Let me just clarify what this is about right away. This is not about who makes the best gluten-free bread.
It’s not just about the “horror” of the holes in Udi’s bread. That’s been discussed here and here. Yeah…I know there are much worse things in the world.
It’s not about Udi’s partnering with companies who knowingly use practices that endanger those with celiac. That was covered here.
It’s not about Udi’s not being able to get their facts straight or promoting items that can get us sick. That was covered here.
This is about respect for the celiac community (and Udi’s total lack of said respect!) It’s about Udi’s being the so called “leader” in gluten-free foods, dominating the store shelves and then cheating their customers who depend on them. It’s about flat-out lying to the community for years and getting away with it.
But yeah…it does all start with the holes. It’s been going on since at least 2013. I approached them (kindly) back then and they responded with the following:
We have invested in new equipment and have moved to 100% inspection of our loaves. We have also employed stricter ingredient specifications that will avoid excessive holing. The result of these changes should be showing up on shelves now! Do keep in mind that our products can be kept frozen for 6 months so it may take a little while for all loaves to rotate out of circulation.
Mind you…that was 2013. They claimed “100% inspections of their loaves.” Two years later, nothing had changed and it seemed to even get worse. So in 2015, I pinged them again. Here’s how they responded to this one:
We realize that holes have been an ongoing issue for gluten free breads for quite some time, and we understand your frustration. We’ve tried a variety of methods to reduce holes over the past couple of years, including tweaking our formulation, without success. Through extensive research, investment, and a lot of persistence, we’ve identified and recently installed state-of-the-art technology in our production facility to inspect every loaf of bread so that we can pull any loaves with holes. We are still working on getting it up to speed, but we are optimistic about consistently delivering solid loaves to our consumers in the very near future.
Everybody now…BULLLLLLLLSH******T.
So now here we are in 2017 and they are still full of it. They’ve done NOTHING to fix the issue or improve their quality control. They are flat out lying and yet so many in the celiac community still support them. (I know for some, it’s the only choice in their stores. That just sucks…sorry.)
You wanna know how tone deaf they are? I reached out to them on Twitter last week as I was preparing this article. I once again wanted to get their side of things. Here’s how the scintillating conversation went.
Me: Hey there. Seeing that you’re not doing anything to fix the problem of holes in your bread, I will be doing yet another post on it soon. But once again I’d love to have your feedback before I write the post. Thanks.
Udi’s: We’re working hard to fix the issue. Pls email us, at udisglutenfree.com/contact-us.
Me: But you’ve been saying that for four years now. Is there anything else you want to offer up? Thanks.
Udi’s: If you’d like to try Glutino bread, which is our sister company, we’ll be happy to send you some Glutino coupons!
Seriously…what the ever-living hell was that? A bribe? With Glutino bread? Or am I giving them too much credit and it was just ignorance. And by the way, every time someone posts an image of their crappy products on their Facebook page, their canned responses are the pretty much the exact same.
In 2017, it’s “Hey John, our team is dedicated to making delicious foods, and ensuring the highest quality of every product. This is unacceptable and we’d love an opportunity to make it up to you.”
[Dude note: Highest quality? Now that’s funny.]
In 2016, it was “Hi Danielle! I am sorry you have gotten loaves like that! I can assure you, we are working hard to fix the hole issue!”
[Dude note: Why an exclamation point after the name?]
In 2015? Hi Todd, While bread holes are an unfortunate problem with any brand that makes gluten free bread, we hate to see it in our loaves.
[Dude note: Really? Every brand’s gluten-free bread has holes in it? Me thinks not.]
I can go back further but you get the picture.
So why is this such a big deal? (In other words…Dude, get to the point!)
Because they are LYING to and TAKING ADVANTAGE of the very people who depend on them and who keep their business profitable. It seems they don’t give a damn about their customer base and instead of fixing their issues or god forbid making a better product (see pictures below), they simply placate the celiac community by lying to them. It’s costing the community time, money and angst. And in my book, since I’m a community first kind of guy, this simply is not ok.
And I can hear some of you now. “But Dude…let the market dictate whether they fail or succeed.” The problem is they are a HUGE company with unbelievably deep pockets and I’m sure they pay the stores LOTS of money for valuable shelf space. Go into any store that carries gluten-free and you’ll see a lot of Udi’s and (maybe) a little of other company’s products. They own the shelves, which mean they own much of the celiac community. That my friends is a near-monopoly. It’s like that old SNL skit with Lily Tomlin way back when there was just one phone company. She says “We’re the phone company. We don’t care because we don’t have to.” Do yourself a favor and watch the video.
So what can we do about it (assuming you’d like to see a change)? No…not a petition. No…not a march to their headquarters. No…not calling them dirty names (out loud). If you agree with me and you’d like to let Udi’s know that it’s not ok to take advantage of the celiac community, just stop supporting them and buying their products until they get their sh*t together. And let them know you no longer support them. They won’t change things until we hit them where it hurts.
Email them HERE.
Call them at 800-254-3768.
Or hit them up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UdisGlutenFreeUS/. Please consider sharing this link on their FB page and Twitter and let them know how you feel.
And finally…cause I know you’re wondering…where the heck are the specific “102 Reasons to Stop Supporting Udi’s”? The following 102 images were all posted on their Facebook page in a span of only 4 months in 2016. Nope…this wasn’t even all of them. Yep…they are just awful.
I have stopped buying anything from UDI’s. If I do consume a bread product I will use Canyon Bakehouse. Or go to a certified GF bakery. I don’t eat a lot of bread but I had to say when buying the mass product Canyon I have never had a hole in the bread. Their rye makes a helluva Ruben when ya just gotta have one. No Udi’s in my house at all. They need to get it together.and besides, their bread isn’t all that great anyway.
Canyon Bakehouse is amazing – SAME!
Hi, everybody
I would like to share with my experience, I am using Katz Gluten Free, and I never had this problem.
Joe
Same here and so true! Every loaf I’ve painstakingly purchased had a hole. Canyon is the best flavor and never has holes! no comparison.
In addition to Canyon Bakehouse, Trade Joe’s has an excellent gluten free bread – and some of the best GF cookies I’ve ever had! I didn’t know Glutino was a sister company of Glutino, which makes me a little sad since I love the Glutino english muffins. Anyone know any other good english muffins? All the other one’s I’ve tried have been about as hard as rocks.
In addition to Canyon Bakehouse, Trade Joe’s has an excellent gluten free bread – and some of the best GF cookies I’ve ever had! I didn’t know Glutino was a sister company of Udi’s, which makes me a little sad since I love the Glutino english muffins. Anyone know any other good english muffins? All the other one’s I’ve tried have been about as hard as rocks.
I have purchased several loaves of TJ’s GF bread that had huge holes in it. I learned to inspect each loaf before putting it in my cart because, despite the holes, it’s still the best stuff out there.
Last week my husband bought me auDIS gluten free lasagne and Mac and cheese. I would wager the lasagne had a noodle bent in half and the little pan was maybe 1/4 to 1/3 full. The Mac and cheese about the same. I can make my own Mac and cheese however. Barilla makes great gluten free noodles. Their Mac and cheese they changed their recipe it’s not nearly as good
Listening to you people makes me sick! No GLUTEN – No YEAST – No EGG – Flower/Seed OILs. In leaky gut disease, it all reacts the same. Its TOXIC! Some of us have to go without breads & manufactured snack foods. I would love to tear up the hole-filled bread and dip it in junk food. Those days are gone!
Laura…I’m all for varying opinions, but not attacks against each other. Please.
I have bought many many many breads from Udi. I think only once I had one with a litte whole, but definetly not of the magnitude you are showing here. I particularly like their millet bread.
But… I think it is unethical you display an article like this, while being paid to promote by a competitor. Canyon Bakery. Sorry. Shame on you Glutenfree dude.
Udis is a reliable brand. Some people like it, some people don’t. Like every GF option we have. You should be more objective.
Stop. Please just stop. I’ve been railing on Udi’s long before I allowed a few ads on my site.
That’s strange… I’ve lived in Canada, UK & USA, bought UDI’s in all 3 for years and every single time I bought 2 loads regular bread and 1 loaf of raisin bread… each filled with holes every time. We’ve switched to another brand now and have none of these issues.
I found the gem of all gems. Mrs Hewitt’s gluten free breads are 100% the very best…hands down. My family eats regular bread and prefers her bread, cookies and rolls and they are not even gluten free. These products are amazing.
We love Canyon Bakehouse. I like the Hawaiian sweet bread. My mom can’t find the raisin anywhere though, I love raisins. Does anyone know what stores sell it?
I stopped buying from them many years ago after constant complaining. I then discovered Canyon Bakehouse Bread and I won’t use anything but that because it taste so much like the wheat bread I ate before discovering I had a major gluten intolerance.
What style of Canyon Bakehouse bread do you buy? I ask because I had their caraway rye once (the only time I have bought Canyon Bakehouse) and I found it sort of slimy /gummy – likely do to the high level of potato starch. I am wondering, now, if the other styles are better.
I like Canyon Bakehouse 7 grain and found the texture to be fairly good.
I personally use the 7 Grain for regular sandwiches, but I use the new Heritage Style Honey White for french toast as they are much larger (and STILL no holes!). Their hamburger buns and hot dog buns are the best IMO (and I’ve tried many different brands).
Try the heritage loaf
I found Canyon House Bread to be gummy, with little bits getting stuck in my teeth. Seems like they use to much gum to make up for the gluten. I have been GF for about 9 months and have been buying Udi’s frozen bread. So far I haven’t had any issues with holes in my loafs. Did they finally improve the product or am I just lucky?
I am not Celiac, but am having wheat related issues. I tried Udi’s products briefly. They were nasty. The holes aside, the taste is just foul. The bread left a ‘slick’ feeling in my mouth that felt a thin coat of Vaseline. Their pizza is a joke. I do not understand how they can lead in the gluten free market. They made me give up bread because of how terrible their product is.
Freschetta makes a good gluten free pizza.
I LOVE their pizza!
And now that I have found Green’s gluten free beer, my life is complete! 🙂
Could not agree more.
Thanks for this post. Raising awareness in the community is very important. Haven’t bought anything from them for years, thankfully. There are several other options here in Canada that I prefer to patronize, such as Kinnikinnick, Mi and Stu, Cookie Stefanie Baked2go, and others.
This post really is in defense of the “community”. Hoping it helps.
I didnt used many of their products over the almost 2 years since my diagnosis as I’ve tried to avoid “replacing” gluten items in general, I just go without it 95% of the time. It’s scary now, reading labels and questioning why there’s so much unpronounceable crap in food! Having to be free of gluten, corn, dairy and tahdah recently added rice to the no no list it REALLY restricts me to basically no processed foods. (Kinda feel like I’m winning here though, thanks Celiac I mean fresh foods, no chemicals…how we all should eat anyways right?!)
However after being glutened at a restaurant originally owned by UDIs (prior to selling the GF side of business off) in Denver Airport, having trusted that an establishment run by founders of the company that seems to all but rule the GF world would be safe… yeah nope. It was the first time post diagnosis I ate gluten, sure I’d gotten sick from gluten hiding in makeup or lotions but not from food… it was the absolute worst experience in my entire life. My 3.5 hour flight home was excruciating, my joints inflamed to the point I could barely move, muscle spasms, stabbing pain in stomach, itchy skin with rash, migraine and fever… all within 30 minutes of eating their “gluten free” breakfast item. I spent the flight bawling into my bf’s shoulder and wishing for an end to my misery. Took me 2+ weeks to recover, brain fog seemed to linger foreverrrr and then thanks to immune system weakened I then spent the next 2 months fighting multiple head colds, double ear infections etc mind you I hadn’t gotten a single cold since going GF almost 2 years prior!
Screw UDIs and their lies, crap ass products and their lack of true concern for safety in the Celiac community! All GF breads have holes?? Well kudos to Canyon for solving what UDIs claims is an unresolvable issue lol because I’ve never seen a single hole in their breads. Shame on UDIs, as if living with Celiac isn’t enough of a SOB can’t we at least get a piece of freaking bread from your company we can make a damn sandwich with?! Or eat at your founders restaurant trusting we can be safe? No?? Ok cool, Gluten Dude is right STOP BUYING THEIR SHIT AND THE OTHER COMPANIES WILL STAND A CHANCE! Request your local stores start carrying brands you can actually trust!!
Phew… I feel better lol. Kick rocks UDIs.
[round of applause]
More like a standing ovation!
Thanks! It felt good to vent haha. Doesn’t change the facts though… crazy how there’s still such a lack of awareness sigh. Went to breakfast yesterday at a typically “safer” place, gave my usual explanation when ordering…but when my omelet came out I spotted a few large crumbs on plate so inspected closer. Turns out regardless what my ticket said they threw bread on my plate, realized that was wrong so simply thought would pull it off and I’d never know. THANK GOODNESS i was on higher than usual alert because my daughter was graduating high school last night and I wasn’t missing that for the world!
Ugh yes mr waiter those few crumbs WILL make me severely ill as a matter of fact 🖕🏻
Canyon Bakehouse > Udis
Canyon Bakehouse manages to not be filled with huge holes. The first time I bought UDIs was immediately after being diagnosed with celiac disease. We thought there was something wrong with it because it was filled with holes. How the hell are you supposed to make a sandwich with that? The contents would just fall out of the holes. Our entire loaf was like that and we threw it away because it seemed useless. Thought it was a one off until every single loaf we purchased had holes.
Then we discovered Canyon Bakehouse!
Love you Canyon Bakehouse!
I found both Schar and Sam’s Choice gluten free bread on the SHELF at Walmart of all places. I have looked everywhere for GF bread that wasn’t frozen and failed. Both brands had white and multigrain selections and are completely sealed in a separate container inside the bread bag. (Schar’s was in the gluten-free section and the Sam’s Choice was on the regular bread aisle.) I don’t eat much bread, but I hate frozen sandwich bread with the heat of a 1000 suns..lol. The Schar’s also is non GMO and preservative free. (I didn’t check the Sam’s Choice.) Taste? Meh. It wasn’t any worse than any of the others I’ve tried and when smothered in what goes between them I didn’t care. (Hello quick PB&J!) Sometimes you just want to pull out a bag of bread out of the pantry and make a quick sandwich like a normal person.
I tried Schar’s, but as soon as I opened the package the bread began to dry out, had holes and tasted like cardboard. How can you make bread that has a 4 month (or whatever it is) shelf life? Haven’t tried the Sam’s club, but tried Trader Joe’s hamburger buns and bagels-don’t bother. The buns were awful and the bagels were dense, hard and just didn’t taste like a bagel. I’ve mostly given up on bread except for Glutino’s muffins. Best “fake” bread product I’ve found so far, even if they are owned by Udi’s.
Wow, we LOVE the @Schar deli style sourdough bread. Absolutely delicious!! I put it in a baggie once opened and it lasts – it also goes really fast in our house so it doesn’t sit around very long. Udi’s is too small and my daughter hasn’t cared for other brands very much.
HI, Gluten Dude:
OK – done. Not only that – here’s the text of the e-mail I just sent them this morning. If anyone wants to use some or all of the wording in their own pointed communication to Udi’s, please feel free. Let’s take them down till they shape up:
“I am writing to inform you that because of your persistent tendency to lie to the celiac community about addressing the problem with the quality of your products, I will no longer be purchasing any Udi products for my family of celiac disease sufferers. Until you demonstrate that you are actually doing something, and not just making empty promises about your bread full of large holes, I will be boycotting your product. It is unfair and unethical for you to prey upon the very market segment that made you successful, so be informed herewith that this participant in that market segment is leaving you. May I also offer congratulations on sawing off the branch on which you are sitting – it is breathtaking to watch a company so tone-deaf and inexplicably unaware of the damage it’s inflicting on itself. And because I am also a blogger who provides ongoing advice, recipes, and insights to to the large and growing celiac community in our city, I will be urging others to stop buying your products. Stop lying, stop making fake apologies, fix your product, and show us some respect.”
Well that is just perfect!
I stopped buying anything Udi’s after finding holes in one loaf that made it impossible to make a sandwich. And then I read your article when they said they fixed the problem, bit really didn’t. I’d rather go without bread altogether (which is pretty much what I’ve done) than waste my money on a partial loaf of super small holey slices of what they like to call bread. They are ridiculous. Thanks for your diligence to the celiac community, Dude.
Dude,
Thanks for being an advocate. I work in the food processing business and I would like to suggest that we go one step beyond your recommendations. Reach out to your grocery store and complain. While Udi’s most likely has paid a slotting fee to occupy their space on shelf most chains will boot them out if the quality is poor or if the sales are poor.
I recommend that everyone contact the home office of their grocery chain and complain. Also, offer to send along this article to them. Grocery stores hate to see their vendors get caught up in bad press and most products (even those with slotting fees) can be dumped if the grocery chain feels that carrying the brand reflects poorly on them.
This is such a good point. If everyone returned their defective, holey loaves to the store where purchased, those chains will very quickly get on Udi’s. A supermarket will have much more influence with a vendor than an individual customer.
Ugh. This makes me so upset. I own a small, but busy, gf bakery in Richmond, va and we supply area grocery stores with fresh sandwich loaf breads. We check each loaf and throw away the ones with holes. Yes holes happen. Sometimes to an entire batch. But we would never put that on the shelf. We take the loss and don’t pass it on the the customers. No wonder we are scraping by financially and their wallets are just getting fatter.
Instead of throwing it out, how about making croutons or stuffing mix with it? I bet those would sell, too!
Kudos, Anna, for your integrity. You aren’t just working, you are CONTRIBUTING. And your contribution matters.
Just wondering, do you do mail orders? I’m in Raleigh, NC, and it’s practically a gluten-free wasteland down here.
If you can get to Chapel Hill or Hillsborough…try Imagine That Gluten Free’s products. Available at Weaver St. Market. Delicious. Locally baked in a dedicated kitchen. The baguette is amazing…the muffins are yummy…and the basic bread is the best I’ve had.
Thanks, Melanie! I became a member of Weaver Street ages ago, but it’s quite the drive over there, so I tend to forget it’s there. You’ve given me the perfect excuse to make the trek a regular thing! My kids (what am I saying? they’re 22 and 24 now!) have always loved Maple View Farms’ ice cream, so I can get that too, to enjoy at our next family gathering. Woohoo!
I wrote this article for glutenfreeworks back in 2011. It’s been going on a long time!! https://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/2011/06/02/udis-bread-whats-up-with-all-the-holes/
So they’ve been ripping us off for at least 6 years. Sigh.
I tried to email Udi’s and give them a piece of my mind, but when I hit the submit button, It re-routed me to a page that said “Forbidden” and told me I had no access to submit a form…
Perhaps we broke their server with hate mail??
I just tried it and it got through. Give it another go.
I tried again, and it gave me the same error code. I have no clue why! I even closed out the window and went directly to their site and tried that way, too. Maybe it is my phone?
Will try from the computer later. Sigh. 😑
We buy Canyon Bakehouse’s Heritage bread, which is wonderful right out of the bag, and we recently bought some Glutino through Amazon Fresh. They may be Udi’s sister company, whatever that means, but they make an excellent loaf of bread. Even my gluten eaters loved it. I recommend those two brands, but currently we are tending towards Glutino. It’s soft, and stays soft for the time it takes us to get through a loaf. The Heritage bread is soft too, but is a more artisanal bread with a crunchier crust. None of the stores here carry either of those breads, and sometimes I can’t afford to buy a case of bread from Canyon which is over fifty dollars with shipping and handling. Much easier and cheaper to get a loaf through Amazon’s grocery service, Fresh. You do have have a minimum order of forty dollars to get free delivery, but that’s not hard for a family of three, so every couple of weeks I buy a couple loaves of bread as part of my order. I have not bought anything from Udi’s since at least 2012. I have noticed that when niche market companies become successful, the customers suffer. Quality goes way down, and sometimes the prices go up. It’s vexing.
I bought Udi”s when I first became aware of my medical issues. I kind of had to fly by the seat of my pants and educate myself since Drs. thought I was a big fat whiny liar and said so many times. I never bought a loaf of Udi’s that was close to being unholed. That is literally what my family and I called it. Lol We even took bets on how many holes would be in the newest loaf.
I made the tastiest switch ever thanks to Kroger. I now eat O’Doughs. OMG!!! I have to limit myself because it’s that freaking good! Taste, texture, no freaking holes, and it doesn’t have to be toasted. I love love love the bagel thins with all the seed crusting. The sandwich bread is fantastic too.
I have never gotten sick, never had a stuffed up head or felt any side effects. I had those things happen routinely with Udi’s. They can stuff their bread where the sun doesn’t shine while I will happily gobble O’Doughs smeared with Philly, stacked with tomatoes. Mmmmmmm
I second O’Doughs. Their thin bagels and sandwich thins are my go to bread products.
Sorry to be a traitor to thr celiac community, but I eat Udi’s bread on occasion which we get at Costco in Missoula, Montana and it hasn’t been holey. I haven’t eaten bread/grains for about four years until this spring; four years ago it was terribly holey. All the loaves now have been no holes!
You are officially blocked! Totally kidding but I do wish you’d consider not supporting them for the time being.
Ann,
don’t worry, it depends on the local finds/availability.
Gluten Dude,
Respect!
Now we are using Udi’s from the local Costco:
-we didn’t find holes
-they disappeared couple times. (which means some customer/locals complained so there’s your leverage working).
Now thanks to all the comments, we just added O’Doughs and Canyon Bakehouse’s Heritage to our list since they are available in our area.
Many thanks for the finds and for the time spent to put the community together.
respectfully,
The dad of a Celiac.
I buy my GF bread from Sami’s Bakery in Tampa, Fl It is not an industrial size bakery and does not make white bread.
what I order are flax seed and millet bread. When I was 1st diagnosed my main problem with the diet was bread, Sami’s
bread tastes like a good white bread and stands up to sandwiches
Udi’s doesn’t even taste good, and is so over-priced, besides being holey! I buy Kinnickkinnick or Rudy’s GF bread when I want bread, (seldom) although I buy Canyon Bakehouse if I can’t find the first two. Trader Joe’s has GF bagels that are AWESOME and have become my go-to for bread-like products. I don’t buy any of Udi’s prepared foods, either. Too expensive for the little bit that you get, and now that I’ve seen this post, I’ll be even more careful not to purchase their goods.
You know what I find interesting, Gluten Dude? I recently had to spend 11 days eating at a hospital because my dad was very ill. The only GF option they carried was Udi’s. I looked at the loaves and the food I was served. It NEVER had holes. Not even small ones. What this indicates to me is that they know how to make it right, but yet don’t care about screwing over the public. They know the public will come back, which is not what would happen if they provided this garbage to their large commercial customers. Apparently that’s where their loyalty lies. With the money.
Well that’s (disturbingly) interesting.
I couldn’t “stomach” the gf bread on the market. So I bought a bread machine with a gf setting and I make my own. I’ve never had crazy holes in my bread like Udi’s. I do occasionally buy a loaf of Canon Bakehouse. It’s nice. There’s no reason to spending money buying a product with their failure rate.
Maybe they should stop calling it bread, and call their products bagels. LOL
I just tried Canyon Bakehouse and will be getting that from now on, it was yummy and no holes. And Udi’s tastes terrible anyway!
I have had minimal problems with Udi’s bread. I buy it for my granddaughter who is autistic and out of all the breads I have tried she likes Udi’s the best. I also buy their muffins, cookies and pizza. I have not tried their frozen entrees yet.
When I purchase the bread I always look through the clear part of the bag at the slices. If I do not see major holes throughout the loaf- I buy that loaf. The loaves I do come across with major holes I take to Customer Service. In the 6 years I have been buying Udi’s I have had 2 loaves that I took back due to major holes. That is when I started checking before buying. The amount of loaves I turned in to Customer Service after doing my inspection was not that many maybe 6 or 7 in a 5 year time period. I love Udi’s and yes it is not right to pay that much just to get crust. I do hope Udi’s is reading these comments, because where I live- the Udi’s shelf space is dwindling not expanding. I can not find the bread at any of the Krogers around me. I have to shop at Hy-vee, but they do carry the larger loaf and I like that.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and cannot manage to find a doctor who knows celiac, but I have found that the Franz bakery makes a decent loaf of bread with no holes. I tried udi’s bagels because I really miss them but I had to spit it out, it was just foul. My husband was angry that we had spent money on such garbage. I want nothing to do with udi’s or its sister company.
If you want a really good GF bagel and have some extra money, Jennifer Esposito has the best GF bagels I have ever eaten. I just can’t afford them anymore.
Franz does indeed make a decent loaf of gf bread. I was surprised to see it at my local Wal-Mart (our only grocery store here.)
Schar also makes good bread, but like any gf bread at our walmart, they come and go and never get restocked… (There is a pretty sad gf section at our store.) If they are on clearance I will stock up and freeze, because I know they won’t be restocking them. We rarely buy bread or bread type products, but sometimes you just have a hankerin’ for a really awesome BLT.
Never tried Udi’s, and apparently I’m not missing anything, so don’t intend to.
If any of you are close to an Aldi grocery store, they have their own gf line that is great! They have 3 types of bread, flour tortillas, cookies, and lots of baking mixes. They just added bagels too. Since they are a German company, they don’t allow all the crap in their products like US companies.
We buy Aldi’s gluten free wraps quite frequently, and they are delicious. This week’s ad has hamburger and hot dog buns, so I am hoping to score several bags! I say hoping because they don’t always get the items on sale. We have been trying to find the gluten free canned onion rings for months and they don’t have them, even though they have been on several ads. When they do have the items, most of them are very good.
I am jealous of all of you people! I cannot consume YEAST AT ALL! My body reacts to yeast as it does GLUTEN. I have heard that this is because yeast is a “cross-reactor”. As such it results in colon blow. The manufacturers can keep their poop bread!
What do you expect from Pinnacle Foods, Inc.? Udi’s is just a side market for them. A drop in their proverbial bucket. Most major corporations only care about bottom line and stock prices. If the brand doesn’t sell enough for them, they will just sell it to another corporation in a package. Corporations could care less about Celiac Disease or the people who have it. I wouldn’t buy that bread if it was the only gf bread out there.
I used to have more time to stop at the 99 cent store (which is now a dollar, lol) but when I did, sometimes they had Udis in the freezer and I didn’t feel too cheated for a dollar. They were no where near as hole-ridden as these samples though. Geesh!
Mind if I call you Don Quixote?
Windmill fight, is all.
When we had to go egg-free (along with soy and dairy and gluten – sigh) for my son’s EOE we stopped buying Udi’s. I found the holes sort of funny at first, but my sandwich-loving son went BONKERS over them. Like tears and the kind of drama only hungry a pre-teen is capable of. There are many better brands out there, and (since we celiac/GI folk just LOVE to cook and bake {see my blog for more on THAT!!! Oy.}) there are some wonderful bread recipes out there, too.
The loaf-hole pics get me though. Are those worm-holes to another dimension, I wonder? Hmmm.
I used to buy Udis as it was the best bread available in my area and thankfully I never had holes. But like so many other posters here I then discovered Canyon Bakehouse and never looked back! I’ve gone breadless on a few occasions when the store was out of stock of Canyon and the only alternative was Udis. I remembered Gluten Dude’s previous posts on this subject and figured buying no bread and buying Udis would probably yield about the same amount of bread!
Before Canyon Bakehouse we bought Udi’s, the bread looked and tasted amazing compared to what gluten and dairy free bread was 8-9 years ago (!) and got the holes often and tolerated it often. When we did, I brought it back to the store requesting a refund and they always issued a refund. Then when Canyon Bakehouse came out the rest was history. If they don’t sell Canyon in a store near you just ask them to carry it. Most stores will do that for their customers and if you ask enough they will push the other brand over and fill their shelf with your request. Also, most health food chains will offer a 10% case discount – gf isn’t cheap, every little bit helps if you have the freezer space!
And if anyone misses challah: Katz Bakery (sold on their site) makes gluten free/dairy free challahs that are very good. And no holes. 🙌🏻 Great post Gluten Dude!
Jessica just wrote: “And if anyone misses challah: Katz Bakery (sold on their site) makes gluten free/dairy free challahs that are very good. And no holes.”
Same here. I would suggest everyone who is on a gluten-free diet, to check out their site katzglutenfree.com, you will definitely find some new goodies that you never thought before it’s available as gluten free.
Thank you, everybody
Joe
We were at WalMart the other day and they sell gluten free bread, hamburger, and hot dog buns under the Sam’s Choice label. I bought a loaf of bread and a package of hamburger buns. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, and we were shocked at how good they are. They were soft and delicious and defrost well. They came frozen and I just let the package sit out on the counter overnight. My family liked them too. It was the first good gluten free burger bun I’ve had in years. I used to buy the Canyon Bakehouse buns but they changed their recipe some six or seven years ago and I stopped buying them. These are a keeper, and I am stocking up on them. I haven’t tried the bread yet, but judging by the taste and texture of the buns, they should be good.
I CONCUR- I can’t stand Udi’s, and have been reasonably satisfied with Canyon, but the Sams Choice in our local Super Wally Mart is shockingly good. We get the white bread and the buns, and when the buns are warmed/toasted they are the best GF buns I have ever had (I travel a lot and have tasted many options). Our store puts them on the shelf with the other bread (not frozen), so it took me a while to even notice they were there. I think I kept buying the awful Udis (and paying more for it). Kicking myself for that one…
As suggested in your post, I went to Udi’s Facebook page. Immediately after posting there was a note that they screen posts. It is now a week….and my post hasn’t appeared.
Basically, I never buy Udi’s even if it is the only option. I’m lucky to have some local options. I have occasionally bought Glutino for years.
For those who enjoy Glutino. They were originally a Quebec-based gluten free company. Luckily, they don’t seem to have made changes to their products since they were bought by Udi’s.
Yep. They’ve now removed the ability for customers to post messages on their FB page. They did this last time I called them out and said it was an “accident”. I just contacted them and asked “wouldn’t it be easier to just fix the problem?”
I have 12 food allergies so I was amazed to find several breads I can eat. Sometimes they do have a hole or two but overall I like. Happy Camper, Olivia’s, and Flying Apron. I do live in the PNW and count myself privileged to have so many good options. I am willing to overlook a hole or two as long as it is not the standard.
I’m with you, Kat. I have tried many brands since my Celiac Disease dx yrs ago, and i absolutely love Udi’s products. I do try to make sure that it is a whole grain based product, which many of the alternative breads are not (many are based on empty, starch laden calories). When i see a hole in the Udis bread, i tell myself that i am saving myself some calories 😊
We are so fortunate to have so many different bread options today~totally different from back in the days when i was first going gf!!
As owner of a gluten free things in Arvada Colorado we have had similar problems in the past and I’ve actually resolve the issues of holes in the breads
Through formulation changes of our ingredients we no longer have the holes that udi eater’s and many of the other gluten-free breads on the market have experienced and we’re producing Loaves the same size as the grocery store Udis Loaves
As we ship produce across the United States we have been told even by European standards that we have the best tasting bread on the market that actually tastes like real wheat bread
So if you want to get your full white textured bread without holes Order gluten-free things or ask your local grocery market for that Brand
The good thing about the holes is now you can make a bird in the basket with a nice egg in the middle of the slice with out cutting
Go to glutenfreethings.com
I bought my first loaf of Udi’s bread this past weekend because, dang it, I wanted a sandwich! I was floored, not to mention disappointed to open the loaf and find only 4 usable slices of bread, and giant holes in the rest of the loaf. Then I actually tried eating it. Completely tasteless and so dry I could barely swallow. Thanks to all the commenters for their recommendations on gf bread brands – I’ve made a list to try. 🙂
I recently started eating Udi’s new improved bread. I thought it was so good, except for the price and fact the slices stick together. I was eating it everyday. I was so glad I had found a GF bread I liked. Then for three weeks I was sick. I could not figure out what was causing it. Only thing I can figure is it is the bread. It was the only thing it could be, since I had been so good since I went gluten free. I started having hip and knee pain. I got my first cold in a long long time. I had itching. My stomach was terrible. Also, I didn’t think about it until reading a post on here, but I had to leave work early one day. I had terrible brain fog, I felt like I had Alzheimer’s. I will not buy anymore of their overpriced products. Phew…I feel better too!
The sad part is that I go to restaurants and get excited because they have gluten free products (thank you for thinking of us!) then I find out they’re Udi’s. And I am no longer excited. I mean, yeah, it’s better than a kick in the pants, but not by much. And well-meaning family and friends, God bless them, love to tell me about their Udi’s finds. I don’t have the heart to disabuse them of their benevolent notions. I want people who don’t have to eat gluten free to know that there ARE good gluten free products available, but Udi’s they ain’t.
This. Is total crap i love udis.. And your just complaining to have a site running ive had celiac disease since 1997 and back then was just food for life. And they woulf break and crumble first bite you took unless you toasted it first.. Ive gotten udis and canyon bake house and udis taste better to me and ive rarely seen holes.. Ive seen like one or two slices with one or two holes. But all breads have holes ive seen regular wheat bread have holes. And since you complain so much make your own bread its not that easy!.. I use to go to places and ask for lettuce wrapped hamburgers and they said we cant wrap lettuce over a hamburger. And i said yes u can just one piece on top and one piece on bottom. And like to replace bun even in n out didnt have the protein style yet.. And no restaurants knew what gluten was thanks to the people using it as a diet now it helped.. And love the trader joes hamburger buns they are the best feels like a real bun holds together. And wow yumm.. And udis is great just cause of some holes ive never seen a hamburger bun have holes at a retaurant that used udis ever… Barely on loafs aswell.. Mayne u guys are getting bad batches.. But i love udis..
I’ve been eating the Audi,s baguettes for a while. I gave up sandwiches in 2000 when I was diagnosed with Celiac. When I found the baguettes 8 was in heaven, except for the price. $7 for 2 baguettes seemed steep but it tasted so good I bought them anyway. Then I started to experience the holes and contacted them. Their response is to send a coupon and say thank you for letting them know. What BS. Then in the last few weeks I noticed the baguettes were significantly smaller. I measured the baguette that takes up the length of the package versus the new size. 2 inches shorter. Same price. I asked them if this is a fluke or if the loaves will now be smaller at the same price. I got a canned response and a coupon. They also taste a little different. More of a stale taste. Not sure if this is because they are trying to resolve the hole issue. $7 for 2 baguettes is high but $7 for 2 what amounts to 2 rolls is insane. That did it for me.
Sorry for the typo. I obviously meant Udi’s Not Audi’s
I think Audi’s would taste better…
I have noticed how the quality of Udi’s has gone down hill in the last couple of years, and the prices have gone up. I haven’t bought their bread in a while and last week bought a double loaf in Costco. I put 1 loaf in the freezer and 1 in the refrigerator. Tonight, I opened the one in the refrigerator and tried to take out 2 pieces for a sandwich. 3/4’s of the loaf immediately crumbled. I finally ( working very carefully) got out two slices and toasted them. They had very little taste. I thought to myself, that I bet Udi’s has been sold and bought by a big company which has changed recipes to make a bigger profit. My research was very interesting. Udi Bar-on started the company in Denver as a small caterer and baker in about 1995 He started baking granola in 2005 and distributed it nationally withing 2 years. In 2008 Udi started baking Udi’s bread and took it national. That was when the bread was great. In 2012, Udi’s Healthy Foods was bought for $125 million dollars by Smart Balance, Inc. In 2015 Smart Balance, Inc was then bought by Pinnacle Foods for about $985 million dollars and in 2018 Pinnacle Foods was bought by Conagra Brands, for $10.8 billion dollars. Conagra brands is the second largest frozen food company after Nestle, the world’s largest food and beverage company. Conagra owns over 82 brands of food.
These acquisition are probably the reason why the quality of Udi’s has gone down and the price has gone up. Larger companies just care about their bottom line and usually use lower cost items and change recipes. They also need to make large profits to pay off the interest on the monies that they borrow for their acquisitions and must also care about their bottom lines so that their stock prices remain high. These big companies don’t really care whether there are holes in their bread or not. They control distribution and shelf space and if they have competition that takes away from their market share, then they just buy them. What small business is going to reject hundreds of millions to buy their company even if the buyer destroys their product.
I have bought maybe 50 udi’s loaves and only seem a hole here and there, so not sure where all the hate comes from. Maybe it’s with their older recipe ? Or a different type than I buy.
I do know some of the ingredients could be an issue for some, they have not been for me thankfully, and I’m quite fond of it. Their pizza is one of the better kinds out there also.
I did find this whole page/thread misleading, it’s just 102 pictures of one problem, and some seem fake/made worse on purpose. (Not saying that’s the case), if they are all true that’s pretty bad for sure! Maybe all the feedback made them smarten up?
The post starts out by saying the only problem is not just the holes, but then proceeds to pretty much just focus on the holes… with a tiny bit of other complaints mixed in there. It does also come off like an advertisement for Canyon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some payments by Canyon for this. (Again not saying it’s the case).
Of course a more natural GF bread is better, but I am happy with Udi’s.. I travel a lot for work and it’s typically available everywhere I go, so it makes my life easier.
That being said, I’m all for discussion about GF options, so it’s not a bad thing ! There is some good discussion here and info. More awareness about options and issues can’t hurt, so people can / should use what they like best ! Having celiac is tough so it’s great to have more and more info available.
Be safe celiac brothers and sisters !
Oops, I meant to say 250, not 50 loaves :). Anyways, be safe and healthy all!
“It does also come off like an advertisement for Canyon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some payments by Canyon for this. (Again not saying it’s the case).”
Yeah…um…no.
We started buying Udis multigrain because the size of the bread was pretty close to the size of a regular loaf of bread. It’s been fine for quite a while but lately we’ve noticed that it’s very dry. The bread falls apart in the bag. You can’t even make a sandwich with it without piecing it together. Anyone else having this issue? I admit I didn’t read every single comment on this page as there are so many.
Everyone is having issues. Worst. Company. Ever.
just like any other commodity. Of, For and By the Corporation
It seems they have fixed the holes, but now it makes me sick!
I really liked Udi’s ancient grain bread. I never got any holes in it. Not even once in 10 years. It was fantastic toasted. Now I can’t seem to find it. I really don’t like the taste of most of the other gluten free breads people seem to like … like Canyon Ranch. Seriously has no flavor. I keep buying loaves of other brands and throwing them out. I wish you weren’t so hard on Udi’s. Maybe that’s why I can’t get the bread I like anymore.