We recently heard an ABD radio interview presented by discussing "The cost of a gluten-free diet." It highlights that "while the increased cost of living is being felt by Australians across the country, those with coeliac disease and gluten allergies are being hit harder at the check-out." It's certainly worth a listen here >
This lead us to reflect on the impact of having a gluten free ready meal business and some of the strategies we use to keep our costs down for customers. We want to ensure our meals are affordable for many whilst also maintaining quality and consistency.
Unlike many brands who outsource to bulk offshore or local manufacturers, we make our meals locally in small batches to keep the meals at their freshest and using mostly local Australian produce. This also helps us to manage costs, minimise our environmental footprint and avoid paying the "middle man" which ultimately gets passed to the consumer. You will find many meals in the large supermarkets need to compromise on portion size or quality to make them affordable. When selecting meals make sure you compare prices per 100g rather than per serve. You will find meals less than 320g which is simply not enough to satisfy most people.
Rewards Discounts include $25 off first order, $15 off your second followed by 10 - 25% off depending on the number of orders and meals. Learn more here>
The team at We Feed You work super hard to keep our costs down for our gluten free customers as we know they typically pay so much more for products in the supermarket. We achieve this by offering generous Rewards Discounts for bulk purchases and using mostly naturally gluten free or minimally processed ingredients, such as a range of protein sources, suitable grains, fresh herbs, cheese, nuts, seeds, legumes and veggies. This enables us to create meals which are nutritious yet still full of flavour and without gluten! As we focus on wholesome, real food approach, these meals are suitable for people not following a gluten free diet.
However, there are some ingredients which are more expensive and must be especially sourced due to their gluten free status.
Specialised Ingredients: Many manufactured gluten-free products require alternative ingredient to create a similar texture, flavour and consistency of non-gluten free products. Some good examples on our menu are: gluten free pasta which is made from rice pasta consisting predominantly of rice flour, potato, tapioca and maize. This product is definitely more expensive for us to purchase than its gluten containing counterpart.
Another example is tamari gluten free soy sauce to replace regular soy sauce. This certainly comes at a cost.
A lot of work goes into sourcing the right ingredients and conducting the necessary checks and balances. However, a huge number of our customers are extremely grateful as it takes the pressure off them doing this.
Italian Baked Chicken with Gluten Free Pasta
Production Costs: Manufacturing our gluten-free meals requires strict protocols to avoid cross-contamination with gluten. For us this involves a dedicated gluten free kitchen and a separate non-gluten free kitchen and the associated equipment that comes with two separate kitchens. As discussed above, we also source gluten free ingredients which also need to come from the right, trusted facilities.
Quality Control and Testing: We Feed You are required to undertake meal testing to ensure our meals are safe for people with coeliac disease and confirming our compliance with the requirements for the gluten free claim in Australia as set out by FSANZ (Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand). This additional testing and certification process adds to the overall cost of manufacturing gluten free meals but is very important for our coeliac customers, giving them the reassurance they need.
Unfortunately many brands still use the term "gluten free" loosely without the rigour in place to support it. It's always worth reaching out to the manufacturer to ask about their testing or certification.
Gluten-free meals are essential for our customers with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity, and we would never compromise our strict cooking and purchasing processes and risk contamination.
We Feed You have become a trusted brand for so many Australians looking for quality ready meals which meet their dietary needs. Our meals are often referred by health professionals, as they read labels and can see we follow evidence based nutrition.
Despite some extra costs we incur, We Feed You meals are price competitive to similar meals or cheaper if you compare per 100g. We believe our quality and portion size outweighs anything you'll find in the major supermarkets and our Rewards Program makes the meals affordable for many. You will also find our meals in many independent supermarkets and health food stores.
