Gluten free article in the Maui News

Thank you, Carla Tracy and the Maui News for including us in this weeks Scene. There is a great article about being Gluten Free on Maui. Mana's portion is below, but you can read the entire article here

Mana Foods in Paia
For 29 long years, Mana Foods on Baldwin Avenue in Paia has been selling gluten-free products. Today, it offers more than 1,000 GF foods. "As awareness has grown, so has availability of gluten-free items," says Mana Food's Chris Ozee, buyer, manager and partner.

 "In the last four years, it has become a focus for Mana Foods. In the summer of 2009, we started an online column, Gluten Freedom, a monthly offering of GF recipes and tips. The current month is available as a handout in the store and archives are online at www.manafoodsmaui.com." Shoppers won't find a particular GF section, but rather products displayed all over the store in categories such as breads, baked goods, cereals, frozen entrees, pastas, crackers, snacks, desserts, cookies, baking mixes, sport bars, protein powders and more. Just look for the colorful GF shelf labels to find them. 

One of the most popular items is Udi's multi-grain bread, frozen and in the deli. "Udi's whole line is great," says Ozee. "Pamela's has a great GF line, Cadia has some good rice pastas and cookies, Food for Life rice breads have been around for years and they now offer GF English muffins. Canyon Baked breads are a new one and selling quite well. Udi's, Conte's, Bold, and Bella Monica pizzas are all very tasty."

 Mana Food's Purchasing Director Sunette Fenn says there is more public awareness these days. "More and more people are discovering they have either gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, and that dictates the market. We offer the best products we can at the lowest prices." For more details, call Mana Foods at 579-8078.