar is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed.

Therefore if the Maltodextrin used in any of our products is from Wheat, we will declare as ‘wheat maltodextrin’ on the label.

We encourage our consumers to look at the packaging as formulations may change from time to time, the most up to date information on the product will always be the product packaging.

I hope this assists you in making food choices that are appropriate for your personal needs. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietician.

Lastly, here’s a link for more information on Choosing Gluten Free Foods.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/Articles/FoodAllergiesSensitivities/GlutenFreeFoods.htm

Thank you for contacting us and please add our site to your favorites and visit us again soon!

Kim McMiller
Associate Director, Consumer Relations

I can’t speak to Kraft’s overall corporate reputation, but they did good in this round. So listen up, food companies; this goes to show how a rather simple gesture will ensure repeat customers.

Nancy Lapid over at About.com is reporting that Rice Chex, a cereal that comes oh-so-close to being gluten-free if it weren’t for the barley malt, is changing its recipe. General Mills has tweaked the recipe and will be introducing the new GF version in the coming weeks. The new boxes will declare “Gluten-Free” under the Chex logo (see my circle on the box).

It’s worth reiterating Nancy’s warning; make sure you’re buying the GF version, as the older recipe will still be on the shelves for some time I’m sure.

Rice Chex Going Gluten-Free [About.com]

Rice Chex page on GeneralMills.com

A list of gluten-free foods I found in a Trader Joe’s last week has shown up on the company’s web site as part of an overall labeling initiative. As a private label store, selling more than 80% of its products under the store brand, Trader Joe’s is in a unique position to help its customers find appropriate items for special diets, including vegan, kosher, low-sodium, even 15min quick meals.

According to the grocer:

Our dedication to you as a valued Trader Joe’s customer is to provide you with helpful information to make informed buying decisions because we know that you have specific dietary concerns.

While not what I would call reader-friendly, the list is a long one, which should be exciting for anyone tired of the treasure hunt.

Gluten-free foods at Trader Joe’s Trader Joe’s labeling system

Back when I lived in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, I was an avid hiker. At any given point you could find bags of trail mix in my backpack, some store-bought, most home made. I haven’t been hiking since I was diagnosed with Celiac last year, but Elizabeth over at Wildflower Morning has a recipe for gluten-free granola that I am bookmarking immediately.

Celiacs are used to bringing their own snacks on trips both near and far, but it’s especially important anytime you’re going to be out in the wilderness. In my pre-celiac life, I could ask a fellow weekend warrior for a Power Bar if I ran out, but celiacs run the risk of having nothing to eat no matter who you run into on the trail. If you find yourself two miles into a 12-mile hike with no fuel left, you run the risk of bonking in the middle of nowhere. That’s a dangerous scenario.

Even more reason to take a look at her recipe! I’m not supposed to eat oats for a good year while my system heals, but for those of you that can eat oats, this looks like a great mix.

Gluten-Free Granola [Wildflower Morning]

The Celiac Disease Blog, a great resource on About.com, is reporting that Celestial Seasons has started labeling their gluten-free options.

Like the blog’s author, Nancy Lapid, I was surprised to find barley as an ingredient in some of the teas I used to enjoy. At least this makes finding an inexpensive (non-Whole Foods) tea a little easier.

The Celiac Disease Blog [About.com]

The folks at Enjoy Life Bakery just outside Chicago are on a mission: to help people, especially those with allergies and Celiac disease, eat freely and enjoy their foods.

To that end, the bakery cranks out a large portfolio of safe-to-eat products, including trail mix, snack bars, granola and bagels. Distributed in grocery stores like Jewel and Hannaford (which is quickly getting the gluten-free message), the brand is quickly becoming a go-to for people looking to eat gluten-free.

Some of the bakery’s staff eats gluten-free too. And they’ve put together a list of some of their favorite gluten-free foods (pdf). With a passion like this, Enjoy Life bakery is sure to succeed in making people smile.