Newman’s Own Gluten-Free Products

Newman’s Own products are not only made with excellent quality ingredients, many of them are also a great option for those who can’t eat gluten. We loved the products when we ate gluten so we were thrilled to find out that they have a lot of gluten-free products, once I had to go gluten-free. If fact, I can’t think of anything we enjoyed from the line before, that is not gluten-free.

The Natural Newman’s Own popcorn has been a staple in our house for a while. The pasta sauces and salsas have as well. There are 15 or so pasta sauces in the line and all are gluten-free. There are over 10 salsas – all gluten-free also. I love the Tequila Lime salsa, though it does not actually contain Tequila.

We’ve tried several of the pasta sauces and have so far never been disappointed. Our favorite is probably Tomato Basil sauce. I actually add some of the Italian Blend spice from Alchemy Spice to it and use the sauce for lasagna, spaghetti, anything that calls for Italian red sauce, including pizza. One we’ve not tried yet is the Five Cheese pasta sauce. As I love all things cheese, this one would likely be right up my alley. My favorite salad dressings from the line are Caesar and Greek. All of the popcorn flavors are gluten-free.

I’ve not tried any of the five refrigerated dressings, two of which are gluten-free. The pizza, cookies and cereals are not gluten-free. Their wheat-free  cookies now have a warning label on the package about gluten. The cookies have always said “wheat-free” and people were likely just consuming them and finding out too late they are made with barley flour. The first time I saw the package it did not have the warning about gluten. I meet way too many people that think if a label doesn’t say wheat on it, it’s gluten-free. In many countries all forms of gluten must be listed on the label, but this is not the case in the U.S.

If you avoid other allergens than gluten, the Newman’s Own product line will serve you well. Check out this easy to understand allergen/sensitivities chart. You’ll notice that the list contains all major allergens and gluten, MSG and sulfites. I’ve not seen such a complete list as this on any other food manufacturers website. All of the salsas and drinks are free of all eight allergens, gluten MSG and sulfites.

Also of note, many of the Newman’s Own gluten-free products in the product line are free of dairy, soy, nuts and MSG as well. As I have stated again and again, MSG is gluten-free. I personally try and avoid it as I don’t think it’s generally healthy. It’s probably fine if you don’t consume a ton of it but since it’s added to so many packaged food products, it’s hard to tell how much you’re consuming. And no one seems to know how much is too much anyway.

One of the best things about this company is how much money they give to well deserving charities. That is what got me hooked years ago when Paul Newman started the company. He was extremely fortunate and wanted to pay it forward. That is something we can all respect and aspire to do ourselves – in any small way we can.

Here is quick look at how much the company donates to charities and information about the Hole in the Wall camps they support:

We anticipated sales of $1,200 a year and a loss, despite our gambling winnings, of $6,000. But in these twenty-six years we have earned over $270 million, which we’ve given to countless charities.

Hole in the Wall Camps is a nonprofit umbrella organization that serves a global family of camps for children with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions as well as camps in formation. Since its founding in 1988, the family of Hole in the Wall Camps has provided more than 119,374 children with a camp experience, all free of charge.

Let us know what your favorite Newman’s Own product is. I’ve yet to find the drinks they make locally but some of them sound great!