Gluten & Allergen Free Expo (2011)…
Goodies from the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Chicago (2011)
Fresh off of volunteering this weekend at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo, I sure do feel blessed… Blessed to be able to be a helping hand and part of such a great event where top notch chefs, dietitians, and vendors were available to share their expertise and news about new products. I had the privilege of assisting Lee Tobin from the Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse as he demonstrated how to make gluten free pastries, passing out samples of the wonderful bread that Carol Fenster prepared during her Bread Baking Basics course, and just rounding up any necessary item or performing any task needed by the many hands at the Expo to help make it a success. I would say that Jen Cafferty and her team have found a stride and the Expo is quite a great place to be informed on all things gluten and allergy free.
I want to make sure you are aware that while this is an allergy friendly event, there were plenty of allergens to be had. We are all promised that everything is gluten free; however, it is hard for those with nut, egg and soy allergies to navigate through the products to find a few that are truly free from the “Top 8”. While people can be allergic to any number of foods (including fruits, vegetables, meats and dyes), the most common food allergies are to dairy, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. These foods are commonly referred to as “The Top 8” and cause 90% of all food allergy reactions. I did notice this year that there was a considerable increase in dairy free offerings. Unfortunately, many of the companies that offer dairy free use a soy based product to replace dairy in their foods. All that said just to make sure you are aware if you have a reason to be cautious in the first place.
Some of the takeaways that I had throughout the weekend came mostly from the vendor fair as I was not there to attend classes. So, in my free time, I wandered the fair and looked for new items to try or ask questions about. Many of the vendors also had actual product available for sale which is a great way to get your hands on new items not yet in stores! Of course there were my favorites like Enjoy Life, Sunbutter, Breads from Anna, Carol at Simply… Gluten Free, Gluten Free Oats and Glutino. But there were plenty of new booths to check out. Here are some of the items I found interesting:
- GoPicnic ready to eat meals. They have several meals that are gluten free; however, no nut free options at the moment. The representative said that they were working on a nut free meal that should be ready sometime this summer. You can see some photos of the meals below.
- Allerbling… unique wristbands that you customize for your child’s changing food allergic conditions.
- Sweet Ali’s Gluten Free Bakery. For those of us in Chicagoland, this bakery is located in Hinsdale, IL!
- No Nuttin Natural Foods who offer delicious granola, bars and baking ingredients free of 9 out of the top 10 allergens and certified gluten free.
- Gluten Tox Home which is offering a home-based testing kit that travels well and is reliable. A bit pricey; yet, the kit is a good idea for times when traveling and you need to make sure you are eating safely. I was told you can purchase a kit with two tests for $24 and the kit can detect gluten proteins down to 5ppm (that’s parts per million)!
- Cook IT Allergy Free iPhone and iPad apps. An essential kitchen tool for cooking with food allergies… if you have those electronic gadgets!
Last, if you have not found Enjoy Life’s gluten & allergen free chocolate chips yet, they now also have Mega Chunks (semi-sweet baking chips)! We are always so blessed to be able to enjoy chocolate as a result of this company. I highly recommend the Expo if you are in the Chicagoland or Dallas, TX area. If you want to find out more about future events, visit gfafexpo.com for more information.
gopicnic ready to eat meals
contents of the steak/chips & salsa gopicnic meal
Your right the expo was full of good info and good food! I tasted some wonderful cookies!! I was excited that some of my client’s parents went too.
Hooray! Laura, you are the winner 🙂 Now all you have to do is come to the May WildFlours GF Group meeting to claim your prize! Yummy cake!!
That is encouraging that your clients were able to go. I was especially glad for the format of the vendor fair this year. It was much easier to get around.