Which Online Grocery Shopping Sites are Good for Those on a Gluten-free Diet or with Food Allergies?
I love going to the grocery store each week to do my weekly shopping. I love finding newly discovered gluten and allergen free items, while meandering down each aisle. But lately I have been really short on time and have been considered using an online grocery shopping service. But I’ve been hesitant… How can I read the product labels online? How do I know what is really gluten free? Allergen free?
Then while reading my May issue of Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine, I found an article that compares five different online grocery sites. I decided to take this comparison to the next level – the true BeFreeForMe gluten-free and allergen-free test done by a die-hard gluten and allergen free shopper. Here is what I discovered:
Where is it available?: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, DC, Chicago and parts of Wisconsin.
What makes this site gluten and allergen free friendly? Peapod offers something called “My Nutrifilter” which allows you to customize a shopping plan by selecting one or more of several special diets, including gluten, dairy, peanut, and egg free. Then when you shop, any item free of everything you designate will display an icon letting you know which products are safe for you to buy. This is great for those with multiple allergies! Ingenious! Clearly a Gluten, Allergy and every combination-in-between winner!
Where is it available?: New York Metro Area
What makes this site gluten and allergen free friendly? Although Fresh Direct had a limited accessibility for those with food allergies (although it did have a fantastic kosher section) this website had a very large selection and accessibility for those on a gluten-free diet. “Gluten-free Favorites for Tender Tummies!” is the headline for the page that highlights products gathered by the Fresh Direct nutritionist.
What I like the best about this online grocery shopping site is the ability to find a gluten-free menu and buy all the ingredients … with just one click! THAT is a time-saver…!
Where is it available?: Nationwide.
What makes this site gluten and allergen free friendly? This site is promoted as your grocery store “Endless Shelf”. On this site you can find items that got bumped off your grocery store shelves or items that are just plain ‘ole super hard to find (and we all know THAT feeling!)
I checked out the gluten free section on this site (there is also a Kosher, fat free and sugar free sections – but no allergens) and found tons of salad dressings, fun marinades, dips and sauces. This site had tons of unique items and I can’t wait to order and create some new recipes or spice up that old salad!
This site is the place to check out for those hard to find favorites … all easily accessible with a click of a mouse!
Where is it available? Las Vegas; California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Phoenix; Maryland; Philly and DC
What makes this site gluten and allergen free friendly? There is no gluten-free and allergen-free break down of products on this site. You can however type your dietary requirements in the “search field” of the homepage and find numerous gluten and allergen free products available for delivery.
Where is it available? San Francisco; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; Seattle. (Live in Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Calgary? Than visit… http://www.Spud.ca)
What makes this site gluten and allergen free friendly? I really like the fun, crisp and clean look of this site! Although there is no actual allergen-free or gluten-free shopping list or sections, I like that you can find local, or
ganic produce – delivered straight to your home.
There is also a blog on this site, which makes it personalized and a reason to visit frequent.
Another fun feature of this site? The “Calculate how much you save by not going grocery shopping” feature!
Check it out! After checking this feature out I think I’ll be shopping down a virtual aisle soon!
Tags: online grocery shopping for allergen-free foods, online grocery shopping for gluten-free foods