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I can’t tell you how much easier GF shopping is in America compared to Japan, where awareness of these things is next to non-existant. And they throw soy sauce in everything (instead of salt) which is all contaminated by wheat.

Lots of GF product can be found in regular grocery stores, and lots of products are now labeling themselves as GF, like Helmanns Mayo and Wishbone salad dressings. However, for some replacement items and other stuff its still best to visit one of the natural, health or organic grocery stores.

Whole Foods is awesome for a bigger chain. Alas, we do not have one in VT at this time. The nearest outlet being somewhere around Springfield, MA.

What Vermont does have are three local (somewhat smaller) alternative stores in the greater Burlington area where one can buy various assortments of GF products (or not). Here, I am going to briefly run through the pros and cons of each location and some general ideas about what you can or cannot find at these locations.

City Market Onion River Co-op

While they have a reasonable selection of GF product they are my least favorite option for GF shopping for several reasons. Location and parking: downtown Burlington, -got it… Maybe for someone living there or in Winooski it is more convenient, but for those of us driving in from the ‘burbs this is the most difficult store to access and I tend to only go there when I’m already in the ‘hood, so to speak. Also, while they stock many GF products there does not seem to be a dedicated section for GF. The products are all mixed in with their regular categories, including so-called “replacement foods”, or items that usually contain wheat. And bulk buying from bins, forget it. I have been warned by a friend about the cleanliness, or lack there of, of their bulk buying area. A family she knows got a weevil infestation from their bulk items. and worse for those of us who are GF, there is no section for GF items, and they store their scoops in bowls of wheat flour. I always have to hunt for someone to give me a freshly washed one when I go to buy their genmaicha tea, the only thing I will buy in bulk there.

Healthy Living

Probably the best option for someone looking to do their GF buying “all at once” and get a large quantity and wide variety of items in one place. Also seem to have the only GF beer options beside Bard’s and Redridge. Healthy Living currently carries St. Peter’s and Green’s GF beer, fellow beer snobs please note these are stocked in the regular beer section not the GF isle. The GF isle is currently located at the front of the store between the register and the produce section. My only criticism of their new location is the byzantine, maze-like way the store is organized to help you get lost. that, and the fact that the parking lot can get crazy-full at peak hours like lunch time.

Healthy Living is also one of my favorite places for GF dining, if you don’t mind eating in the middle of a supermarket.  They usually have one GF muffin, dessert, and flatbread pizza option available, plus on other items they do a very good job of listing all ingredients, great for people like me with multiple food intolerances and allergies. They will also make deli sandwiches on GF bread. One caveat I should mention is that this is a “shared kitchen” where they do use and make wheat containing items. The dining atmosphere improves exponentially during the warmer months when they open up their outdoor patio to guests.

They do have a dedicated GF bulk buying area with GF pasta and granola, etc. In general their bulk area seems much more clean and has wider, less crowded isles than City Market, but I haven’t actually bought anything from there so this remains an idle observation.

In my next post, I will tell you all about a new and somewhat hidden gem for GF shopping out at the Lang Farm in Essex, Sweet Clover Market.