Well, another day at the winter outdoor retailer is under my belt, and frankly, I’m exhausted. But I did find out some useful information about GF offerings in the dehydrated meal category. Several companies make a full line of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts and side dishes that are dehydrated. Typically, you add boiling water, let stand for a given period of time, and eat.
Of the three companies with which I’m personally familiar, only one is in attendance at the show: TyRy, Inc., which makes the Alpine Aire and Natural High brands. Backpackers Pantry and Mountain House are both MIA. Regardless, here’s the scoop:
Mountain House
Unfortunately, none of the meals in the MH line are gluten-free. Avoid.
Backpackers Pantry
BP offers an extensive line of meals, many of which are gluten-free. You can download a PDF of allergen information here. It lists each meal and the major allergens contained within, including gluten. Or, for a succinct list of all the gluten-free meals compiled onto one sheet, scroll to page four.
Alpine Aire
AA also offers a pretty extensive line of meals, many of which are gluten-free. Also, thanks to demand from consumers, they’re actively expanding their meal line in the GF category. You can see a regularly updated list of their GF meals here. I had a great conversation with one of their reps at the show, and he’ll be sending me some GF product samples to review on NGNP, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for our assessment of the AA offerings!
– Pete
cool! thanks for sharing 🙂
Pete–This is one of your tips I hope I never get to try. LOL I know for you backcountry hikers/campers and such, it’s extremely helpful info though. Obviously there’s a big market for these products in this arena. I hope some of the GF consumers share their comments.
Shirley