Episode 72: Gluten in Disposable Tableware and Winter FancyFaire 2026

Join Jules and Erica in their first episode back in 2026. 

Jules recounts recent research about gluten contamination in disposable tableware - plates, bowls, cutlery - made with wheat or gluten-containing material.

Erica shares her favorite finds from Winter FancyFaire (formerly Winter Fancy Foods Show). Favorite finds  and topics include: 

• Fibermaxxing
• Gluten Free Meister
• Cactus Crunch
• Pork King Good
• Bitchin' Sauce and The Good Crisp
• Nikigo
• Paro lentil crisps
• Just Date chocolate chips
• Why real sugar is making a comeback
• Tamar date coffee
• Is pot pie a soup? 
• Studies on Gluten in Tableware: https://gfjules.com/are-wheat-straws-plates-cups-safe-for-celiacs/

Contact/Follow Jules & Erica

• Find us on IG @CeliacandTheBeast & @gfJules
• Follow us on FB @gfJules & @CeliacandTheBeast
• Threads @CeliacandTheBeast & @gfJules
• Email us at support@gfJules.com
• Find more articles, recipes & info at gfJules.com & celiacandthebeast.com

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe!
**some links may be affiliate links; purchasing through these links will not cost you more, but will help to fund the podcast you ❤️

Transcript

Erica [00:00:13]:
Hey, I'm Erica.

Jules [00:00:14]:
And I'm Jules. Most people have at least one thing that they can't or won't eat.

Erica [00:00:19]:
Yeah, we're definitely like that.

Jules [00:00:21]:
We started this podcast to talk about the gluten free food industry.

Erica [00:00:25]:
Like new products and some of the stories behind your favorite brands and living.

Jules [00:00:30]:
Life with a specialty diet and also some important healthcare topics.

Erica [00:00:34]:
Since we're basically both broken inside.

Jules [00:00:36]:
You had me at Eat.

Erica [00:00:41]:
Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of youf Had Me at Eat. I'm Erica.

Jules [00:00:47]:
I'm Jules. Happy 2026.

Erica [00:00:50]:
Happy 2026. Boy, we made it. Barely. I. I don't even know how to. How to address the state of the world right now. I think you know what? We're here and that is something.

Jules [00:01:07]:
Yep. I'm proud that we made it.

Erica [00:01:09]:
Yeah. That's all that matters. I guess that's all that matters right now.

Jules [00:01:13]:
Sure.

Erica [00:01:13]:
For this very moment. Because I physically can't talk about anything else or else I will break out with just streaming tears down my face and testosterone supplementation rage and. And I don't know, Menopause anger, Feminine rage. The musical. That's what I will. That's what I'll do. So that's why we're only talking about this podcast. And welcome to 2026 edition of you had me Eat.

Jules [00:01:50]:
There's like a pregnant pause there. Okay. So. Yeah, yeah, it's okay. It's all good.

Erica [00:01:57]:
It's good. Yeah. Hey, you know what? We're number one gluten free rated podcast again from the Gluten free Buyer's Guide. Thank you again for everyone who voted. We really appreciate it. You are the reason why we continue to do this. This and the fact that I get to talk to Jules where we have an hour call in advance of each podcast where I basically just lay out everything that's wrong with my life and with the universe. So it is a two for one combination therapy session and pre podcast promotional episode.

Erica [00:02:26]:
So there you go.

Jules [00:02:28]:
Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much. Readers, viewers, listeners, we do appreciate you and are glad to have you with us again for this, this year's episodes. We don't know what we're going to get into this year, but if there's anything that you would like us to address, any guests you'd like us to have on, let us know.

Erica [00:02:48]:
Yeah, we're definitely looking through the archives to see which episodes are actually resonating with you guys. We're getting a bunch of hits on some really interesting episodes. So we will get back to you on what we're planning, and I hope that you really send some more information our way on what you'd like to see from us in 2026 besides more Erica meltdowns, which will be happening regardless.

Jules [00:03:10]:
So thank you.

Erica [00:03:11]:
You don't even have to send that in. It's already a guaranteed. I appreciate it. Jules, you want to hit us with some interesting news that came out over the past few months? I don't want to talk about how long we've been away. It's fine. Tell us.

Jules [00:03:26]:
Sure, sure. So, yeah, this one was. It was popular post that I had. I guess there was a study that had come out about whether or not people who are living gluten free should be eating compostable, eating off of compostable or biodegradable plates, or using those cups or straws.

Erica [00:03:51]:
Silverware.

Jules [00:03:52]:
Yeah, the cutlery. So basically the whole tableware category. And it's interesting because, you know, there was this study that came out at the very end of 2025, but I had a post up on my blog from early in 2024 about other studies that had already come out about this. This is not a new issue. Other, you know, scientists have been studying this for a while now because this is becoming more and more prevalent where you're seeing.

Erica [00:04:18]:
Pause for one second. So I am actually seeing this in mainstream grocery stores. They're having to go cups that you can purchase, not like, at their. Not at their, like, bakery or coffee place, but, you know, to go cups that you can actually purchase in just the grocery store aisles. And they're all made from wheat. So they're made from wheat straw, which we know about wheat starch for eating, you know. But then people are like, wheat straw, huh? Does that mean, like, it also includes the top of the wheat? And then there's our. There's also cutlery made from barley.

Erica [00:04:50]:
So I've actually taken, you know, pictures of things from the show floor I know you have as well, where it's like, made from barley straw or whatever. And we're just like, what does this even mean? Can I even eat this? You know, people were freaked out enough by paper straws when they came with COVID and. And saving the sea turtles that they're like, I don't want to eat it. Because what about the. If the glue in the paper straw has wheat past? Like, oh, hold my beer. Let me tell you about straws made from barley straw, you know, or pasta straws, which we highlighted a couple of years ago.

Jules [00:05:23]:
Genuine semolina.

Erica [00:05:25]:
Yes. So I think that There is a real confusion about the state of everything, which is why they're doing these scientific studies that show. Drum roll.

Jules [00:05:36]:
Yeah, drum roll, please. Well, the, the drum roll is that it's complicated. And, and unfortunately, you know, there were a. On my posts on social media, and this is just one of my little pet peeves, is because, you know, obviously you can't distill all of these studies into a sound bite. You can't distill them into a little, you know, two sentence blurb. You can't distill all of that down. And I say, please read my post, right? And people comment and they say all of the nasty things that they say is like, oh, this is just clickbait and she's saying this or that the other thing. I'm like, clearly you didn't read my post because that's not what I say in my post.

Erica [00:06:24]:
Jules is also the least click baity person on the planet because literally we go on here and rant and rave about all these bloggers that do clickbait content. So shut up.

Jules [00:06:34]:
Yeah, yeah, shut your mouth. Anyway, so it is very complicated and the, the reason why it's complicated is because there are no labeling laws. Because when you go to the store and, and Erica is it's am that you actually were able to find out what was in any of the packages that you, you know, that it actually said barley, you know, made from barley or whatever. Because usually you pick something up and you have no idea what it's made from. And that is the problem. Because all of the studies which I have outlined very, very clearly because I have read the studies, I'm not just reading blurbs about studies. I have read all of the studies and I have distilled them down for you in my post so you can like read them. And I also have cl.

Jules [00:07:23]:
You can click through to read the studies yourselves from my post so that you can get and read your own version of the study if you'd like to do that. That they all come down to the same thing is that it depends on whether it's liquid, which will obviously will transfer more gluten into the, the non. You know, the gluten free food that you know, you're. You're eating liquids are more than like a rice or something like that because there's more contact and there' just. They were. The researchers have determined that they think that it's the viscosity has something to do with it as well. Heat plays an issue with it as well. You know, there's there's all sorts of different things.

Jules [00:08:08]:
And you leave it on the plate and it's not linear.

Erica [00:08:11]:
It's.

Jules [00:08:12]:
So they. There's different studies have shown that, you know, it's not linear. So it's not even necessarily like the longer you leave it on the plate, it's going to transfer more like there's a time where it like peaks and then it, it goes down. So they think that, you know, the heat might actually degrade the gluten at some point. And it's very complicated. So the bottom line is you need to know what's in the plate and just avoid it if it has wheat in it because you're risking a gluten transfer at that point. Now, going back to something you said earlier, if it is truly just straw, there is no gluten in straw in wheat strawberries at all. But if you're picking up an actual straw that is wheat straw, you should wash it off because there might have been some sort of, you know, cross contact in the processing where there might be wheat dust or something like that.

Jules [00:09:11]:
So it's just a good idea to rinse that off. But other straws made from semolina or durum wheat or if they're used in, in the processing to form a straw out of wheat and other, that is gluten. And you gotta avoid that because there's definitely transfer. So. But it all comes down to the fact that because there's no labeling, it's very difficult for the consumer to know what is in that. And really, it's really concerning when you get takeout because you don't know what your takeout is. So even you know that's a problem where you go to a cookout somewhere and they all have like stack of plates or things that you don't know what that is. Now cutlery is another issue.

Jules [00:09:58]:
The studies that have been done so far pretty much have said that they don't think cutlery is much of a problem at all because there isn't a lot of contact or transfer. It's not being degraded by heat and liquids aren't really much of an issue there. So you're probably okay with cutlery. Straws are a big issue if it's not an actual wheat straw. Plates, certainly if they're edible, you definitely can't use edible wheat plate. Don't eat it, don't eat it. But also if it's not, it will def.

Erica [00:10:32]:
It will transfer. And I think that one of the biggest things that I read was like hot liquid, right? Oh yeah. That's like the biggest transfer, I think was like hot liquid, just liquid in general, like milk, like cereal, hot cheese.

Jules [00:10:45]:
You know, like anything like that is going to be bad. But.

Erica [00:10:50]:
Until bad, it's just a varying degree of bad.

Jules [00:10:53]:
Right. And until we have true labeling regulations where you know what is in that tableware, you're gonna have to contact the manufacturer to find out for sure.

Erica [00:11:06]:
And also like when people are saying wheat straw S T R a W on something like a cutlery, do I really believe that they know that straw is not the protein itself? Right. Like, are they just, are they sure that marketing department saying, yeah, it's made with wheat straw. And by that they mean the actual wheat stock itself, like, that's kind of in the weeds. So I feel like most marketing departments like wouldn't know that. So again, that's why the labeling is important, because label is a federally required item. Whereas like marketing terms, the fluffy marketing terms, besides the term gluten free, which is regulated, but like the contain made with barley straw or wheat straw, like I don't know if they know what that means.

Jules [00:11:51]:
Right. And is this just a portion of it or is that the entire ingredient? You know, and that, that's another problem because it could just be used because, because wheat, as we know, like has been used as a filler for so many things for so long. Binder is a binder. It's a great binder, can hold things together and helps to shape things. But all of these studies were done in Europe. As you know, they've always been at the forefront of this stuff. And there, there are no labeling regulations in Europe for this yet either. I would expect to see if we do see any regulations on this, it'll probably happen in Europe first and then we'll follow suit here in the US hopefully at some point.

Jules [00:12:33]:
But this brings up a really interesting point and one of the newest study, the study authors said, you know, this is, we were particularly interested in gluten in this study, but it's relevant for other allergens as well. For milk, soy, egg, nut, you know, these biodegradable materials derived from allergenic sources. You know, you start talking about all kinds of other things that could be used and those can start to have issues with transferring other allergens. So this is going to be relevant for people not just in the gluten free space. And I think, you know, people who have other food allergies need to be starting to pay attention to this as well. Because, you know, as these, this tableware category starts Getting more creative. And people are looking for other ways to make compostable and biodegradable in tableware, which they should be. And that's great.

Jules [00:13:37]:
You know, it's not just going to be made out of palm leaves and bamboo. They're looking for other things.

Erica [00:13:43]:
There's a company that does, I think recycled sea garbage or something. Ocean garbage. I don't know. I think that that's what I saw in one of the Yummy. I'll have, I'll have a straw with ocean garbage. I'd rather have that than we straw when you don't know what I'm talking about. Sure. So yeah, I'll take ocean girl.

Erica [00:14:00]:
I will take ocean garbage. I think a lot of them are also garbage. Like cane. Sugar cane. Cane. Sugar cane, sugar cane, whatever.

Jules [00:14:10]:
Probably won't last very long as a straw.

Erica [00:14:13]:
And then arcane fiber, I don't know. And then what's the other one? Algae. Which is always interesting. Well, this gets me on another subject that is a follow up from what you just said about other allergies. So, like, if you do algae based straws, can people with Alpha Gal drink out of them? Because Alpha Gal can't do carrageenan. And it's like, oh my God. Like this is just the, the hole goes so deep. Like you go, there's like, I feel like the tin hat, like tin hat person where it's like the conspiracy theories are everywhere and there's carrageenan and the straws.

Erica [00:14:53]:
Anyway, yeah, I think that those are very fascinating studies. And I hate to say it's like we just don't know. But I think what we found is like, hey, we do kind of know. And what we kind of know means like, we don't think it's great. And what we should know more of is like, how about we just give consumers a choice by telling them what's in it?

Jules [00:15:21]:
Yeah, that's all we need to know. Like if you just say this is made with, then consumers can make that choice. And the problem is right now we don't know what's in most of those. Now, I did have several readers tell me that they have reached out to various companies and unfortunately I have not had time to do that myself. But one reader who does did tell me I know it. One reader did tell me that she reached out to Chinet, which is a popular company that makes these things, and that she was told that China does not use wheat in their compostable or biodegradable plates. I'm not sure which ones they are. But that would be great if that's true for Chinatte.

Jules [00:15:57]:
And so the thing is, just if there's a brand that you see in your local store and you'd like to buy it yourself, contact the company and find out for sure what's in it and make sure that you stay on top of it. Because brands do change their formulations. But again, I think that, that, that this becomes a larger problem when you're talking about takeout containers or when you're. You don't have control of it in another space, like if you're at a cookout or a barbecue or something like that.

Erica [00:16:28]:
I wish that we could go to Housewares. I wish we could go to Housewares solely on the fact that, like, I just want to talk to these people and be like, hi, face to face. I need you to be more transparent.

Jules [00:16:41]:
Yeah.

Erica [00:16:42]:
Like, I don't want to be like, I'm going to be an advocate for disposable tableware. I don't have time for that, you guys. But I'm just saying somebody needs to do this, and I don't think I have the time to do it myself. If anyone want, if anyone's going to Housewares this year and wants, like a side hustle, we're not going to pay you, but it's going to be good work. That's going to be good, wholesome work. Go ask these people, like, what is, Tell me, what is the situation? Your company has to be studying this kind of stuff. Your R and D has to know this kind of stuff. We need to know it, too.

Erica [00:17:12]:
Hey, write a blog post on it. I don't know. I just, I feel like that's, like, that's wild that this information's out there and companies aren't coming out and saying, like, oh, don't worry, we don't have it, or, yes, we test and we're fine, blah, blah, blah. You know, I just like, where's the PR in this process? I feel like World Centric is a big brand that's doing it. I feel like I need to, like, send out a message. I don't know, maybe I'll put that on my to do list, my ever growing to do list in life. But I think that's a, that's an excellent piece of research, and I'm glad that you shared that with us. Yeah.

Jules [00:17:44]:
And as more research comes out, I will be updating the blog post, which is@gfjules.com but you can just search on the, on my website. There's a search bar at the top of all the pages and you just put in like straw, plate, cup, whatever, whatever you want to put in there. And that blog post will come up for you.

Erica [00:18:11]:
So on to our next topic of interest, which is fancy food, which is the first trade show of the year. As you know, Jules and I love trade shows because we find the hottest, latest, greatest products available to people who are gluten free. This show is always unique. It started off as like a very. It started off as called the fancy food show, and it literally was fancy foods. So literally, think of all of the olives you could ever think of in one place. Cheeses, prosciutto, jamon, legs of jamon, shaving legs of pig and jerky, more cheese sticks. So, yeah, so it was basically like just these fancy foods, jams, spreads.

Erica [00:18:59]:
Now it is like a introduction to a pre launch to Expo west, which is another major trade show that Jules and I typically do. And it is just a great way for us to meet new brands that maybe don't have the cash flow to attend an Expo Expo west, which is great that they're actually. There's another capability for a show there. Before I dive into what's new, you have to listen to my story about me becoming a certified chocolatier.

Jules [00:19:26]:
I am down for it because I saw your chocolate cat.

Erica [00:19:29]:
I wish you had it. We don't still have it.

Jules [00:19:32]:
Did you eat it all? And you ate the tail first?

Erica [00:19:36]:
We didn't eat the tail first. We ate its ears first. Oh, but you said you were gonna eat the tail first. He said, well, well, the chef said that the. That what he made it with was dark chocolate. I'm like, is it just dark chocolate? Are you sure you're not using any dairy? And so I'm like, I tried an ear and then saw how it went. It was fine. So I'm like, oh, this is actually dark chocolate.

Erica [00:19:55]:
And then Matt took it and, like, broke apart the whole body.

Jules [00:19:59]:
Oh, no.

Erica [00:20:00]:
And then he ate part of the tail, and it was with this, like, silver spray. And he had silver all over. It looked like he had was. Start huffing, kids. Don't look up what huffing is if you don't know what it is. Just save that for our use. No, no, no. So anyway, I am not a master chocolatier, but I did get a certificate, which made me feel very important.

Erica [00:20:23]:
But tastemakers are framed, because if you need a frame, I'll say frame it. Tastemakers gave me the opportunity to attend a chocolate making class and so the first part of the class was working with the, the Ritz Carlton master chocolatier that they. And he talked all about chocolate and how to form chocolate and like how they pull the chocolate and everything. Chocolate. And it was like Willy Wonka. And it was very exciting. Yeah. And then they're like, oh, yeah, and here's your station and here's everything.

Erica [00:20:56]:
Go for it. And we're just like, you don't want to. There's no, like, instruction. And they're like, no, just put some things together. And I'm like, okay. So they gave us a bunch of like, preformed chocolate and basically we just had to put it together and make like a statue.

Jules [00:21:09]:
So was it like balls?

Erica [00:21:11]:
It was everything. There are little mushrooms, there were like swirls, there's swirly doos, there's like flat pieces. It was basically like getting like an, an open Lego set and being like, what is this supposed to be? And of course, people were just like, they're all these creative types. They're all just throwing things together and they're all beautiful. And I'm like, so first I made a Mickey Mouse. And then I'm like, I don't know actually if I want to do this. And then I saw this woman making this cat and I'm like, that is perfect. There are absolutely all the things that you need in here to make a cat perfect.

Jules [00:21:48]:
Yeah.

Erica [00:21:49]:
So then I'm like, oh, I'm absolutely doing a cat. So I tore apart my Mickey and everyone's like, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm going to start from scratch. Who cares? It's chocolate. Doesn't matter. And so I put together this cat and it was amazing. It's like a big ball and a small ball and ears and it has whiskers that I used and then it has little claws. And then I made it a pigeon in the garden. So I made like a garden with all the swirly dos and mushrooms.

Erica [00:22:15]:
And then I spray painted it and I used a lot of free spray. And I realized that, like, that's actually what is holding me back in my creative life in the kitchen is the use of freeze spray, because it's such a beautiful product. And then I'm like, oh, I'm a chocolatier now. That's it. And then we finish it. And they're like, do you want to keep it?

Jules [00:22:35]:
And I'm like, yes, because I drove.

Erica [00:22:37]:
Here, I drove here. And they're like, well, how are you going to drive it back? And I'm like, I'm going to buckle it in my front seat. And they're like, okay. So I did just that. I did just that.

Jules [00:22:49]:
I love that so much.

Erica [00:22:51]:
And it made it all the way to San Diego. And then I took it from San Diego to my car to my hotel room in San Diego, and then I left it in my hotel room and then I took it back down to my car and I drove it home and I put, put it in my backseat just in case the front seat got too hot. So it made it here and it's really pretty. And I'll drop some photos of the class. But then what was the best part about it was at the end of the class, I met up with the girl who also did the cat. And she also fosters bottle baby kittens.

Jules [00:23:19]:
Oh, my gosh.

Erica [00:23:20]:
But she does it in her house. And I'm like, that's too much for me. And she goes, yeah, it's a lot. So she's amazing. She's also another blogger and she's so cool. So I made a friend. A kitten friend. A kitten friend.

Erica [00:23:31]:
That's so. It was really cute. And so I had fun doing the chocolate class. And I recommend that class to anyone who wants to. Like, they have classes all the time. Like, and that's what the these high end hotels, if you have some in your neighborhood or your city, like, check out the classes that they have because they always have a bunch of weird things that are especially open to locals that you can just go to. Like, they have a chocolate class for Valentine's Day. I'm like, that's brilliant.

Jules [00:24:00]:
It. Oh yeah, that's perfect.

Erica [00:24:02]:
Yeah. So not that I'm going to start making like chocolate arrangements, but I feel much better about, like what I need to actually do.

Jules [00:24:11]:
I was super impressed. But now that I know that they already made like the balls of the cat, like the head and all that kind of stuff, I'm like, I'm a little less impressed. But I mean, it still looked really good.

Erica [00:24:23]:
It still is a lot of work. Jewels.

Jules [00:24:25]:
Okay.

Erica [00:24:26]:
But yes, of course they make the chocolate balls because that would have been a five hour class of making the chocolate balls. But like, the chocolate balls, oddly enough, are like some of the easier things to do because they're just, it's just molds. Okay. The hard thing to do is all the swirly do is because they pull that by hand. And I'm like, girl, that's above my pay grade. Yeah, that's what they get paid for.

Jules [00:24:46]:
But I'll take it if you want to make it for me.

Erica [00:24:48]:
Yeah, for sure. But no, it was mostly just a chocolate freeze bay class, which I'm fine with.

Jules [00:24:54]:
That's awesome.

Erica [00:24:55]:
It was awesome. And I think that was. That set the tone for the rest of my time at Tastemaker slash fancy food. Because for me, they were the two combined. Basically, if you went to Tastemaker, you were press pass for fancy food. Fancy food. Okay. Let me tell you, the.

Erica [00:25:13]:
The trends of food is basically the same of what we've been seeing for the past few years, which is high protein. Yep. That will never die. Jesus. My God. It will stay forever and ever. Amen. International flavors, so super, super hot.

Erica [00:25:32]:
Korean flavors, super hot. Just any international flavors. Kimchi, really, really cool. Kim cheese, super super cool. Mushrooms are fading, by the way, which is interesting. But I think that we are going to see an influx of other types and varieties of products. Like can we use cactus? Can't. Like non trad ingredients? Can we use seaweed? Can we use all these other things to increase the nutritional profile and also add a unique flavor spin to it? So there's a couple new things.

Erica [00:26:06]:
Oh, also the biggest thing that we found is fiber, Maxine. And we know that that was a trend that started the end of last year because everyone's doing GLP1. So the hype of protein is super high. But if you can't poop well on GLP1s, you also need to increase your fiber and that also help increase your satis. So making sure that you feel full. Yeah, but fiber is also a great thing for most people. If you have chronic constipation or if you're having other dietary issues, you need to obviously speak with a dietitian before fiber maxing. Right.

Erica [00:26:44]:
Because you also don't want to be blocked up for days and then you'll have like a bowel obstruction. Right. Fiber maxing is for everyone. Nobody wants a bowel. You don't want that. No one wants that. So I think that that's an important topic to talk about because I think a lot of people are adding more fiber claim to their products. Whereas, like everyone's adding protein claims to their product.

Erica [00:27:03]:
Fiber claims are now the hot new thing, which is great. We love talking about fiber. At least it's not protein. Jesus. Jesus Christ. Or fat. Thank God that went out in the 90s. Like no more Elestra.

Erica [00:27:15]:
Anyway, so I haven't heard that word.

Jules [00:27:18]:
In a long time.

Erica [00:27:19]:
So. Good. I just like bringing up the fact, like, hey, remember that time where we were so afraid of being fat that we decided that a Little bit of shit in your pants all the time is fine.

Jules [00:27:29]:
Is better than having fat fat in your diet.

Erica [00:27:32]:
Do you remember that? Like are you so afraid of gaining a couple pounds? Like literally. And I was. And I clearly was in the middle of my eating disorder and I'm like, you know what? I am so afraid of gaining a couple pounds. I am willing to just have low level shit all the time. Just incontrollable butthole movements. Anyway, that was my talk about Illustra. I hope you enjoyed it.

Jules [00:27:54]:
That resonates.

Erica [00:27:56]:
I hope that really stuck with you. I'm going to show you a couple of things that do not contain alestera that are my favorites from the show floor. So do you know gluten free meister? You've had to have meet them at a couple shows. It's like that vegan pork ramen, that's like instant. No, you don't remember any of this. You don't get to leave your booth at trade shows. They are at. They're at gluten free festivals, like gluten free shows all the time.

Erica [00:28:30]:
And they're like vegan pork. Yes, it's all vegan gluten free ramen. But it's like pork style where it like tastes meaty. You know, it's not as gross as Jules is making out to be. In fact, I love it because I can have their beef like Shoyu ramen and it's not beef because I can't have beef. Okay. Anyway, they have a chicken C. Chicken K N.

Erica [00:28:53]:
Gluten free meister.

Jules [00:28:55]:
I saw this in your stories. I didn't remember that was the name of it though.

Erica [00:29:00]:
Yeah, it is. Because nobody knows the name. It's just like a really random company that makes these bags of ramen. Yeah, yeah. So now they made like a Lipton chicken noodle soup knockoff which if you remember as a kid that was like the biggest. Oh my God, that was so good. Anyway, so it comes with these like teeny tiny little noodles. It's chicken flavored.

Erica [00:29:17]:
It's all still vegan, but it's.

Jules [00:29:19]:
Is it a just add water kind of thing? Thing?

Erica [00:29:21]:
Yes, it's great. And they're microwave ready plant based chicken noodle soup arriving this year. So that's very exciting. I think that's going to be. People are just like I need ramen, I need whatever. And I'm like, it's the best.

Jules [00:29:38]:
Do you have any idea what the price point's going to be?

Erica [00:29:40]:
Oh, it's so affordable. You can buy it on the website. Now and you can buy it on Amazon. You can buy all these, their ramens and it's all really affordable.

Jules [00:29:47]:
That's good.

Erica [00:29:49]:
It's a great company. I really like them a lot. A couple of other things that I think are of note. I took this, one of the bags came in my love me gluten free box this month, which is cool cause I met them on the show floor. It's called Cactus.

Jules [00:30:03]:
I love that brand. I love Cactus.

Erica [00:30:05]:
Well, no, you like Neeme, which is also another Cactus Crunch. Remember we met Neeme together and you're like, I love this brand.

Jules [00:30:14]:
Yeah, but I also love Cactus Crunch.

Erica [00:30:16]:
Okay. You're also allowed to like like two cactus brands. So I shouldn't, I shouldn't have judged you, you know, right away. You do like Mimi though, and you also like Cactus Crunch. I'm like, no, you don't. No, you don't like. No, you don't like it.

Jules [00:30:31]:
Jules, am I allowed? Can I, Can I.

Erica [00:30:34]:
You're allowed to like it.

Jules [00:30:35]:
Will you let me. No, I really, I really, really do know. They, they sent me chips and I am still eating them. I love them.

Erica [00:30:42]:
Well, that's so nice of them. They didn't send me chips and I like them.

Jules [00:30:46]:
Maybe they felt that now they. I have. They have a jalapeno one that's really, really good.

Erica [00:30:51]:
Yes.

Jules [00:30:52]:
And it's really good. And they're so crispy and they're like, they hold up to dips and so.

Erica [00:30:57]:
They are made with corn. Just so you know, it's not all. No polish. Because that would be interesting. Yeah. So that's, that's a brand that I really like. Cactus Crunch. I don't know why.

Erica [00:31:07]:
I just got super loud talking about Cactus Crunch. I was like, cactus Crunch, I must.

Jules [00:31:12]:
Tell you about cactus.

Erica [00:31:12]:
Crazy about Cactus Crunch.

Jules [00:31:14]:
I was going to bring that up, up actually, but I thought maybe we were going to have to wait for Expo because I didn't know that they were at fancy foods. But I'm so glad that you saw them.

Erica [00:31:23]:
And they weren't fancy foods. There were also a lot of brands that were like plant based sauces slash soups that are packaged. And I'm like, listen, I love that because all this time we've only had like Pacific Foods, their soups, right. That are in the big milk cartons and they're more and more like sexy brands that are doing these like one off soups and stews. And I just like, I really find that really charming and I really like it a lot. And sauces are so great because not everyone has the time to prepare a sauce that's like restaurant style, but also a sauce has restaurant style that is also gluten free and dairy free. So that was a huge trend that I saw. We're all going towards convenience.

Erica [00:32:09]:
Everything is like making it more convenient to live their life. That's the whole concept of packaged food. So it makes sense. When I go to a show that's all about packaged foods, that's what we see. There's also a brand that I think you're going to love. I did not try it, but it's called kimchi crisps by Oshi and it is literally like kimchi into a cracker and it's gluten free. And kimchi was a huge trend along with miso. So I can't go without talking about the super wow chips.

Erica [00:32:44]:
They've been out for about a couple years now. But miso sweet. So miso is the new kimchi. Kimchi was around for a couple years. Miso is the new hot thing along with like a miso, like a sweet miso or a miso chocolate. So it's very exciting to see a lot of those being gluten free.

Jules [00:33:03]:
Miso chocolate sounds really interesting.

Erica [00:33:05]:
So yummy.

Jules [00:33:06]:
I love that because I love, like salt with chocolate. So miso.

Erica [00:33:10]:
So for the next one, close your ears, Jules. It's called pork king and good. It is chicken nuggets with pork rinds as the breading. It is gluten free. It has not one animal murdered for it, but two animals murdered for it. Pork and chicken. And yes, it has obviously low carbs, high protein, and it absolutely is delicious. But also, you've gotta like pork rinds.

Erica [00:33:42]:
But I will also say that the people who make this make a pork rind dill pickle seasoning. May from. I don't want. It's fine, Jules. Just forget that I even said that. I'm just saying. Chandice from from this vivacious life chose them as one of her favorite finds from the show. And we went to a party and all of a sudden, out of her coat pulls out a bag of pork rinds.

Erica [00:34:13]:
And it's apple cinnamon pork rinds. And I'm like, okay. And she goes, I taste like apple jacks. And I'm like, like what? She tastes like apple jacks. And I'm like, okay. Tastes like apple jacks. And I'm like, that is messed up. That really threw my brain for a loop that I'm eating pork and apple cinnamon pork.

Erica [00:34:30]:
And it's like that's exactly what Apple Jacks is. That's kind of messed up.

Jules [00:34:36]:
I can see. I can see Chandis, like, getting into that, though.

Erica [00:34:40]:
Yeah, she.

Jules [00:34:40]:
I can totally see her getting hyped up on that.

Erica [00:34:43]:
She did. She liked it a lot. And I will tell you, Bitchin sauce.

Jules [00:34:47]:
Yeah.

Erica [00:34:48]:
Did a collab with. First of all, they're making beans now, like, bean dips. So Bitch and sauce, when they were acquired, when they got like that cash flux there was like, everything. Bitch and sauce makes everything now.

Jules [00:35:01]:
Yeah. Cause I think they. Last year they had a bean dip of some kind.

Erica [00:35:05]:
Yeah, this is the. They have a bunch of different things. They're making almond tortilla chips.

Jules [00:35:13]:
Really?

Erica [00:35:14]:
Probably trying to get into that whole siete thing happening right now. But I will tell you their number one thing that I saw that I was drawn to. And it's, like, on their table, small, but I'm like, oh, my God, what is that? They are doing a collab with the good crisp, which, by the way, also just got acquired and doing the good crisp little snack packs. And on top is a small bitchin sauce turned upside down so it, like, fits perfectly. So it'd be like the perfect car trip snack of just like a pringle of lunchboxes and a sausage stoop. Perfect. And it's so cute. And I'm like, oh, my God, when is this available? Because this is, like, need to have.

Erica [00:35:52]:
So yeah, that's gonna be really exciting when that comes out because I love the good crisp. I'm very happy.

Jules [00:35:56]:
When is it for them?

Erica [00:35:58]:
Soon. They don't know. All these are like, soon. I'm like, okay. Bishin has never given me, like, a complete date on, like, when things are out. I feel like every time I look, they're like, soon. And I'm like, okay.

Jules [00:36:09]:
Wasn't the.

Erica [00:36:10]:
Remember the Bitch and Sauce the terrible party? I don't even want to talk about. I'm so mad about this party last.

Jules [00:36:18]:
Year at Expo in the Rain.

Erica [00:36:23]:
Where I went and I go, nope. And then I turned right around and left.

Jules [00:36:26]:
Yeah, that was awful. And there was like. There was like, no food. It was like. It was supposed to be 4 bitch and sauce. And there's weird. They couldn't even find the food.

Erica [00:36:35]:
It was just. I don't. I won't talk about that. I'm very implied by that posture.

Jules [00:36:40]:
It was a bad. Right.

Erica [00:36:42]:
So if bitch and sauce again extends me an invite, I'm going to be like, I love your stuff.

Jules [00:36:46]:
Yeah.

Erica [00:36:47]:
Will there be food for me to eat there? That is also bitch and sauce. Because that's actually what I want.

Jules [00:36:52]:
That's what I'm coming for, actually. Yeah.

Erica [00:36:55]:
Wild. Yeah. And then, I mean there's a couple of other things that I've highlighted on my Instagram, but one that I really want to share is a brand called Nikki Go. And this is a brand of mushroom based, no soy soy sauces. This amazing woman, Nicole is part of our food allergy community. She is amazing. She was at fact and I spent so much time with her and her dad and she has this complete collection of sauces also in food service capabilities. She has a Hawaiian style teriyaki sauce which is very ginger forward.

Erica [00:37:37]:
She has a soy free soy soy sauce. She has a noodle sauce, like straight up noodle sauce that she was like. She had noodles in there from Charlie's. Charlie's table. And she was like, yeah, it's perfect for any sort of like noodle sauce. And it's so freaking good. And it's no soy, no top allergens at all. And it's all based on mushrooms.

Erica [00:38:01]:
This woman knows more about mushrooms than anyone I've ever met besides the weird mushroom people. Expo West. But she is so cool because it's a complete like, she is like the pinnacle of what I would say is like a food allergy entrepreneur. Like she made this because she had to. Right. Because she has all these allergies. But it's also like an incredibly delicious product which is, dare I say someone like you makes a delicious product because she had to because there's nothing else on the market. That's so good.

Erica [00:38:31]:
That's awesome. So I was so happy to like see her with buyers at this show because I'm just like, you're one of us. And she's like experiencing first taste of like retail interest and it's very cool to see her have that. So I was just really proud of her and her product.

Jules [00:38:49]:
It's made of mushrooms, it's got the adaptogens and all that. So it's actually going to be good for you.

Erica [00:38:53]:
So it's so freaking good. I was just awesome. I can't wait to try that directly out of the. Yum.

Jules [00:38:59]:
How much sodium do you know?

Erica [00:39:01]:
Probably a lot.

Jules [00:39:02]:
Well, but they all do.

Erica [00:39:03]:
Yeah. I mean you can't escape that unless you get that low sodium and then you're like, what am I even doing here? What? Amazing.

Jules [00:39:10]:
Why bother?

Erica [00:39:12]:
Another brand that I think that you would like that was in this startup section, startup cpg is this brand called Paro. And it's Lentil crisps. And I'm like, oh, lentil crisps. That reminds me of when Enjoy Life foods used to be the launcher of lentil crisps.

Jules [00:39:28]:
Did you get some for Matt?

Erica [00:39:29]:
Go figure. I did not. But they make this a lentil crisp and it's very much like, just like the lentils that enjoy life used to make. But this one, this flavor is jalapeno mint. And I'm telling you, this is one of the tastiest lentil based chips I have ever tasted in my life. Jalapeno mint, interesting combo. Perfect. So they're like brand new.

Erica [00:39:56]:
So I can't be like, you can go buy it here. I'm like, no, they're like not available. They're like babies. But I really, really enjoyed meeting them. And I think that when we exploring flavors like that, that just like is. Is very exciting to see. And then, I mean, there were just so many other brands that I saw, but none that were just like so revolutionary. But I think it's really exciting to see that the market is still growing and that the more and more I pick up things, the more that it's like, oh, yeah, okay.

Erica [00:40:24]:
So this is also gluten free and it also happens to be dairy free as well. So startup CPG hosts these events in different cities and I've attended quite a few. And they're for brands that are not big enough to get on the floor or if you just have like a novel concept and you're not able to exhibit. But just date has date syrups. They're the brand that collaborated with bread. Seriously, on their date sweetened cinnamon raisin bread. They have these date sweetened dark chocolate chips and semi sweet chocolate chips. So just like great chocolate chips that are also vegan.

Erica [00:41:03]:
No sugar added because it's just dates and chocolate. There's three ingredients. What would be the other ingredient? I guess cocoa butter. Yeah. An oil of some kind, some sort of anything. Anyway, they're upcycled, certified. They're also organic. They're fair trade, which is great.

Erica [00:41:19]:
But yeah, so just eight has their. Their chocolate chips and they're very good. And Sabelle hadn't tried them either. She's like, these are great. I'm like, yeah, dude, just dancing.

Jules [00:41:28]:
I tried them. Are they organic? I feel like I tried them in the organic tent. Yeah, I think I tried them in the organic tent last year. Year at Expo. They are really good organic. They don't have like a funky flavor, you know, like a ank God taste like stevia or something like that.

Erica [00:41:45]:
So I'm so. Oh. Another trend that I am so thankful to see is they're getting away from things like stevia and monk fruit. People are understanding that, like, people don't want that shit anymore. It's so gross. Ugh. So disgusting. Cane sugar only.

Erica [00:42:00]:
Or agave or date or whatever.

Jules [00:42:02]:
Or alcohol.

Erica [00:42:04]:
Pallulose is also not a traditional sugar, but it is derived from a more traditional plant.

Jules [00:42:10]:
Right, right. It doesn't taste. Yeah, I know.

Erica [00:42:14]:
Give me that. Give me sugar.

Jules [00:42:16]:
You're a hater. I know, but, like, some people can't.

Erica [00:42:19]:
Do sugar, so I'm a big hater.

Jules [00:42:21]:
They need an alternative.

Erica [00:42:23]:
One other thing that I think that you would enjoy. Someone's at our door. I hope you can't hear that, but there is this brand called Tamar and they just launched. They're or they just launched. An Erewhan was their first brand, their date sweetened coffee. So, like the dates, like sweetened within the whole beans. So it is like a sweet. A little bit sweet coffee, but it's dates and it's really, really yummy.

Erica [00:42:53]:
Coffee made with dates. Wait, maybe it's not date sweetened. Maybe it's just dates. Maybe it's just date seed coffee. What am I even talking about? Oh, no, no, no. It's 50% coffee, 50% dates. There we go. I'm like, wait, hold on.

Erica [00:43:05]:
There's actually coffee in here. I was like, I'm reading this. I'm like, what am I even talking about? Yes. So I think you would like this because it was really, really good. And it's made with. He showed me the parts of, like, the inside of the date seed itself. And it honestly just looks like a piece of rat poop now that I'm showing you on this table.

Jules [00:43:25]:
But it's the inside of a date.

Erica [00:43:27]:
So it's 50% coffee, 50% dates, and it was really good. And I would really enjoy it because it's sweet.

Jules [00:43:31]:
I would really enjoy that. I would like to try that. Yummy.

Erica [00:43:34]:
Well, maybe I'll go to Erewhon next and I'll get you a bag.

Jules [00:43:38]:
Okay. Okay.

Erica [00:43:40]:
So that's basically it from fancy food. And I want to. I want to show you. I did this stupid little video of me throwing snowflakes. And it's to show that it will be in San Francisco next year, which.

Jules [00:43:54]:
Is back in San Francisco.

Erica [00:43:58]:
I just don't want to go to San Francisco again. It's just so much easier to go to San Diego. Yeah, it'll be there for the next two years. In case you're wondering. And then it goes back to San Diego.

Jules [00:44:11]:
Yeah.

Erica [00:44:13]:
Assuming we still have a country and we're able to travel interstate, you know, we'll see.

Jules [00:44:19]:
That assumes a lot of things about our future that we're even talking about next year.

Erica [00:44:23]:
Year. Yeah. I have faith. Anyway, so that was the first trade show of the year. We're getting excited for Expo west, which will happen in March. And until then, we've got to survive the next two months and just keep on keeping on. And I hope that you are somehow magically having a great time in your life right now. Avoiding the horrors.

Erica [00:44:44]:
Avoiding. Avoiding putting milk and hot liquids in those compostable bowls. I hope that you're. I hope you're doing okay. Okay.

Jules [00:44:54]:
You know, I'm just over here making soup, trying to keep my family healthy. Like, I. I've.

Erica [00:45:00]:
I hope you all avoided flu A.

Jules [00:45:02]:
The flu A. I know. Yeah. I. When I looked it up the other day. I have 16 soup and soup like, recipes on my website. Like, if you. If you count things like shepherd's pie as a soup.

Erica [00:45:17]:
I'm sorry, how is shepherd's pie a soup? Like, because the inside is pie filling. That's not true. That's not right.

Jules [00:45:25]:
I said if you count that.

Erica [00:45:27]:
Who is counting that, Jules?

Jules [00:45:29]:
I was.

Erica [00:45:31]:
I would let that fly. If you're like, I have 16 soup and sick day related recipes.

Jules [00:45:39]:
Well, no, it's sick day related, but then we can go even farther because what do you classify as comfort food? Like, then. Then it's like, you're gonna get even further.

Erica [00:45:47]:
If I have the flu. I'm not. I don't think Mac and cheese is what I want. I think so. Soup. Yeah. And shepherd's pie, which is not a.

Jules [00:45:54]:
Soup and pot pie.

Erica [00:45:56]:
I had pot pie last night. Not a soup.

Jules [00:45:59]:
I love pot pie.

Erica [00:46:00]:
I love pot pie as well.

Jules [00:46:01]:
But it. Basically, the inside of a. Of a pot pie is a soup.

Erica [00:46:04]:
Then is pie. Soup. No, not pie.

Jules [00:46:08]:
They just call it pie, but it's not a pie. It's. You basically are making a soup and you're putting it into a pastry straight. It's just a really thick soup.

Erica [00:46:20]:
If you've gotten this far in the podcast, the only responses that I want from you on this is shepherd's pie soup. Like.

Jules [00:46:30]:
Yes.

Erica [00:46:31]:
I can't wait to hear it.

Jules [00:46:32]:
And the answer is yes.

Erica [00:46:34]:
Anyway, I hope that you have avoided flu A. I hope that you have avoided another spike in Covid. I hope that you are avoiding the measles in. Jesus Christ. Please get immunized for the things that the the health associations, not the cdc, are telling you to be immunized for right now, please consider it the actual doctors are just actual doctors and not doctors that only play doctors on tv. I really hope that you stay well and stay healthy. I hope that you are. That you are.

Erica [00:47:05]:
That you're fighting the good fight because we need you to. And again, please stay safe. And thank you for listening to another episode of youf Had Me. What was that? Was that Jeff coughing.

Jules [00:47:24]:
On cue?

Erica [00:47:26]:
Gross.

Jules [00:47:27]:
Told you he's sick. Thanks for tuning in to Rehab Me and Eat, the number one voted gluten free podcast in the country. Remember to like and subscribe. Tell all your friends and we'll talk to you next time.