Hi so nearly every Wegmans listing I’ve seen on here has a review claiming that all the sushi is “gluten free”… while I’m glad there are people who have had a good experience :) I would like to clarify what the deal is with the sushi and other hot bar items to avoid any Sensitive Celiacs showing up and being disappointed.
The sushi is actually labeled as “no gluten containing ingredients”. Wegmans has a great system for denoting different levels of safety for those that follow a gluten-free diet (linked their guide below).
Wegmans marks things as either gluten free, gluten free with oats, or no gluten containing ingredients.
According to their site the requirements are pretty stringent for items they mark with their actual “gluten free” and “gluten free with oats” labels. The regular GF one is as follows:
“Before assigning the Gluten Free Wellness Key, we work with our suppliers to verify the following:
-The product’s ingredients are not derived from wheat, rye, barley or oats. While oats are naturally gluten-free, some individuals do not tolerate oats or are advised to avoid oats when beginning a gluten-free diet.
-The supplier shall ensure the manufacturing environment, product processing, production scheduling, and GMPs are in place to prevent the cross contamination of gluten into gluten-free products.
-The final product must have <20 ppm gluten from unavoidable gluten present due to inadvertent cross-contact.
*if there is any doubt or the supplier cannot guarantee gluten-free status, the product will not be labeled as gluten free.*”
It’s important to note that this is the label that would denote celiac safe - not the “no gluten containing ingredients” that the sushi displays. They even say on the site: “this does not mean the item is gluten free” and it seems to say no precautions are taken to prevent cross contamination in these items.
See below:
“Made with No Gluten Containing Ingredients
(ITEMS MADE IN OUR STORES)
Our stores have different layouts that make it difficult to implement company-wide protocols to prevent cross-contact with gluten. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that any food that is produced, sliced, packaged or served in our stores would be gluten-free.
Made with No Gluten Containing Ingredients does not mean the item is gluten-free. It means that it does not have wheat, rye or barley ingredients but may contain gluten due to shared preparation areas (shared preparation areas include ovens, cutting boards, utensils, grills, and fryers).
We identify these items by listing “Made with No Gluten Containing Ingredients” on specific products or department signs.”
It sounds like these products (such as the sushi) are really intended for those that are gluten intolerant or for those that aren’t damaged by cross contamination. I absolutely hate to burst anyone’s bubble I just felt it was important people have all the facts so they can make an informed decision.
I have worked at a wellness grocery store that had a hot bar and other in house items that also displayed the “no gluten containing ingredients claim” and I watched in horror as they made the gluten free sandwiches at the same time, on the same cutting board, with the same knife, as the normal fully gluten sandwiches. This label, in my experience, is not meant for us.
https://www.wegmans.com/health-nutrition/feel-your-best/gluten-free-diets/
— Not at all
— Not Much/None
— Poor
Lots of great GF options. Clearly labeled. Buffet of Asian food — general gaos, sesame chicken, etc — all are GF. I have *not* asked if they use a separate fryer, I assumed they do.
— Very
— Most/All
— Excellent
Good gf frozen burritos and prepackaged mac and cheese
Yes
Their gluten free isle is much bigger than any other supermarket I’ve been to with a generous amount of gluten free foods.
Yes
In addition to having a large GF product section, the Market Cafe now has many GF offerings. While many of their sushi items have been GF for some time, they now offer many Asian food options and have other foods to choose from in the salad bar and Mexican bar. All items are clearly labeled. My wife and daughter who have Celiac have eaten here many times without any problems. In addition one of the managers told me they would be more than happy to prepare any item GF in the kitchen upon request.
Yes
I’ve been celiac for over 10 years and wegmans is my #1 grocery store to buy gluten free items. It is a bit pricey but the quality of their food is worth it. In their prepared foods section they have gluten free sushi, soups, bowls, etc. In their bakery you can order custom gluten free cakes, and there’s pre-made slices of gf cake, macarons, and a small selection of cookies. In their freezer section they have a huge selection of gf bread and other frozen snacks, pizza, chicken and more. They also have the best wegmans brand gf cake mixes. I can’t even list everything so you’ll have to just trust me and check it out!
— Somewhat
— Most/All
— Excellent
Got a ‘no gluten containing ingredients’ cake and I am extremely sick. I even said it was for someone with a severe allergy, so please be careful!
— Not at all
— Most/All
— Excellent
I love Wegman’s, and this location is my favorite in the area because they have many more options of prepared GF cakes/cookies etc than their other locations and their items do state there may be cross contamination but i’ve never had an issue with any of their bakery items, store made tv dinners or sushi. All of their sushi is gf and served with gf soy sauce.
— Very
— Most/All
— Excellent
Solid grocery store for gluten free shopping. Great staff, well run
— Very
— Most/All
— Excellent
It was so nice to have Asian food again! Everything was labeled in their food section. Definitely be weary of contamination but overall really good.
— Not very
— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu
— Some
— Good