Review of Amy’s Gluten-free Products

The first product I ever tried from Amy’s was the rice crust gluten-free pizza. I took maybe two bites, ate the toppings off the crust with a fork and decided that maybe there was no such thing as good gluten-free pizza. I later found out there were great gluten-free pizza crust mixes, and even later found there were also exceptional ready-made gluten-free crusts. Many people love Amy’s gluten-free pizzas and that’s great, because it’s sold in most markets around the country.    

Because of the negative experience I had with Amy’s pizza, it was a while before I tried anything else from the line. I read some nice reviews of several of the frozen dinners so I tried a couple of those next. The Cheese Enchiladas are outstanding for a frozen meal. They are almost as good as any you’d find in a Mexican restaurant. The enchilada dinners are also very good.

I’m not crazy about the Garden Vegetable Lasagna but that’s only because there is not nearly enough cheese in it for me. The taste is quite good but if I pay almost $5 for a small frozen meal, I don’t want the added expense of adding more cheese to it, to suit my tastes. Many people love Amy’s gluten-free Rice Mac & Cheese, but I found it about as appetizing as their pizza. 

There was an uproar in the gluten-free community a couple of years ago, when Amy’s changed their labeling on gluten-free products. They changed the term “gluten-free” to ”no gluten ingredients”.  This was because the FDA had not ruled on what “gluten-free” means in the U.S. They have still not ruled on it, and postponed their August 2008 deadline to do so. Like the rest of us, Amy’s must have gotten tired of waiting for the FDA to make a ruling because most of their products that don’t contain gluten, again sport the gluten-free label.

Amy’s gluten-free products didn’t have an ingredient change either time they changed the label. If a product was gluten-free before the change, it remained so after it. Though I understand that it’s unsettling when companies make these changes, I can read the label to figure out that nothing has changed to make the product unsafe for me to consume. We have to use common sense and appreciate the companies that are trying to make safe food for us. 

Amy’s products are made in a facility that produces wheat so if that bothers you, you can choose to avoid them. Everyone needs to do what works for them, of course. Here is the statement about cross contamination on their website:

Amy’s Kitchen recognizes the needs of our customers who have allergies or sensitivities to nuts, gluten, certain spices, etc. Amy’s always fully discloses all ingredients (except for specific spices used in the product) on the ingredient statement and will answer any questions that will help consumers decide what products they can safely consume. At Amy’s we take every precaution to ensure that cross contamination of ingredients does not occur in our production facility but we want you to know that this product was produced in a plant that processes foods containing wheat, milk, soy, tree nuts and seeds. Amy’s Kitchen does not use any peanuts, fish, shellfish or eggs.

Amy’s gluten-free offerings are available in the following product categories:

• Mexican Cuisine Meals
• Indian Cuisine Meals
• Asian Cuisine Meals
• Salsas/Pasta Sauces
• Soups/Beans/Chili
• Veggie Burgers
• Pasta Meals
• Kid’s Meals
• Pot Pies
• Pizzas

You need to check the website list for gluten-free items to find out what products are gluten-free. The gluten-free mark on Amy’s products is typically on the bottom corner in green.

Four of Amy’s product categories lack gluten-free options – desserts, wraps, pockets and snacks. The good news is that many gluten-free products are also dairy free and the allergen guide listed with each product on the website makes it easy to determine what the items are “free of”. Some products are vegetarian and vegan, among other things.

Let us know what your favorite products from Amy’s are in the comments below. I’d love to try the Baked Ziti Meal but have not spotted it here yet.