Free to taste

The Gluten Free Festival at ShopRite of Medford, gave shoppers an opportunity to sample some of the celiac-friendly food products available in the store. The event was free to attend.

During Saturday's festival, shoppers were presented with vendor tables placed throughout the store. Tastings, take-home samples, manufacturer coupons and informational pamphlets were accessible to anyone interested in gluten-free foods.

Photo credit: Gluten Free Garden State

I spoke with the representative from Cabot creamery, among others, and found our talk to be helpful in choosing dairy products. Cabot also offered easy recipes to take home, which are always useful.

On the downside, there was at least one vendor (and possibly two) offering samples of food that was NOT gluten-free. And it would be so easy for someone tasting to not realize the bread, offered with a sample of olive oil, was off limits. To his credit, the vendor representative did tell me before I put the bread in my mouth that it wasn't gluten-free, but there was no sign or other indication otherwise.