The Gluten Free Insider

Decadent Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake made with Kinnikinnick KinniTOOS

2010-07-23T10:50:00.000-06:00

Lori and Kim prepare a decadent gluten free Chocolate KinniTOOS Cheesecake! And yes, it's as good as it looks. :)

Hosts Chef Lori and Kim will cover issues that often come up in Gluten Free baking & cooking and they'll show you just how easy it is to make "Great Food, Gluten Free"

Great Food, Gluten Free is produced by Kinnikinnick Foods as a free service to consumers interested in gluten free cooking and baking.

Getting ‘Grilled’ on Gluten-Free Summer Cooking

2010-07-21T11:54:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the second installment of our new GF101 series!

This time, our goal is to make all of you seasoned (in every sense) summer grillers. Obviously, we hope you’ll enjoy our very own Tapioca Rice hamburger and hot dog buns next time you fire up the grill, but our focus here isn’t on GF BBQ-themed foods per se, but on how those foods are prepared.

First and foremost, if your BBQ grill is also used to grill gluten buns and meats that are marinated with gluten products, you should seriously consider buying a new BBQ wholly dedicated to GF foods. Sure, this is a rather expensive proposition and may not be in the cards just now, but considering the health ramifications involved, you might decide you can’t afford not to make this important investment. There are also less expensive options such as a smaller round grill or an in-home electric grill such as the George Foreman.

However, if you do opt to use your existing BBQ, be sure to thoroughly clean the grill before each and every use and to heat up your GF foods first – before the gluten-packed foods take center stage. In addition, always be certain your utensils, pans, work surfaces and other tools are free of gluten. To really play it safe, simply use separate sets of utensils for gluten-free food preparation.

Now a few suggestions if you’re a guest at a BBQ rather than a host:

If you don’t have the option of having your GF food grilled on a clean grill first (or are worried the host’s grill isn’t clean enough), use aluminum foil as a buffer between your food and the grill
Bring a dish or two you know is safe (a fruit salad, perhaps). Your host will understand, plus you can bring something everyone can enjoy
Go over the planned menu with your host in advance so you can anticipate what’s safe for you to eat and what isn’t; again, they’ll completely understand (and if they don’t, find another party to go to!)
Ask that the meat be grilled first and the buns after, so you can get a hold of your burgers or hot dogs before they’ve been contaminated by gluten (also, offer to bring your own buns)
Consider bringing GF alcoholic beverages if you’re planning to have a drink or two and aren’t sure what’s on tap at the party
Do your label-reading homework and be completely certain any sauces or marinades being served are fully GF

Now for the really easy part – have a great time!!!

###

http://www.celiac.com/articles/22074/1/Gluten-Free-Spring-Parties-and-Barbecues/Page1.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-12164-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner~y2010m6d1-Top-Ten-Gluten-Free-Tips-for-Safe-Outdoor-Parties-and-Barbeques?cid=exrss-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner

You're Celiac or have Food Allergies. Are you prepared for a natural disaster?

2010-06-24T12:29:00.002-06:00

People seeking shelter in the Superdome before the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. credit: wikimedia.org

With hurricane season upon us, floods and tornadoes in the news, and a 5.0 earthquake rattling southeastern Canada just yesterday, it seems the perfect time to offer a few pointers to the gluten-free and food allergy community on how best to prepare for a natural disaster.

A few basic facts: research shows that 72 hours is the average time it takes for grocery store shelves to be cleared in the wake of a disaster, and 14 days is typically how long it takes to restore regular food shipments. It is also important to remember that emergency aid groups like the Red Cross or government run shelters or evacuation centers will be unlikely able to accommodate any type of specialty diet. You and your GF or food allergic family members may have very little to eat if you are unprepared and find yourself in the midst of a disaster area. Yet all it takes is a few minutes of planning to ensure your family – whether following a GF diet or not – will have enough to eat and drink should the emergency last days or even weeks.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit: (adapted from ready.gov)

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle, unbreakable mirror to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener & utensils for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone and chargers
Water proof matches or lighterFood, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

Needless to say, if an emergency strikes and you have someone in the house with Celiac Disease or food allergies, it’s essential you have appropriate foods in storage to consume on-site or take with you to a shelter.

As someone with special dietary needs, we need to do a bit more planning than for a normal supply kit. However, packing for an emergency is not all that different than packing for camping or backpacking. In fact, keeping your emergency supplies in a backpack or duffel is a good idea because it is easy to grab and its portability can be very important if you have to walk any distance to safety or a shelter.

The Basics

Dehydrated or freeze dried food is best because it is light and easy to pack however finding dehydrated food that is gluten free can be challenging. Dehydrating your own food is not difficult and can be much cheaper. Most home dehydrators come with recipe books on how to dehydrate just about anything.
Where dehydrated foods are not available, canned meats, fish & beans are a good option. Avoid prepared, canned meals as they are often mostly water and less nutrient-dense. You must be aware that all canned foods are heavy and bulky and you might have to carry them for some distance.
Boil in bag meals and meal replacement beverages can also be an option if they are available. Again you’ll want to watch the weight.
Dried meats and fruit (jerky, fruit leather etc) are an essential for any kit. They are lightweight, last a long time and have excellent nutritional value. Get low sodium meats if possible. Make your own beef jerky and fruit leathers to save money and ensure they are gluten free.Jerky Tips & Recipes
Gluten free energy/protein bars are quite widely available and make a great addition to your kit.
GF dry soup or bouillon cubes can be a good way to add flavor to your emergency meals.
Rice is often suggested as a good staple for a gluten free emergency kit. I prefer Quinoa as it is far better for you from a nutrient standpoint, it cooks quickly (saving your limited fuel) and can be used for all meals (cinnamon & sugar quinoa for breakfast, cayenne, garlic & beef jerky quinoa for supper). If you want to use rice, get the quick cooking kind. Boil in bag rice is available which is very convenient. Brown rice is better nutritionally, but takes a lot of time and fuel to cook.
Celiac.com suggests packing a small 3 cup rice cooker but you may be without power so I would suggest a small single burner camp stove or sterno stove with extra fuel. You can even make your own sterno stove. Always make sure you have adequate ventilation when cooking with any kind of combustible fuel.

Non-essentials

Pepper, salt, sugar, other spices such as garlic, cayenne, chili, cinnamon. While you don’t need these, they can help make your rations taste a whole lot better. When backpacking, I store these in empty 35mm film canisters. They’re light, durable and water tight. They aren’t easy to find these days but you might be able to still get them. Ask at your local photography store.
Coffee, tea, chocolate mix, powdered milk. Again not, essential (and some may argue that coffee is) but can make your time waiting in a shelter pass a bit more pleasantly.

Keep all of your supplies in heavy duty, re-sealable plastic bags to keep them dry. Store your entire kit several feet off the floor so it won’t be damaged by flooding but not so high that it is difficult to get to. Check your kit every 3-4 months, check expiry dates and replenish with fresh supplies where needed.

Obviously, what emergency items you’re most likely to need should be based on what type of emergency you’re most likely to face (flooding, quakes, and so on). But there’s one item none of us can do without – preparation – so do your homework, know your options, involve your family, conduct practice drills and, most of all, stay safe!

Kinnikinnick Chocolate Dipped Donuts Reviewed by Phil Lempert "The Supermarket Guru"

2010-06-23T11:45:00.003-06:00

We were really pleased to see our Chocolate Dipped Donuts Reviewed by Phil Lempert "The Supermarket Guru" this week.

In the review New Food Product Hits & Misses 23 June 2010, Phil gives us an 80

Taste-27	90.00%
Value-17	85.00%
Health-12	80.00%
Ingredients-10	66.67%
Preparation-5	100.00%
Appearance-5	100.00%
Packaging-4	80.00%
Sustainability-0	0.00%
Total-80	80%

An 80 is pretty good but he really hammered us for our ingredients. He says:

..one concern that I have is just reading these ingredients things like fructooligosaccharide and sodium acid pyrophosphate are sure to make moms concerned about ingredients; even if you do have a gluten allergy! While you certainly have to give up certain ingredients to follow a gluten-free diet I think that this product asks a bit too much.

We sent Phil a note basically saying that while we absolutely agree that just because a consumer is avoiding gluten doesn’t mean they should eat packaged foods with unhealthy or unnecessary additions, these “scary” ingredients in Kinnikinnick’s donuts (and all our products that use them) are actually intended to make the product healthier.

The ingredients he's referenced are fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP ). We want to clarify for our customers what these ingredients are and why we use them.

Sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) is used in baking powders to react with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to provide leavening in baked goods. Many commercial baking powders contain sodium aluminum sulfate (SAS). Some studies have shown a link between aluminum and organ toxicity and even Alzheimer's Disease. We make our own corn & aluminum free baking powder called KinnActive Baking Powder, which we sell and also use in many of our baked products. SAPP is used in KinnActive, making it a healthier and functional addition.

Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) & Inulin are most commonly made from chicory, and are soluble fibers. Both are naturally occurring in many common fruits and vegetable including Asparagus, Banana, Chicory, Garlic, Leek, Jerusalem Artichoke and Onions. They have been clinically shown to have many health benefits:

Studies have shown that FOS & Inulin help Calcium absorption. * Calcium deficiency is a major problem for those with Celiac Disease.*
They are prebiotic and help maintain intestinal health.*
They help regulate Triglycerides, Glucose and Insulin response in Diabetics (and Celiac Diabetics).*
They help reduce the amount of sugar required in a product, keeping calories lower.*

Phil's reply was:

As you know we base the reviews solely on what a shopper sees on pack - without explanation on the package its too confusing to make the purchase decision.Our policy is not to do follow up or clarification unless there was an error

We do understand the reasoning behind basing a review of ingredients solely upon what a person can read on the package but we also can't list what every ingredient does and why we use on the packaging either. Fortunately, we have the web and this blog and I hope this clears up a few things.

As always, we are more than happy to answer most any questions you have about our ingredients or procedures either publicly on this blog or by email to info@kinnikinnick.com

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie with Graham Style Crust

2010-06-15T10:20:00.004-06:00

Hosts Chef Lori and Kim will cover issues that often come up in Gluten Free baking & cooking and they'll show you just how easy it is to make "Great Food, Gluten Free" To launch the new Kinnikinnick Graham Style Crumbs, Lori and Kim prepare: Lemon Meringue Pie. Great Food, Gluten Free is produced by Kinnikinnick Foods as a free service to consumers interested in gluten free cooking and baking.

Helping Find The Hidden Gluten That’s All Around Us

2010-06-07T13:13:00.003-06:00

Editor's note: This is the first in a series we're calling GF101. Over the coming months we'll be posting some short articles with basic tips on being gluten free and living in a gluten filled world. I hope they are useful, especially to newly diagnosed celiacs.

Transitioning to a gluten-free diet certainly can be a challenge, which is why all of us at Kinnikinnick have made it our mission to make that transition as easy – and tasty – as possible. But although you can rest assured all of our products are completely gluten-free, there are many food and non-food products out there which you might think are safe, but which actually have gluten "hidden" within them. Here is a quick rundown of what to look out for:

Reduced-fat products: meats and dairy often use starches to make products gel better. Be certain the starch is from a safe source like potato, corn or tapioca.
Ready-made meals and fast foods: these also contain gluten because of the starches used.
Ice cream: wheat is often added to prevent ice crystals from forming.
Soy Sauce: often 40% to 60% wheat!
Salad Dressings: gluten often is used as a thickener.
Gravies, Sauces and Marinades
Processed Foods: rice or corn cereals, soups, yogurt, snack foods, ground beef, cold cuts, hot dogs, sausages and shortening (which may contain vitamin E processed from wheat germ).

In short, always read labels. And read them every time. Manufacturers may change ingredients without notice and what was ok last week might not be this week. We also recommend you get one of the various gluten free product & ingredient guides that are available from the major support groups. These are extensive listings of what is safe and what to avoid.

If you are unsure, especially since labels can be so confusing, always call a product’s manufacturer and get the gluten-related low-down. And that means asking not only what’s in the product itself, but what standards the manufacturing facility follows to prevent cross-contamination. Here at Kinnikinnick, we make all our own products and operate the largest dedicated gluten-free bakery in North America and possibly the world.

Remember that most non food items are not required to list ingredients.

Watch out for lickable envelops & stamps Most if not all postage stamp & letter glue in North America is made from corn but fun stickers and other lickable labels made elsewhere may not be.
Use caution with paints, clay, play dough and glue
Mouthwash, toothpaste, shampoos, soaps, lipstick, lip balm, sunscreen, cosmetics, lotions and cleaning solutions

Living the gluten-free life isn’t always easy, but thanks to heightened consumer demand, improved manufacturing and labeling standards and the wide array of surprisingly delicious foods (including, if we can be immodest for a moment, ours), it’s getting easier every day. So warm up a few Kinnikinnick donuts, take a few long, slow bites, sit back and indulge yourself!

Further Reading
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/theglutenfreediet/a/Pantry.htm
http://www.celiacsolution.com/hidden-gluten.html
http://www.celiac.edmonton.ab.ca/safemeal.html
http://celiac.ca/info.php
http://csaceliacs.org/ProductListing.php

Kinnikinnick's Position on Oats in Gluten Free Food

2010-03-25T14:25:00.019-06:00

Update: On May 18, 2010, Health Canada announced it was seeking input from industry and consumers on proposed revisions its gluten free labelling regulations. Health Canada The main focus of these changes are to allow products with oats to be labelled gluten free. The following post was written before this call for input was made public but our position remains the same. Allowing oats into the gluten free category is a mistake and could be confusing and potentially harmful, especially to the newly diagnosed. We will be making a submission (essentially this blog post and the comments we have received on it) to Health Canada in the next week or so.

As is often the case, a question on Twitter this morning has prompted a post. The question was:

“Do you think Kinnikinnick will ever manufacture their own oats for baking & cooking?”

The short answer is No. We won't make, use or sell oats. And that certainly could have been a “tweet” but we get asked this question a lot and it really deserves an in-depth explanation.

In order to explain our position, it’s probably worth a look at the history of oats, gluten and Celiac Disease.

Let’s get right to the basics. What exactly is gluten? The seeds of most flowering plants especially grains have evolved to store proteins which provide nourishment during germination. This protein is often called gluten, an unfortunately generic term which in itself causes confusion. The reason for the confusion is that rice and corn contain proteins which are often referred to as rice gluten or corn gluten. These “glutens” are not a concern for people with Celiac as they do not contain the harmful proteins that cause the immune response which is the root of Celiac Disease.

So which “Glutens” are the ones people with Celiac need to avoid? For most of the last 50+ years , the grains to avoid have been recognized as Wheat, Barley, Rye And Oats. (WBRO) These grains contain the proteins Gliadin, Horedein, Secalin and Avenin respectively and these are the proteins that we really should refer to when we use the word “gluten” in relation to Celiac. However, starting in 1995, some research began to show that some Celiacs we able to tolerate pure, uncontaminated oats. These tests were repeated with varying results over the next 10 years. By around 2005, the consensus began to say that consumption of oats is probably safe for most Celiacs, if intake is limited to around 50-70 g of pure uncontaminated oats, based on 5 year long clinical study. [*]

Being a family of Celiacs running a company who has been making Gluten Free foods for almost 20 years, we have some issues, both philosophical and practical, with that premise.

Let’s look at the philosophical issues first.

It’s probably safe for most Celiacs. The problem is that it is certainly not safe for all.

“Oats are not recommended within a year of diagnosis because of the [risk of avenin]-sensitive enteropathy” [*]

"There are case reports of individuals with celiac disease relapsing from the consumption of pure uncontaminated oats." [*]

“The patients drafted for this [2004] study were those who had symptoms of celiac disease when on an 'pure-oat' challenge…This study found that 4 patients had symptoms after oat ingestion, 3 had … avenin-sensitive enteropathy(ASE). All three patients [had the] DQ2.5/DQ2 [gene]. While [this] represents only 25% of celiac patients, it accounts for all of the ASE celiacs”

"Some coeliacs respond adversely to oats. Estimates range from 0.5 to 20% of the GSE population. With coeliac disease non-compliance to achieve normal intestinal morphology is a risk factor for refractory disease and cancer." [*]

It’s probably safe for most Celiacs based on a 5 year study.

For us, a 5 year study just isn’t long enough when we’ve seen so many other things (especially chemicals & pharmaceuticals) show problems on a much longer time line (10-20+ years). Perhaps more concerning is that "the studies looking at safety of oats in celiac disease have involved a small number of subjects". [*] Let’s talk in 2025 when we've had 20+ years and thousands of people studied. We’ll see then if there are no issues like increased rates of cancer and other Celiac related diseases.

It’s probably safe for most Celiacs if intake is limited to around 50-70 g

So you have your 1/2 – 3/4 cup oatmeal every morning. Is that enough to get you going, perhaps you need a bit more. Oh, and those oatmeal cookies are awesome so a couple at lunch or coffee are great. Maybe some haggis for dinner? (well, it's possible) Oops, you’re now up to twice the recommended amount. What does that mean, long term? I don’t think we really know, especially if you are getting trace amounts of other gluten proteins from cross contamination.

It’s probably safe for most Celiacs if the oats are pure and uncontaminated.

“A [2008] study made by a team of doctors in Spain used [four different state of the art testing] techniques to evaluate 134 varieties of “pure,” “uncontaminated” oats from Europe, the United States, and Canada.

Results showed that just 25 of the samples were actually pure, and contained no detectable levels of contamination. The other 109 samples [of “pure” oats] all showed wheat, barley and/or rye contamination. The results also showed that contamination levels vary among oats from the same source." [*]

Now to the practical reasons.

Supply of pure, uncontaminated oats.

As noted above, finding truly pure oats on a consistent basis is no small problem. Let’s assume that suppliers of pure oats have a 100% success rate and we could use them. There is still a limited, but admittedly growing supply of "pure" oats. These oats are grown by a relatively small number of farmers, often in the same area. Any problems with the crop year could cause disruptions in supply due to this small supply base. These oats are also a premium ingredient (ie: expensive) due to the labour intensive steps taken to ensure that cross contamination doesn't occur.

Oats aren't appropriate for every Celiac.

Also as noted above, there is some portion of the Celiac population, perhaps as much as 20%, who can't tolerate oats. The research also shows that no one should have oats until their gut has completely healed (ie: at least a year after diagnosis and being completely GF). Adding oats and the resulting oat cross contamination would prevent these people from using a product. What is more concerning is the fact that these people might eat an oat containing product, get sick and not realize why. How can you tell a customer that oat containing products are OK for most Celiacs, but not them? In keeping with our Mission Statement of providing our customer with "a risk free source of food products", we’re just not going to “go there”

Limiting Oat consumption to 50-70 g per day

How do we, as a manufacturer, manage that problem? We make our products as tasty as we possibly can. Do we add a disclaimer to our packages "We know these are tasty, but please don't eat more than 3 of these a day because you might get sick, if not immediately, then perhaps over the long term, if you do"? I don't think so.

A little matter of the Law

Lastly but definitely not least-ly, there is the little problem of the law. Currently in Canada, it is illegal to use oats in a product that is labelled gluten free. Under Section 9.9.4 Gluten-Free Foods [B.24.018, B.24.019] of the Food Labelling & Advertising Act [*]

"A food is not permitted to be labelled, packaged, sold or advertised in a manner likely to create an impression that it is "gluten-free" unless it does not contain wheat, including spelt and kamut, or oats, barley, rye, triticale or any part thereof."

That’s pretty much the show stopper right there. Even if we had no misgivings about using oats and we had solved all the practical issues, we couldn’t do it the way the law is currently written. Given the speed of governments on issues like this, we can probably look forward to a change in, oh, 2025. Which might be a good thing. We might finally know by then whether oats are safe.

It’s important to note that these are concerns based on our reading of the literature and many will say that they are unfounded and that’s fine. Am I saying oats aren't safe for Celiacs? No. I'm saying that I'm not convinced there is enough long term evidence to say one way or the other. We aren’t going to make any kind of change regarding oats until these questions of long term safety are answered to our satisfaction. Oh, and the law changes.

As I always say, don't believe me. I'm just a guy posting on a blog. Do your own research! Probably the definitive resource for starting your investigation is this page at celiac.com.

Note: I've cited Wikipedia here several times and it's not always the best source of accurate information but in this case the pages cited are properly annotated with various papers and studies.

Let's hear what everyone thinks in the comments. I'm sure it will be interesting.

Kinnikinnick Now In Publix

2010-03-02T13:03:00.005-07:00

We've just had it confirmed that 6-7 Kinnikinnick products have been "planogrammed" in 325 Publix stores in Florida and Georgia. What does it mean to be "planogrammed"? When a chain launches a new line of products, it will often create a planogram which is basically just a diagram of the stores shelves and how products will look & fit on the shelves. For the store this helps it maintain a consistent look. For the general consumer, this means that the dish soap is in the same place in the same way on the store shelves no matter what store you visit.

For the Kinnikinnick consumer what this means is something even more exciting. It means that each of these 325 stores has a map that says "put these 6-7 Kinnikinnick products on -that- shelf." Finding shelf space is the most difficult thing facing a manufacturer so being planogrammed is a -big deal-.

The general break down of the stores is as follows:

Orlando/Tampa area - 121 stores
Miami area - 44 stores
Jacksonville area - 84 stores
Atlanta area - 76 stores

We don't have exact locations or what 6-7 products are plannogrammed yet but I'll update this and our store finder when we get more information.

But wait, it gets even better.

All Publix stores have access to 17 of our products and can get them in if you ask for them. I'll post a list of the 17 shortly. Many Publix stores including some of the 325 stores in the planogram program are already carrying quite a few of these products.

As always, if you don't see Kinnikinnick in your local Publix store, or any store for that matter, ask the store manager. We've even created an introduction to Kinnikinnick letter you can take to them found here

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements coming soon.

More New Kinnikinnick Product Packaging

2010-02-12T15:30:00.006-07:00

Our new packaging for the boxed cookies has arrived and it looks great. All our new designs feature Gluten Free much more prominently and clearly identify Nut Free. All these new packages have an updated allergen statement and in some cases have the "blanket" allergen statement removed. You'll start to see them in stores soon. More of our "new look" packaging is in the works so stay tuned.

Great Food , Gluten Free now available on iTunes

2010-01-08T14:19:00.005-07:00

Our new recipe show, Great Food, Gluten Free is now available as an iTunes Video Podcast. You can now subscribe to the show in the iTunes store and whenever a new episode is added, it will automatically download to your computer. You can also play it on your iPod or iPhone. Search for Gluten Free in the iTunes Store or click here.

You can still watch it on our YouTube channel Of course the best place to watch it is on Kinnikinnick.TV because you have instant access to all the recipes to print out as well as access to all the links mentioned in the videos.

Restaurants Serving Kinnikinnick Finder Now Live

2010-01-07T13:00:00.004-07:00

I've just added a new feature to our website. You can now search for restaurants which serve Kinnikinnick gluten free products. Results will display what the location serves (when we know) and is integrated with Google Maps so you can see where it is on a map.

Right now there's only a couple of entries, but we will be expanding as we confirm more locations and expand our food service offerings.

If you know of a restaurant that is serving Kinnikinnick products, let me know in the comments and I'll get them listed.

Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs & Graham Style Crumbs Ready to Ship

2009-12-23T13:53:00.008-07:00

Our new packaging has arrived and it looks great! We'll be shipping our first order to ALL Canada Safeway stores on January 6th so you should start seeing these two new products in stores in the second or third week of January. Look for it in the Bakery Section alongside our four different cookies.

We expect most of our other distributors to be placing orders right away so look for these new products showing up in the next month or so at your local store. Let your store know they are available and that you'd like to see them.

Of course if you can't wait you can always order them from our website or by calling toll free 1-877-503-4466

Kinnikinnick Panko Style Bread Crumbs Now Available

2009-12-04T11:33:00.003-07:00

Is it crazy to get excited about bread crumbs?

Obviously I'm biased but I have to say that these crumbs are the best bread crumbs I have ever used. Gluten free or not. They stick to what you put them on, they get amazingly crispy (I actually heard a crunch when biting into a piece of fish I made during testing), they don't seem to absorb much oil so they don't contribute to a greasy oily feel and they even retain a good deal of crispiness the day after they are used.

Currently you can get them from our website or by calling us directly 1-877-503-4466

Canada Safeway has already got an order in so they'll be the first to get them. All of our distributors are anxious to get them and most have indicated they'll take them immediately. They'll start flowing into stores in the new year.

Pea Protein, Glutamic Acid & MSG in Kinnikinnick Products: Facts & Myths

2009-11-18T08:51:00.007-07:00

Once again, I'm writing a response to an issue that is a result of misleading or incomplete information found on certain websites. The issue this time? The notion that companies are hiding MSG in their products by labeling it Pea Protein. If you'd like to see what I'm talking about just search for "pea protein, MSG". You finds dozens of sites making this claim and warning people to beware of companies using pea protein because they are lying to consumers. On celiac.com there was even someone who has stopped using our products "after the horrible discovery I made about PEA PROTEIN being nothing more than MSG." This is from a message thread several years old and I would have responded if I'd seen it but I'll at least attempt to explain why this person is wrong. I'll also note that to my knowledge, we didn't receive any email inquiries about pea protein in the time around when this thread was active.

I will note before I continue that I can't speak for other manufacturers and what follows may or may not apply to them.

The basics. For those that don't want to read the wikipedia links for the following terms I'll summarize but I encourage you to read the whole thing as partial information is big part of the problem. If you don't read the whole thing, you won't know if -I'm- making things up or taking things out of context, right? I'm also not a chemist or biologist so I may even get some of this wrong. Feel free to correct me in the comments.

What is MSG. wikipedia

"Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of the naturally occurring non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavour enhancer. "

You'll note that wikipedia lets us know that MSG is gluten free. This is the stuff we're all familiar with. A white powder you can buy in the spice section of most grocery stores. The stuff that they put in Chinese food that seems to give some people headaches or possibly bring on an asthma attack. The stuff that has been vilified for years and maybe rightly so (although there doesn't seem to be any valid double blind studies showing extreme adverse sides effects). Personally, I try to avoid it. One thing that is completely clear. If it's added to a product it -must- be listed in the ingredients.

What is Glutamic Acid - wikipedia

Simply put, Glutamic acid is an amino acid which leads to the formation of glutamate. Glutamate is a key molecule in cellular metabolism. It helps remove nitrogen from the body. It is also "the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system." and "is involved in cognitive functions like learning and memory in the brain. " Short version? It is a key building block in virtually all living things. And not just blogging living things. It's in virtually all meat, dairy, eggs (and of course seaweed, the original source of MSG) and also in protein rich plants such as legumes (beans and peas). (see where this is going?)

What's the supposed Pea Protein/MSG connection.
Many of the websites making the claims that Pea Protein is a way to hide MSG in the products state that "Calling an ingredient pea protein indicates that the pea has been hydrolyzed, at least in part" [*]

Now it is correct to say that hydrolyzed protein of any kind can form free glutamates.

"Hydrolyzed proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG." [*]

What is incorrect to say is that all pea proteins are hydrolyzed. Here is a direct quote from our manufacturer of pea protein.

"Our pea protein is definitely not hydrolyzed. Most of the MSG concerns do come from proteins being hydrolyzed. Whatever glutamic acid is present in peas naturally is what ends up in our product. Our process in fact does not encourage the protein breaking down into smaller units
(favoring the formation of MSG - which is a smaller subunit) but it does the opposite."

Granted, not every manufacturer will use our supplier of pea protein and I can't speak to other protein manufacturer's processes, but it seems a basic assumption of the pea protein/MSG conspiracy theory has a bit of a hole. Pea proteins do -not- have to hydrolyzed. And there's one other little problem. Both CFIA & FDA labeling regulations require that any hydrolyzed proteins are indicated as such on the ingredient panel. You can't legally hide hydrolization by mislabeling a product. I don't know of any company that would risk censure, recall or possibly fines and even jail for fraud for intentionally mislabeling a product.

The other issue when it comes to our products specifically is the question of why people think we'd add MSG to bakery products in the first place. MSG is known as a "flavour enhancer" but it's a mistake to think it enhances all flavours. It actually contributes a "savouriness" which some are now classifying as "umami"[*] or the 5th basic flavour (along with sweet, salty, bitter and sour) Umami is great for things like meat and soups but a savoury, meaty cookie? Not something I'd want. (not accounting for Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies). I also must let you know that the pea protein itself has quite a strong flavour of peas and we have to be pretty careful about how much we use so it doesn't become overpowering. Again another strike against the flavour enhancement theory.

OK. So now you know that our pea protein has about as much glutamic acid as the peas themselves and that we don't add pea protein to enhance the flavour. Why -do- we use it?

Let's go back to 1998. I had a customer call me and she told me that she was trying out the GFCF (gluten free casein free) diet and she wanted to know if we could make some special order products for her. At that time, while we were entirely gluten free, most of our products contained dairy. Fortunately, back then we were small enough that we could do special orders, but only if we had a sufficient demand to justify an entire day's production. We began to have Dairy Free Mondays a couple of days a months where all we'd produce was dairy free products.

This worked well for a while, but soon it worked too well. We realized the demand for GF and dairy free products was very large and we decided to go as dairy free as possible. Now one thing to keep in mind is that baked goods in the non-GF world rely on just a few things. At it's most basic it's wheat flour, water and yeast. Importantly, that wheat flour consists of starch and protein (that being gluten of course) In the GF world we rely extensively on starches and rice flour. Starches basically have no protein and rice flour doesn't have a protein structure that is very good for baking. So we add gums and other proteins to mimic the gluten. When we removed dairy, we needed a substitute protein so we turned to soy. This worked well, but it was not long before we started to see a lot of people with soy allergies and intolerances. Soy is, after all, one of the top 8 most common allergens.

So, about 5-6 years ago, we made the decision to start removing soy from as many products as we could. Again, we were faced with finding an alternative to dairy and soy proteins. Our answer. You guessed it. Pea protein. It gives us the required functionality and is far less allergenic than soy. Certainly some people have issues but we hear from far fewer than we did with soy.

We use pea protein purely for its functionality. It works for us and is not very allergenic. We also use it in small quantities so the amounts of glutamic acid from peas in our products is far less than the glutamic acid you'd get from the eggs in our products (again naturally occurring) . So there you have it. I hope I've cleared some things up for some people.

JJ9JCKDZRPKZ

Some new looks for Kinnikinnick logos and packaging

2009-11-17T11:37:00.007-07:00

Many of our long time customers may remember the days of ALTA Mondays. Those were the days when many of our products contained dairy and we would do special production days once or twice a month for all our dairy free customers. Our ALTA GFCF logo was the identifier we used to let everyone know that the product was GFCF. (gluten & casein free)

Demand became such that we eventually modified most of our formulas to be dairy free. With the change, the ALTA logo became less important. For those that were specifically looking for GFCF products it was useful but we found it was less useful for those who were looking for "dairy" free. We've heard from many people that they were unaware that our products were mostly dairy free.

With this in mind we've retired the dated ALTA GFCF logo and are introducing a new Dairy Free logo
We've also added an new logo to remind everyone that as of June 15, 2009, Kinnikinnick is a nut free company.These are already appearing on our website and will start showing up on our literature and packaging.

We're also in the final approval process of new packaging design for many of our products. The designs will harmonize the look of our line and make Gluten Free more prominent to help people locate them in stores. These changes will also update our allergen statement by removing the nut warning. We'll also be showing common allergen in bold in the ingredient list.

The new packaging should start showeing up in stores in the new year.

Oh... four of the packages we are completing are brand new for the products we recently announced; the Fudge KinniTOOS, the Chocolate and Graham Kritters and the Panko Style Bread Crumbs.

This means these should be showing up in stores at the same time as all the rest of the new packaging. Watch for them.

Kinnikinnick.TV Is On The Air

2009-11-11T14:27:00.010-07:00

It's been a bit quiet on the blog and twitter front for the last month or so. The reason? Our secret project.

For the last couple of weeks we have been putting the finishing touches on our new gluten free cooking show "Great Food, Gluten Free".

We're very pleased to announce that our first episode is now available for viewing.

Each week, Hosts Chef Lori Grein and Kim Reiniger will cover some of the issues that often come up in Gluten Free baking and cooking but most importantly, they'll show you just how easy it is to make "Great Food, Gluten Free"

While we do want to showcase our products, the show will cover the entire range of gluten free cooking, from the basics, to holiday meals, to appetizers and even beverages.

The show will be released about once a week, with episodes running from 15-25 minutes. They'll be posted to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/glutenfreeinsider but to get the best experience, you should visit our new website www.kinnikinnick.tv The site will let you watch the videos, view the recipes for each video and any links mentioned in the show.

To get everyone ready for the upcoming holiday season, our first 4 episodes will feature everything you need to make a complete holiday dinner. In the first episode Lori and Kim will tackle the main course:

Lemon Herb Turkey
Sausage Stuffing
Gravy

The remaining episodes will feature:

Cranberry Sauce
Caramel Apple Pie Martini
Turnips n' Apples Casserole
KinniKwik Dinner Rolls
Autumn Harvest Apple Cake
Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Spice Latte

Be sure to watch this blog, twitter, our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel for updates on when we release each episode or just visit kinnikinnick.tv

The first episode is now online and available from viewing.

Kinnikinnick Expands Cookie BioDiversity

2009-10-01T15:45:00.003-06:00

As we announced on Twitter last week, we're pleased to present the two newest additions to our product line.

Chocolate KinniKritter Animal Cookies

Graham Style KinniKritter Animal Cookies

These cookies are now available from our website or by calling us toll free 1-877-503-4466. We are in the process or finalizing packaging and we've begun the process of listing the products with our distributors. You should see these new cookies showing up in stores near you late this year or early next.

Kinnikinnick Waffle Madness!

2009-09-30T14:56:00.007-06:00

We like our Waffles & we want you to try them. For every order shipping in October we are going to include a free sampler pack of each of our Waffle varieties. Each sampler of Original and Cinnamon & Brown Sugar has 3 waffles. That's basically a whole package of waffles ... on us. Our waffles are gluten, wheat, dairy, nut, yeast, soy & potato free.

The Fine Print.

What do I have to do to get this.

Just place an order for shipping in October. The samples will automatically accompany your order. Standard shipping charge of $10 applies to your order (just as always). While supplies last (but don't worry we have lots)

Cost to me for the samples.

Nothing!

Enjoy!

Canada Safeway Expands Selection Of Kinnikinnick Products

2009-09-16T07:43:00.005-06:00

Canada Safeway has been a Gluten Free leader in the mainstream grocery market in Canada. They have sold Kinnikinnick products for years (almost 10 years if memory serves).

Hmmm, I bet some of you are saying, "What? I shop at Safeway all the time and I've never seen Kinnikinnick!" It isn't the easiest to find, but if you know where to look, it's -always- available in all 200+ Safeway stores in western Canada. Our products have been sold out of the small freezer in the Bakery section (where the ice cream cakes are sold).

If you check out that freezer today you'll find:

English Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Cheese Tap Rice Bread
Tapioca Rice Bread
Sunflower Flax Bread
Robins Honey Brown Bread
Raisin Tapioca rice bread
Cinnamon Buns

Even though our products have been a bit hard to find for some people, Safeway has been pleased enough with sales to decide to do a major line expansion.

Starting as soon as next week (Sept 21) they'll be adding the following to the freezer section:

White Sandwich Bread
Italian White Tapioca Rice Bread
NY Style Plain Bagels
Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
Chocolate Dipped Donuts
Personal Pizza Crusts

And maybe even more exciting, they'll be adding 4 new cookies:

KinniTOOS Chocolate Vanilla Sandwich Cremes
KinniTOOS Vanilla Sandwich Cremes
S'moreables Graham Style Crackers
KinniKritters Animal Cookies

These cookies will be available on the "Sweets" table in the bakery or immediately adjacent to the bakery. If you can't find them, just ask. Note that it may take a bit of time for the products to make their way into the stores so you might not see them for a couple a weeks in some locations.

Some people may be disappointed to learn that Safeway will be dropping the Raisin Tapioca Rice bread and Cinnamon Buns to make room in the freezer but overall this is a win for everyone.

Be sure to check back frequently as I've got a couple of exciting new product announcements to make over the next couple of weeks.

The Inside Scoop On Kinnikinnick Direct Shipping

2009-09-09T07:31:00.030-06:00

Someone "tweeted" today "wondering why Kinnikinnick doesn't have any price breaks on bulk orders- prices are as expensive as shopping in health food store!"

The explanation will take more than 140 characters so I thought I'd post the reply here.

First some background. When our family got involved in Kinnikinnick in 1997, availability of gluten free products was extremely poor throughout North America. The number one request we got at that time wasn't "can you make x product", it was "how can I get -any- GF products in my area". If you didn't have a local health food store way ahead of the curve, the answer was pretty much "you can't." Our first order of business was to figure out how to solve the availability issue.

When we started shipping our products directly to customers back in 1998, we spent months developing a system that would provide the best possible products at the least cost to our customers. Longtime customers may remember the modified atmosphere packed shipments through Canada Post and the US Postal Service. We charged $15 for these shipments which took up to 2 weeks (after they left our building!) to arrive via post. The shipping and packaging costs to us were high, the service was slow but most of all, product quality suffered greatly when we used modified atmosphere packaging (packages were flushed with nitrogen & C02 and sealed with a moisture scavenger packet) . We knew we had to find a different way to do things. For optimum product quality, we had to get the products to customers much quicker. We partnered with UPS to develop a system which is unique to this day. We are able to offer overnight shipping (2 days max) for a flat rate fee of only $10. Why not $15 like our initial fee? The number one complaint we heard in the first 2 years of shipping was that the $15 flat rate was "too expensive". Our research showed us that for most people, $10 was perceived as fair and $10 is what our shipping charge has been for almost 10 years, even though UPS rates have substantially risen in that time.

You might be thinking, "Why can other companies such as Amazon sell with bulk discounts?" The simple reason is that most companies are shipping shelf stable products. These are either cookies and mixes, or modified atmosphere packaging, and all can spend a couple of weeks on a truck without a problem. Ground transportation = cheap. That's not an option for us. The majority of our products sold directly to customers are baked and shipped fresh. Oh and by the way, we don't use any preservatives. So for us, it's all about speed and quality. We have to get the products in your hands as fast as we can, so Air express is our only option. For you, it's about convenience. You can order this week and know exactly when you'll receive it next week. You can plan around your shipment. You can even have a shipment arrive at a hotel while you're on vacation.

So why are "prices are as expensive as shopping in health food store?" There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly we'll go back to our $10 flat rate fee. If any of you have shipped a package overnight via an express courier, you may understand how expensive it can be but for for those who haven't here's an example.

Our average direct shipment package weight is 17 lbs. The cheapest cost to send a 17 lb package via UPS overnight from Florida to California is $112.36 using the Calculate Time & Cost tool on the UPS website. For second day service the prices drops to $82.24 (what a bargain!) So how do we ship that same 17 lb order for 10 bucks? Those prices listed on the UPS site are "retail", the most expensive. Because of the large volume of shipments we make (we're in the top 5% of all UPS shippers in Canada) , we get special rates that are substantially cheaper. But they are still quite a bit more than $10 a shipment. How do we make up the difference? Basically, we are subsidizing shipping costs so you don't have to pay more.

Unlike truck shipments, Air cargo pricing is based on a per pound basis so there is little or no price break on shipping costs as order size goes up.The more we ship, the more expensive it is. However do remember the following. Because cost of shipping ($10) we charge to you does not increase as order size grows (up to $200 in the US) you actually do get an "unofficial" discount if you look at the numbers.

Example 1

2 loaves bread @ ~$5 = $10
2 pkgs donuts @ ~$7 = $14
Shipping @ $10 = $10
====================
Total = $34
Avg = $8.50 per item shipping included
Shipping = $2.50 per item

Example 2

6 loaves bread @ ~$5 = $30
6 pkgs donuts @ ~$7 = $42
Shipping @ $10 = $10
====================
Total = $82
Avg = $6.83 per item shipping included
Shipping = $0.83 per item

Example 3

12 loaves bread @ ~$5 = $60
12 pkgs donuts @ ~$7 = $84
Shipping @ $10 = $10
====================
Total = $154
Avg = $6.41 per item shipping included
Shipping = $0.41 per item

By ordering either 12 or 24 items you can get a "discount" of between 24% & 32% based on your average item cost. And this "discount" applies every day, year round.

That being said, the biggest reason for us charging what a health food store would charge is this. We don't want to undercut our retail partners. Local availability has always been the best option for our customers. The ability to run out and buy a loaf of bread on a Saturday morning is something that most people take for granted. Until the last 5 years or so, in most places, people on a GF diet have not had that option. It was: place an order online, wait a week..or two ... or three and get your loaf of bread. We developed our pricing structure so that your local store can sell products and compete with us to get your business.

It's important to remember that we are the manufacturer of these products. We're not an online "mall" or service, even though we do offer a direct to home service. For us, this is filling the gaps, where local stores do not carry any GF products. We sell the vast majority of our products to distributors, they mark it up and sell to these stores. The stores mark it up again and sell to you. Granted, some stores mark GF products up far more than is reasonable, but this is rare. The majority understand that if they offer you a fair price and a good selection, you will come back time and time again. It would be unfair to undercut these stores. Many have been our customers for over a decade. Because they buy from distributors, they need to include the distributor markup as well as their own. If we were to charge less than what the local store can reasonably charge, you might not buy from them and it might result in 1) no locally available GF products & 2) an out of business sign hanging on the door. There are thousands of small retailers and health food stores who have built businesses in your neighborhoods who rely on your patronage and we do whatever we can to support them.

If you have any other questions regarding shipping of our products, like why is there a $200 limit for US shipments or our short ship policy, etc I'd encourage you to use our Help Center Console from any page on our website. Just select Shipping from the Drop down and then the topic and click Show Answer.

Announcing New KinniToos Fudge Cookies

2009-08-27T13:57:00.007-06:00

We weren't kidding when we said we've been busy this summer. This is the first of several new product announcements we are going to be making over the next couple of weeks.

We're pleased to announce the newest addition to our very popular KinniTOOS line of cookies; the KinniTOOS Fudge Sandwich Creme Cookie.

These cookies are sure to please the most discriminating chocolate lover. Rich Dutch Chocolate in both the wafers and creme filling make this a smooth and creamy super chocolatey snack.

As much as I love the original "oreo-style" KinniTOOS Chocolate Vanilla cookie, I think this one may be my new favourite. In fact these are so good we wanted to get them out in the market even before the printed film for the packaging is complete. Since they don't have the final packaging, these are only available for direct home delivery, either by ordering from our website or by calling us toll free @ 1-877-503-4466.

We hope to have them available to our distributors and stores by November.

Keep watching this blog, become a Facebook fan, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter from our website homepage to follow all the upcoming product announcements.

Kinnikinnick Cookies Go National in Whole Foods Markets

2009-08-21T10:11:00.016-06:00

We're thrilled to announced that in September, Whole Foods Markets (WFM) will start carrying three of our cookie varieties throughout the entire chain in the U.S. This national launch is a result of "customer satisfaction" and sales "significantly above the category average". For Whole Foods this means that these cookies sell very well. (In fact, as of March 2009, Kinnikinnick Chocolate KinniTOOS^® are the best selling GF sandwich creme cookie in North America based on national mainline & natural store sales data.) For the consumer, it means that they will be widely and consistently available to anyone near a Whole Foods.

The three cookies that will be available are:

Montanas Chocolate Chip

KinniTOOS^® Chocolate
Vanilla Sandwich Creme

KinniTOOS^® Vanilla Sandwich Creme

Many WFM's already carry these cookies, but a national listing means that every store is "required" to carry the products. It will probably take a month or so for the stores that don't currently have these cookies but look for them soon. If you don't see them ask. We'll update our store finder on the website shortly to list all WFM's.

Don't forget, we have dozens of your favourite Kinnikinnick products like S'moreables^®, Donuts and Waffles approved for sale in Whole Foods. You can get them brought in by talking to the store manager and requesting the products. Customer demand really does work.

Canadian Customers stay tuned for a couple of important store announcements as early as next week.

Introducing New Jumbo Muffins

2009-08-10T13:56:00.008-06:00

We're very pleased to introduce our new Jumbo Muffins. These moist, soft muffins are so good, you'll probably have to ask twice to believe they are really gluten free. Visitors to our Edmonton Retail Store have known about these gems for a couple of years now. We've finally got the equipment in place to make them available. Initially they'll only be available to our direct customers by ordering online or calling us toll free @ 1-877-503-4466

We're introducing 3 varieties to start

Lemon Poppy Seed

Chocolate Lovers (chocolate chocolate chip)

and Harvest Crunch

Get some today and never miss out on that office meeting snack again.

Pancake Mix A Huge Hit and More - From the Mailbag

2009-07-17T10:57:00.016-06:00

I thought I'd post a bit of the positive feedback we've been getting recently.

We supplied our Pancake and Waffle Mix to Community Natural Foods in Calgary for there annual Calgary Stampede Pancake Breakfast. It's always well attended but this year the numbers were -huge-.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for all of your support for our Stampede breakfast. The Kinnikinnick pancakes were a huge hit with not only the G.F. customers but as well others that just wanted to try it.

We went through it all except and had just enough for the last pancake stragglers at the end. All in all it was a huge hit. I heard comments from many in line that they never have tasted it before.....boy were they good......

We estimated 2100 people at the breakfast and we still had to turn away another hundred or so at the end.

And speaking of our Pancake Mix, I received this via Twitter from GFinSC

best pancake mix by far! Been doing this for 8 years and haven't found other brand that comes close!! Thank you!

Our new Personal Pizza Crusts have been out for about 6 months now and we've been getting great feedback, even from non-GF people like Margaret & Steve from Texas

My fiance and I made ... pizza using your 7" pizza crusts and fell in love. We're originally from New York and understand what a great pizza and pizza crust taste like. Steve and I were never able to find a healthy pizza crust product that we liked. Today we visited Kroger's grocery store and browsed through the healthy aisle to find a healthy pizza crust. We found your product and it was the only package left.

Your 7" pizza crust was chewy in the middle and crispy on the outside. These were the most delicious pizzas we have ever tasted in our life.....thanks to your product. And thanks to your product I have convinced my fiance to make healthy pizza, at home, using your product when he has a pizza craving. Your product will definitely help us live a better and healthier lifestyle. I can't wait to try some of your other products.

They're also helping Diane stick to her GF Diet (that's -really- important):

I have just tried you 7 inch pizza crusts. They are absolutely delicious! Usually when my husband has pizza I cheat on my gluten free diet and have a piece of "real pizza" and then pay the price. Last night I made my own pizza with your pizza crust and I can honestly say I will no longer cheat. Your crusts are fantastic. THANK YOU!

Our KinniTOOS are the #1 selling GF cream cookie in North America and it's because of people like Erin.

I felt compelled to write to tell you how amazing your KinniToos chocolate creme sandwiches cookies are! So outstanding I had to blog about them
BlogLink And have been sharing them with everyone.

Bravo to your company for making such a wonderful Gluten-Free cookie - and for giving me back a taste of my childhood.

(the blog post is a nice read... "The first bite brought tears to my eyes." makes us remember why we do this.)

This is a 2 product comment from Sara via our website

I just wanted to thank you for making the BEST gluten free products anywhere... I don't know how you do it, but the quality and taste of every Kinnikinnick product I've ever had far surpasses any other gluten free brand out there. I just had your [S'moreables ]graham crackers for the first time since going gluten free three years ago, and I swear they are even better than I remember real graham crackers tasting! And your K-TOO cookies -- I never thought I'd be able to have anything remotely resembling an Oreo again in my life, but your cookies are pretty close! So I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU, and keep up the good work.

Our donuts have always been popular, but since we reformulated them last year, we've seen a big increase in comments like this short but sweet comment from Karen via our webpage

The donuts are AWESOME!!!!!!!!

and from imightbeodd via Twitter

Kinnikinnick hit it out of the ballpark with their gluten-free donuts!! MmmMm

From GF_Steph on Twitter

Review of Kinnikinnick's Gluten Free Chocolate Dipped Donuts: BlogLink Slowly finding acceptable subs for EVERYTHING! :)

and from GF_Steph a day later

Trying to talk myself out of eating a 2nd Kinnikinnick GF Chocolate Dipped donut...It's not working.

(sorry Steph ;)

Feedback from our latest change, the new Hot Dog & Hamburger buns is also starting to show up like this one from Alan in CT.

Just wanted to say that your new and improved hot dog rolls are awesome! Not too bulky, great consistency and fantastic taste! I can finally enjoy hot dogs again. I'm heading back to the store to stock up on them.

Kelly L posted this comment on our blog article Major Store Announcement & Store Finder Upgrade

Twice Kinnikinnick suprised me this week! First found the new hot dog buns at our not so local health food store - and kids loved them...just days before Independance Day BBQ! Then I find our local (less than 1 mile!) TARGET is one of 2 "test-market" stores stocking Kinnikinnick as well as toehr GF products. Banner week!

We even found a review on Flickr from thePlaidMushroom

First time eating a gluten free basic bread that I really enjoyed. see all the air-pockets? it's like real bread!

I am Kinnikinnick's biggest fan. in the world. I LOVE KINNIKINNICK's PRODUCTS!!! ALL OF THEM!!!

with some pictures FlickrLink

It's great when we get a letter from a newly diagnosed celiac like Seaneen

I was diagnosed with "silent" Celiac Disease less than 2 weeks ago and to say that the diagnosis came out of left field would be a big understatement.

I have been incredibly lucky, however, to have discovered your products almost immediately (the Sunflower Flax Seed bread was the second one I tried, after a horrible first experience with another company's product) and I have been on the hunt for more ever since. I have been fighting frustration and disappointment as I move through life and realize many of my favorite foods are now off limits.

Thank you for your amazing products. I have only just started to explore your website and just finished reading your story and the Kinniki-What?? portion. The analogy of your company being like the bearberry plant really touched me, and just makes me love your company more.

Thank you!!!

Our waffles get great reviews too like this one from Asia (a person not the place):

About a year and a half ago I discovered your Original Homestyle Waffles and fell in love with them. They were the first gluten free waffle I actually enjoyed and I found them to be just as tasty as a certain name brand wheat waffle.

From Sherry via our website

Me and my kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your homestyle frozen waffles, muffins, donuts, chocolate cake mix and pancake and waffle mix. Please don't ever discontinue these items. I would also love to see your frozen homestyle waffles in the regular grocery stores.

We'd love to see them in more stores to and we'll be doing a big promotion on our waffles in October so look for more info on Twitter or here on the blog in coming months.

I also got some great replies to my post on The Importance Of A Dedicated Gluten Free Facility

You can see the comments BlogLink

That's just a quick selection of what we've been seeing from email, our website feedback, twitter and from the blog. We actually still get hand written notes too. We read all these to our staff at our monthly staff birthday parties and it really helps keep them motivated to bring you the best products possible.

Couple of additional things to round out the post today.

I've just added a Filter By Allergen feature to our website. Look for the "Free Of Search" button on our Browse/Buy Product pages. Click what ingredients you want to avoid and the category will show you what's available.

If you're in the Edmonton area this weekend, come an join us for a Fund Raiser for Edmonton Celiac Association & CyclingForCeliacs. It's a Pancake Breakfast tomorrow (Sat.July 18) between 9-11am at Kinnikinnick Foods

More Info Here

The Importance of a Dedicated Gluten Free Facility

2009-07-01T08:22:00.009-06:00

As many of you know, Kinnikinnick Foods is a dedicated gluten free manufacturer. Since 1991, we've been Gluten Free and we always will be. Not only that, we do not out source the production of our products to anyone. We have complete control over the production of our products. I know how important this is to us, but I'm quite interested to know how important it is to you.

Why am I asking this? There's a couple of reasons actually. With all the publicity around gluten free recently, we are starting to see a lot more companies, both big and small, jump on the GF bandwagon. Some will have dedicated facilities, some will not and some will outsource production of their products to others. Some will get it right but some won't and that's a concern.

Mostly it's due to several experiences I've had over the last couple of years that really bring the issue into focus for me.

A Fog of Gluten
We are doing some testing of new equipment at a non-GF facility to see if that type of equipment can be used for our products. Our first day of trials was quite a reminder of why we are a dedicated facility. Flour dust hung like a fog in the air; it clung to our clothes and skin like glue (gluten!) , and I actually had a reaction later that day as I wasn't wearing a mask. Of course, the trial products went into the trash at the end of the day and we actually had to change clothes and wash our shoes before returning to Kinnikinnick as we were a contamination risk. I just don't know how anyone could make GF & non-GF products in the same building. Flour dust is -everywhere-

Think It's Clean Do You?
This also brought back memories of when we opened our K2 facility. We bought this 120,000 sq ft building and it's equipment when the largest producer of private label (wheat based) cookies in western Canada went out of business in 2005. When it was producing wheat based products, this facility was AIB (American Institute of Baking) certified with a consistently high score on it's regular audits. In other words, it was a very "clean" facility. However, before we made a single product in this new facility of ours, we spent over 6 months decontaminating the building and equipment. Every nook and cranny of the building was pressure washed, twice. Ceiling, girders, ducting, walls; all were washed. One week, the entire building had the electricity shut down so we could wash the lights, electrical conduit and instrument panels. Each piece of equipment was broken down to it's constituent parts and every nut, bolt and gear washed clean.

We were fortunate enough to be able to hire some of the employees of the previous company who knew the equipment. Being new to the gluten free world, it was very instructive for them to take apart the AIB certified, "clean" equipment and find wheat flour caked in places that were impossible to see and even harder to clean. Many of these places inside equipment would be in contact with anything produced in that equipment. Yikes. They quickly became gluten detectives, probing every bit of our equipment to ensure we could be certain this equipment was as clean as new.

We had the same experience in 2007 when we bought a used waffle production line. There were places in that machine that could only be cleaned of contamination by a complete tear down of the parts of the machine. I have some video which I'll dig up and post shortly of just how bad it really was.

UPDATE: Here's The Video

Personally, as a result of these experiences and because I am a celiac who actually eats some products from companies other than Kinnikinnick(!), I have a much greater sense of wariness when I see "manufactured in a facility that contains wheat." From a company perspective, I'd like every manufacturer of GF products to go to the lengths and expense we do. I know that some do already but some don't. As a consumer, it's tough to know just what you can expect. Hopefully, the new FDA regulations (if/when they are implemented) will bring some clarity to the issue. The issue in Canada is a bit clearer due to our regulations, but it can still be hard to know what to think.

We're not going to change the way we do things here at Kinnikinnick, because we believe it's the right thing to do and we think it's important to you. Let us know.

FYI... You can read more about our ongoing, daily procedures and testing for gluten on a previous post here