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News
May 21,
2010
GFN Foods, LLC "President Emeritus" Marian Graven
passes away at 79
Cranford,
NJ - GFN Foods' "President Emeritus", Marian Graven, died May
20, 2010 in Harrisburg, PA after a battle with cancer. She
was 79 years old.
Mrs.
Graven was the mother of the Graven family members involved
in GFN Foods, and and she served as a neutral arbiter for any
intra-family disputes (although she was never called upon to
do that), and
provided guidance, encouragement and advice for running the
business and launching new products.
A
very talented cook with an extremely sensitive sense of taste,
Mrs. Graven could assess the taste of a recipe just by
reading it. She also had a finely-tuned memory of tastes, and
used
meals and foods as a mnemonic for remembering certain events.
Her children would joke that she would remember what she ate
at a wedding in 1957 and the punchline was that she actually
could.
Much
of her knowledge was thankfully passed along to her children,
who developed the GFN Foods products. But her suggestions were
valuable and the lessons of her approach were very helpful
as we developed and refined new products.
Mrs.
Graven is survived by her husband, Richard, five children,
and nine grandchildren. GFN
Foods will continue, but we will do so with our memories of
our mom in our hearts.
May 13,
2010
GFN Foods, LLC's Gluten-Free Naturals Products
are now available on Amazon.com
Cranford, NJ - GFN Foods, LLC is pleased to announce
that all of the Gluten-Free Naturals products are available on
Amazon.com.
"We see this as a very positive development", said
Paul Graven, "as customers looking to order a lot of gf products
can go to Amazon, pick up our products as well as dozens of other
manfuacturers."
The Gluten-Free Naturals products can be found
here.
May 12,2010 GFN Foods,
LLC's Gluten Free-Naturals Pancake Mix reviews
http://kindarealglutenfreefood.blogspot.com/2010/05/gluten-free-naturals-makes-great.html
March 15,
2010
GFN Foods,
LLC voluntarily participates in a limited recall of products
containing soy flour.
Customer Note: Please read the entire release
before responding.
Cranford, NJ - GFN Foods, LLC Voluntarily
Recalls Gluten-Free Naturals Pancake Mix, Gluten-Free Naturals
Light & Moist
Yellow Cake Mix and
Gluten-Free Naturals Cookie Blend Flour
What is happening?
GFN Foods, LLC of Cranford, NJ is voluntarily recalling:
Gluten-Free Naturals Pancake Mix – UPC 187058 000043
Lots 09159 (exp 12/8/2010), 09320 (exp 5/16/12) 09322 (exp
5/18/12)
Gluten-Free Naturals Light & Moist Yellow Cake Mix – UPC
187058 000067
Lots 09083 (exp 9/24/10) and 09322 (exp 5/18/12)
Gluten-Free Naturals Cookie Blend Flour – UPC 187058
000029
Lots 09086 (exp 6/24/10), 09219 (exp 11/7/10) and 10035
(exp 5/4/11)
Why is this happening?
GFN Foods buys a soy flour from a company called Thumb Oilseed
Producers Cooperative, based in Ubly, MI. During an FDA inspection,
traces of salmonella were found, according to the company,
on a non-processing surface. No salmonella was found in the
flour or on the processing equipment. The FDA recommended,
and Thumb Oilseed voluntarily complied, with a recall. The
soy flour produced by Thumb Oilseed is in the three GFN products
listed above, and GFN is also voluntarily complying with the
recall. The other GFN products do not contain this soy flour
and are not subject to any recall or action.
What is my risk of getting sick from salmonella from a GFN product?
If prepared according to the instructions on the bag, there is
essentially no risk. If there was any salmonella in the product,
it will be killed during baking or cooking. The only possible
way to get sick would be by eating the dry mix, or eating the
batter or dough (which also would likely contain a raw egg,
which is susceptible to salmonella contamination).
If my risk is low, then why are you recalling the product?
GFN Foods cares deeply about its customers and the safety of
its products. It’s one of the reasons we tested for gluten
in every batch years before there was any guideline to do so.
Our customers have been wonderfully loyal. We want to make
sure that they know that we will do whatever it takes to make
them comfortable that our products are safe.
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and in some
cases fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly
people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons
infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which
can be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare
circumstances, infection with salmonella can result into getting
into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such
as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis.
What do I need to do next?
If
you are uncomfortable with the GFN products in your possession
that are subject to this recall, you will
need to contact GFN
Foods via email: pgraven@gfnfoods.com or by calling 866-761-6147.
Please provide identification information and a contact number
via email or if leaving a voicemal.
When contacted, GFN Foods will
discuss with you next steps and coordinate replacement product.
Do not return
the product to the retailer – you should contact GFN
Foods directly.
GFN Foods, LLC has worked for years to provide safe, high-quality
products to its customers. We hope that our customers understand
that this action is being taken to ensure their safety.
If you have any questions about this recall, please call Paul
Graven at 866-761-6147.
A PDF of this note is here.
New!
Online Press Kit - Press Release PDFs and Hi-Res Photos
October
15, 2009 Gluten Free
Naturals Sandwich Bread Flour Released
Cranford,
NJ - After years of development and taste-testing, Gluten-Free
Naturals Sandwich Bread Flour is now available.
Press Release is
here.
Online Store link
is here.
October
1, 2009
Gluten-Free Naturals Sandwich Bread has an "official"
release date: October 15, 2009
CRANFORD, NJ - The
newest Gluten-Free Naturals product, Sandwich Bread Flour,
has been previewed at a selection of events
in
the past
couple of weeks. Reaction has been fantastic. Now we have established
a release date: October 15, 2009. Stay tuned for release details
and product information (aside from
what
we're included on our Products page...).
August 26,
2009
Gluten-Free Naturals Featured in Article by The
Atlanta Gluten-Free Examiner
CRANFORD, NJ - GFN
Foods Gluten-Free Naturals mixes were recently profiled
by Tiffany Janes, the Gluten-Free Columnist in the Atlanta
Examiner. This
article comes on the heels of Gluten-Free Naturals
mixes being named to a Top
10 List earlier in the summer.
Here is the text of the article:
Gluten-Free
Naturals offers exceptional product line - by Tiffany Janes
Gluten-Free Naturals is an excellent product line that
some people with celiac might overlook because it contains
soy
flour. A small percentage of people
who can’t eat gluten have to avoid dairy as well. An even smaller
percentage must avoid soy.
Soy flour seems to mimic gluten flour shockingly well which
is why Gluten-Free Naturals uses it in their product line. Gluten-Free
Naturals is available in several stores in Atlanta including,
but not limited to, Return to Eden.
Many gluten-free product lines have fabulous products mixed
in with some not so great products. This is not the case with
Gluten-Free Naturals. EVERY product in this line makes an excellent
version of an old gluten favorite.
Pizza Crust Mix - very easy to work with
and offers ‘real’ pizza
taste.
Homemade Brownie Mix - makes flaky top home-style brownies; check
oven ten minutes early as some ovens bake them very quickly.
Multi-Grain Bread Flour Mix - has instructions for hand mixing
or bread machine.
Yellow Cake Mix - can be used for many different cake recipes
and works well for pineapple upside-down cake.
Cornbread & Corn Muffin Mix- yields both a traditional
version or a sweeter one.
Pancake Mix - no mix measuring required to make the batter ;
two mix pouches in bag, each yeliding one batch of pancakes.
Cookie Blend Mix - for use in any cookie recipe; instructions
for wheat flour substitution on bag.
All of the above mixes yield products good enough to serve
even the most discriminating gluten eater. If you use the Gluten-Free
Naturals cookie blend flour for chocolate chip cookies (or
any
other cookies) you might need to hide the cookies from the
gluten eaters in the house. The pancake mix is as good as -
or better
- than the best selling gluten pancake mix on the market. People
routinely think we’re making them “normal” pancakes
when in fact we’re using the GFN mix.
Below is what Paul Graven, Vice President of Gluten-Free Naturals,
had to say about the choice to use soy in their product line.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Using soy was a
difficult decision, as it had great properties that made
our products markedly better. It let us create products
that had similar fat and calories as gluten containing products.
We were happy about that. But there is a minority of people
with
celiac who are soy intolerant. For that reason, we came across
some store buyers who were not enamored with soy, and we wrestled
with that too.
But we felt that since soy enabled us to have a better product,
we should do what we could to offer the majority of people following
the GF diet foods they can enjoy. By doing this we hoped to reduce
the temptation for people to cheat on the diet. We have seen
the effects of cheating on the diet in family and friends and
understand how important it is not to cheat. The effects on health
can be pretty severe.
We figured that in some people the soy
intolerance may recede once their gut heals on the diet,
and there are also plenty
of soy-free options available. One thing to note is that we
will
be introducing our first soy-free product, sandwich bread flour,
this Fall. We want to be able to please as many people as possible."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more info: Visit the Gluten-Free Naturals website for more
information and to find out where their products are sold near
you. Also check out their wonderful recipe page!
July 20, 2009
Gluten-Free Naturals
Listed Among Top 10 Gluten-Free Mix Brands
CRANFORD, NJ - Tiffany
Janes, an influential writer on gluten-free topics, compiled
a "Top 10" list of gluten-free mix brands in an article in
the Atlanta Examiner.
http://www.examiner.com/x-11318-Atlanta-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner~y2009m7d10-Top-10-glutenfree-mix-product-lines Listed first (with
a picture too) is Gluten-Free Naturals.
"We're really pleased
to be recognized", said Paul Graven, VP of GFN Foods, LLC.
"We've been working very hard at creating and providing products
that provide consumers with a positive experience in taste,
texture
and ease of preparation. And it is paying off. We couldn't
be happier to be included in this list."
September
1, 2008
Gluten-Free
Naturals Pancake Mix Reviewed by Lori's Natural Foods' Gluten-Free
Critic
CRANFORD,
NJ - For almost three years, Gluten-Free
Naturals' Pancake Mix has been popular with many people.
While we are happy to talk about what makes the product special,
it is nice to hear how others perceive it.
Here is a review
in a newsletter from a store that carries our products, Lori's
Natural Foods. You can see the newsletter for yourself here.
(Requires Adobe
Acrobat.)
A u g u s t 2 0
0 8
LORI’S GLUTEN FREE TASTE!
by Elizabeth G. Bouwens
In this section, I will be
discussing the wonderful
qualities of Lori’s Gluten Free section. We have many new
products and as a celiac, I am frequently asked
which of the products is the best tasting
and the most like gluten foods.
Gluten Free Naturals is a new
brand that is being carried by Lori’s.
The promise is “one batch for everyone”;
meaning that celiacs and nonceliacs
alike will enjoy their products.
Loving that idea, I took a pancake mix
home for my dad (also celiac) and my
mom (non-celiac). The results were
astounding! A gluten free pancake
mix that produces wonderfully, fluffy
pancakes!! The smell in the kitchen
was tantalizing as I mixed the ingredients
(eggs, milk, and oil) and started grilling.
The product was a light golden
brown, fluffy, easy-to-cut, yummy-tasting pancake.
Lori’s offers the pancake mix, as well
as a Homemade Brownie Mix, Cookie Blend, Pizzeria-style
Crust Mix, Yellow Cake mix, Cornbread and
Corn Muffin
mix, Multi-grain Bread Flour and Chocolate
Cake mix. All of the recipes are quick and
easy-to-make and ingredients can be substituted
or added with ease. The pancakes that I made were
made with egg whites and they were dairy
free (I added soymilk instead). Blueberries,
strawberries, and raspberries could be added for extra
yumminess or the milk required could be replaced
with buttermilk for wonderfully rich buttermilk
pancakes.
Make a mix for picnics, brunches,
and parties this summer and your non celiac friends
will not be able to tell that they are gluten
free. For both celiacs and non-celiacs, Gluten
Free Naturals has a wonderful product to offer.
These can be found in Aisle 7, the designated
Gluten Free aisle.
Please note that
while Lori's sells our Gluten-Free Naturals products, we did
not request, sponsor, or provide any information that could
have influenced the review.
April 30, 2008
Glutenfreeda.com reviews our Gluten-Free Naturals Multi-Grain
Bread Flour
CRANFORD, NJ - The folks at Glutenfreeda.com
tried our new Multi-Grain Bread Flour.
You can read the review for yourself here.
April 22,
2008
Gluten-Free
Naturals being introduced in Roche Brothers stores
CRANFORD, NJ - GFN
Foods, LLC is pleased to announce that our Gluten-Free Naturals
products are being introduced in Roche
Brothers Supermakets across Massachusetts.
Gluten-Free Naturals
products will be located in the gluten-free sections of the
Bridgewater, Burlintgton, Easton, Mashpee, Natick, Quincy,
Wellesley, West Roxbury, Westborough and Westwood stores.
"We're very pleased
to add these stores to our outlets," said Paul Graven of GFN
Foods, "Roche Brothers is a great chain that has a great commitment
to gluten-free products and gluten-free customers. We're
happy to be a part of that. Also, we're pleased that our products
will be more accessible to customers who don't live or work
near the stores that already carry our products, saving them
time and fuel."
January
27th, 2008
New, Revolutionary Gluten-Free Multi-Grain Bread
Flour is Now Available
CRANFORD, NJ - In
the gluten-free world, many people with celiac disease figure
that they will have to live the rest
of their lives without ever having the chance to enjoy soft,
light and good-tasting bread. Some of them can't resist the temptation
and will cheat, eating wheat-based bread and suffering the consequences
to their health.
However, one company, GFN Foods, LLC, a manufacturer of gluten-free
baking mixes based in Cranford, New Jersey, is doing its part
to change that.
GFN Foods has introduced its Multi-Grain Bread Flour, which includes
healthy grains such as Sorghum, Teff and Amaranth
that allows people who are on a gluten-free diet to bake and
enjoy soft, springy and light bread that can be sliced thinly
for sandwiches
and doesn't need toasting.
"A lot of gluten-free breads are crumbly, dry and dense, and often
need to be toasted to make them acceptable. We set out to provide
a bread flour that would allow people to make a delicious bread
that is a lot closer to the texture and lightness of wheat-based
breads, only without the wheat", said Paul Graven, VP of
GFN Foods. "Just to let you know", said Mr. Graven, "we
do laboratory tests on each and every batch, just to make absolutely
certain the product is safe for people to eat."
"Also, bread baked with our Multi-Grain Bread Flour has 8% of
the recommended daily fiber, and fiber is very important to many
people with celiac disease, as most of their dietary foods lack
any
significant amount of fiber." said Mr. Graven.
Despite the absence of preservatives, breads made with Multi-Grain
Bread Flour can stay fresh for about three days, especially if
kept in sealed plastic bags. As GFN Foods makes only natural
foods, the ingredients are all-natural and the product is also
kosher.
The Multi-Grain Bread Flour is sold in 16-ounce re-sealable pouches.
Consumers can make a two-pound loaf with the entire package,
or two one-pound loaves. With many celiacs owning bread machines,
the product carries easy to use baking instructions specifically
for machines as well as the tried-and-true loaf pan.
"
GFN Foods is also working on additional free recipes for baked
goods like Banana Bread, Irish Soda Bread and rolls, which we
will be putting up on our website, www.gfnfoods.com, later this
month." said Mr. Graven.
The product is currently being released to stores nationally
with a suggested retail price of $7.99 per bag. GFN Foods can
be reached at (866) 761-6147.
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