I got a message the other day alerting me about a new private label product line from Walmart called ‘bettergoods’. Yes they made it one word. And yes, it is not capitalized. I can only assume some thirtysomething marketing whiz thought this was cool or something. Anyway…that’s not the point. This new product line has three categories, or what Walmart calls ‘category pillars’:
1. Culinary experiences: These items spotlight innovative recipes, elevated ingredients and food-trend forward offerings.
2. Plant-based: These products feature distinct green branding and big flavors made to be devoured.
3. “Made Without”: The Made Without pillar offers a broad variety of options that cater to different dietary lifestyles, like gluten free, or made without artificial flavors, colorings or added sugars.
I’ll ignore the ridiculous phrase “food-trend forward offerings” (although I would have loved to be in the meeting where they came up with that only so I could spit out my coffee in laughter) and focus on category, I’m sorry…pillar, number 3. And I’ll hold my tongue calling gluten-free a ‘dietary lifestyle’.
Since it was the first time I have heard of this brand, I did what most people with celiac would do. I excitedly went on TikTok and made the cutest video ever celebrating these new amazing gluten-free options we now have and posted it so all of my followers would run to Walmart and gobble up these yummy products up!
Oh wait. No I didn’t. That would be irresponsible since we have no idea if these products are actually celiac safe. But of course that didn’t stop multiple gluten-free ‘influencers’ from doing just what I describe above.
Look…this could be a good thing for the celiac community. As much as I detest Walmart, I understand they are the cheapest, and sometimes only, option for many in the community. But instead of automatically ‘celebrating’ and spreading this news, shouldn’t we be asking questions first? Kinda reminds me of the CDF celebrating the new GF Cheerios before we even knew if they would be safe or not.
So I’ll step up to the plate and ask the questions that I hope Walmart can answer. Let’s do this.
Question #1: What company is making these products? Is it Walmart themselves? The packages say they are ‘distributed’ by Walmart, but nothing about where they are produced.
Question #2: Since bettergoods has both gluten-filled and gluten-free products, what procedures does the company take to minimize the risk of cross-contamination in their facility?
Question #3: Why are some of their products ‘gluten-free’ and some are ‘certified gluten-free’? What is the distinction between the two? And why would Walmart pay for the GFCO certification for some products and not for others.
Question #4: Does Walmart test all products labeled ‘gluten-free’ to make sure they fall below 20ppm? Cause you know…THAT’S THE LAW.
Question #5: Lastly…why the f**k is no one else asking these questions? I spent 30 minutes online looking for any answers to the above questions and I found nothing.
Again…I’m not accusing Walmart of anything (except being a $240 billion company, yet paying a shitty wage so many of their employees are on food stamps, which they can use to purchase products at Walmart…but I digress), but as I always say, transparency goes a long way in getting the support of the celiac community.
Will we get the answers we deserve? Most likely not, but ya gotta hold out hope. And as Andy Dufresne says…
UPDATE: Walmart responded to me as follows:
Question #1 – Walmart does not manufacture our Bettergoods items. We work with a variety of experienced suppliers who manufacture for us.
Question #2 – Our manufactures follow food safety GMPs (Good Manufacturing Principles) to ensure claims made on packages are accurate. In some cases there are facilities without allergens and in some they follow the GMP to ensure product is not cross contaminated with glutenous products.
Question #3 – Some of our suppliers are already certified so we utilize that certification, and some are using GMP and clean ingredients to substantiate Gluten Free.
Question #4 – Our suppliers verify all gluten free products and must demonstrate compliance.
I have given up on most prepared foods entirely. It seems I find one I like such as Simple Mills and then they change and start manufacturing on the same lines. If I don’t feel confident being able to feed myself safely in a gluten mixed house, why would I trust manufactured on the same lines? I have multiple sensitivities so often it is not just gluten that is the problem.
Well said…