On the way home last night this Examiner stopped off at Whole Foods to see what was new. Most of you know this Examiner works at Return to Eden as their Gluten Free Product Specialist, so it is my job to frequent local stores and see what gluten-free products they are stocking. Well, this Examiner almost fell over when a single-serve roasted vegetable pizza with 'no gluten ingredients' was spotted in the freezer section. This pizza is from their 365 Everyday Value private label line.
The pizza isn't marked gluten free, so it was flipped over and inspected. The ingredients for the crust are: rice flour, tapioca flour, water, potato starch, potato flakes, extra virgin olive oil, yeast and salt. It read 'clean' and at $3.99 this Examiner decided to give it a shot knowing full well that it would cause an immediate reaction if it was cross contaminated with gluten.
The pizza is topped with red and yellow bell peppers, squash, zucchini, poblano peppers, artichokes and red onions. There is a thin layer of sauce, but the pizza is loaded with vegetables. We sprinkled on some goat cheese and baked it for 10 minutes in the toaster oven and then broiled it for few moments to get it toasty on the top. We let it sit for a few moments as per the cooking instructions prior to cutting.
The pizza had a great taste and texture. It didn't crumble or have an unpleasant aftertaste. The vegetables added a nice crunch to go along with the thin crunchy crust. This pizza doesn't contain dairy/casein, soy or eggs, but it is processed in a facility that processes milk, eggs, wheat and soy. This Examiner had no reaction to the product, so it is one we would definitely purchase again.
This Examiner really liked the pizza and wants to know if this pizza uses their own crust, or one from a well know gluten-free company. One also has to wonder if this is a sign of things to come from their 365 line. Will they launch a non-gluten ingredient version of other products?
Has anyone else tried this pizza? What did you think?
Comments
Great review. I spotted this pizza in stores a few weeks as well but hadn't tried it. I contacted the company last week to enquire about gluten-free additions to the 365 line and their other GF Bakehouse line, but have to date received no response -- which is a bit shocking for such a well-established company with a dedicated PR team and a reputation for great customer service. I'll let you know if I hear anything.
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