Fresh & Easy Turkey burgers, NOT Gluten Free!

Warning: The Turkey burger patties from Fresh & Easy are NOT Gluten free!

I went to Fresh & Easy last Sunday to pick up a few things as I was on my way to my friends house to watch the Super Bowl. She was having a BBQ & I did not want to get sick, so I figured I would bring my own food. I was so careful as not to cross contaminate that I even cooked my food in my own pan. Later that night I started feeling bad & the next morning was even worse. I got really sick & couldn't figure out why.

A few days past & I went back to Fresh & Easy to get some veggies & Chicken to make some soup. While I was in the meat section I saw the turkey burgers I had a few days before. For some reason I picked them up and looked on the back for the ingredients which I assumed would just say ground turkey meat. I was SHOCKED to see that there was WHEAT CEREAL mixed in with the turkey burger!

Now I know being a Celiac we are supposed to read EVERY LABEL but I assumed raw meat, veggies, & fruit would be safe. I could see if the package was labeled "seasoned turkey burger" or something to that effect, but it wasn't. It just said "ground turkey patties". Also I could see no seasonings or anything that would catch my attention to make me think to read the back.

I told two of the staff members that were working about this and they both looked at me like I was from Mars. They both just looked at each other and told me, "well if you know you have a food allergy its up to you to make sure you don't buy anything with the allergen in it" basically blaming me for being dumb. I told them that it was only logical for me to assume raw meat wouldn't have WHEAT CEREAL mixed in with it & also asked them if I should be expected to read the back of a package of fresh chicken breasts as well? They both kind of gave me a look and just waled away.

I was upset but continued to shop because I wanted to make my soup. Just then a friend called me on the phone & I was telling her all about what just happened. When I got off the phone, a woman came up to me & told me she overheard my conversation & was very sorry about the turkey burger & the rudeness of the staff. It turns out she was the manager of the store. She told me that she totally understands my situation as she has food allergies as well. She herself was shocked to find out that the turkey burger had wheat in it. She told me to wait where I was while she refunded me my money for the item.

While I was happy that I found someone who understood my situation & also refunded the cost of the item, I was still upset about the unclear labeling. This is why I wanted to let you all know about it. Not so much to come down on Fresh & Easy because I still love that store, just to let you all know that you really do need to read EVERYTHING even if its a block of cheese or a slab of meat. You never know what they put in things these days!

Fresh & Easy

Have you been to a Fresh & Easy yet? It seems they are popping up everywhere! That is great news because they have the freshest fruits & veggies I have ever had & at great prices!

Yesterday I went into Fresh & Easy to get some turkey burgers to grill for supper bowl & found great deals everywhere!

My favorite Glutino Gluten Free crackers were on sale that day for only $2 a box! Regular price is usually anywhere from $4.99-$6.99 a box for their 4.4oz size. So I got 4 boxes! You know how expensive gluten free food can be, so you have to snap up those deals whenever you can!

Next I headed for the freezer to check out the price on my all time favorite gluten free food which is Amy's organic (Gluten free) cheese enchiladas. Not only did they have them, but they were even lower then the ones I found at walmart the week before!

They were ONLY $2.99 EACH! WOW! Not even 4 weeks ago I was paying almost $5 each for these at Whole foods! My advice.....don't shop at whole foods if you can avoid it. They overcharge for everything. In my opinion they charge way more then they need to.

To find a Fresh & Easy near you, just look to the google ads along the side of my blog. They are usually the top sponsor. Please click thru the links on this blog to help keep it & me going! Don't forget to sing up to follow this blog & tell your friends!

Have a great Gluten Free day!

Sophia A. Smukalla