Bikergirl

I was just wondering what Australia (Sydney area) is like for gluten free food products in the supermarket and how good are companies at marking their food products gluten free or no?

My husband has to follow a gluten free diet, and whilst i am good in the kitchen and cook from base ingrediants alot, i was wondering what range of gluten free products are available in the supermarkets and how good they are? Also how much more expensive are the gluten free products than there equivalent products (for example bread/pasta etc). Also what are resturants like out there for marking food gluten free or being accomodating with special diets? Fortunately my husband doesnt have to have a totally gluten free environment so we can eat out in most places as long as there are suitable options on the menu for him

Thanks

Kooky.

Well I don't know how things are in the UK these days (although I did have a couple of trips to Tesco with my severely gluten-intolerant sister last time I was back, and was pleasantly surprised) but, compared to Asia, Oz is bloody brilliant for G-F and other allergy products. I should say, I'm in Sydney too, no idea what it's like in the smaller towns.

What you get in Woolworths or Coles can be a bit hit and miss as most of the bread is disgustingly cakey (common problem when it contains no gluten) but there are tons of alternatives. Also I have it on good authority, from a friend that works at one of the food manufacturers and gets to sample stuff, that Coles is bringing out more and more G-F breads and they taste surprisingly OK.

I get my bread from Thomas Dux, which is a chain of organic/health food stores owned by Woolies (although was better as Macro, before Woolies took over ). Tons of choice, most of it actually tastes like bread. Pasta I can get in most stores. Sauces, cake mixes, flours, etc., also but I don't use any of those myself. There are tons of smaller, independent stores too. I can't really compare prices as I buy it if I need it, but I know I recently spent about $14 on a Coles posh-looking banana bread to try so it hurt even more when it tasted like sawdust.

Eating out - well I'm sure, like me, your husband knows what and what not to order, and can ask for a plainer dish if necessary. Wait staff here are generally very good, take a pride in their profession, and know their dishes. With multiple intolerances I often find Asian food the easiest to order (lunch from a foodcourt is usually Thai) and in restaurants always tend to go for "modern european" or "modern Australian" anyway - what are they but knobby terms for fresh fish or meat and vegetables, simply cooked. Cafes are tough - I have a sweet tooth and often end up with a Byron Bay cookie, shame they're not great. Again, the independents are better at providing G-F cakes, almond friands, etc.

My gluten-intolerance is thankfully not so severe (far worse with eggs and dairy) so I eat well most of the time and go a bit wild when we go out for special meals. I'll order a plainish main so I can justify a dessert (and the stomach ache that often comes after it).

rozellem

I have never seen a country so obsessed with Gluten free foods as here. We also live in Sydney and it is everywhere. I would say even better than the UK, or perhaps they just advertise it more. But it is really in your face everywhere. From supermarkets to tiny delly/bakery places have tags on the food advertising your muffin/cake/snack Gluten free. You will have no issues here.

quoll

Interesting - I find the allergen lablelling in UK far easier to follow although I am now seeing some foods that have "gluten free" "dairy free" splashed across the front of their packaging (which is a good move!). Finding gluten/dairy free in restaurants is very hit and miss though, you never can be sure although some places do have an obliging little G/V icon beside some of their products

medwaymark

I have been pleasently surprised by how gluten-free aware resaurant staff are here.

There is a Gluten Free NSW iPhone app which apparently lists gf friendly restaurants.

Tubbs2Oz

I think that Australia is very advanced in terms of the gluten free diet, both in the supermarkets and in restaurants. A lot of items in the supermarket will specify gluten free (normal stuff, not the allergy aisle). A lot of the restaurants I've been to will have g.f. by their gluten free options and when I was piping at a club recently one of the pipers asked and was told that we were all eating gluten free.

I have had more trouble with my kids dairy and egg allergy. I was horrified to find out that the regular heinz spaghetti has cheese in it. Wouldn't be so bad, but they already have a tomato and cheese sauce, why put cheese in the plain tomato sauce! Where in the UK all allergens are listed as in "contains wheat, gluten, milk, egg etc." Over here it can say "contains nuts" but when you read the ingredients milk is listed in there. You can't rely on the contains section. Does that make sense?

They have a lot of orgran stuff over here, which you may have used in the UK.

medwaymark

Some of the products have allergen ingredients in Bold

Bikergirl

thanks for all the info people. Am the one who gets stressed about it rather than my husband even though he suffers for it. He doesnt miss bread, and i have been known to make my own gf pasta and pizza for us rather than risk shop bought stuff that is usually yucky.

Ravvers

My husband was diagonised a coeliac 3 years ago and we visit the Central Coast every year to visit his parents and found the choice other there way better than the UK, especially for eatting out. They seemed more glued up in restaurants and marked the menus more with GF.

The price of GF food in the supermarkets is the same as here being more expensive than 'normal' food and I have to say the bread seemed to be worse other there. But saying that we are moving across for good in July and we're not worried about the GF aspect at all.

medwaymark

My Mrs has found some really nice pizza bases & breads through trial & error. She's been GF for a year. If I remember, I'll find out which ones they are and let you know.

TiddlyPom

I noticed the eggs we bought the other month had 'Gluten Free' as one of their slogans.

medwaymark

Were they more expensive & taste like crap

TiddlyPom

I think they were free range from Woolies. But they tasted like eggs.

I'm going to start labelling myself as 'free range, organic and gluten free' on my website. Using their logic, I'll get loads more clients.

NigelWaring

There is so much gluten free in the two main supermarkets that I wondered if their CEOs are intolerant to it. In ALDI today I notice that they had gluten, wheat and something else free gravy thickener or mixture, something to make gravy anyway.