Ep 147 More Than Thirty Gluten Free Choices in One Shop – A conversation with Yvonne Baransky of M&M Food Markets

November 11, 2020 /

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

On this episode I have the great pleasure to speak with Yvonne Baransky who is a Senior Product Developer at M&M Food Markets.  I was able to ask Yvonne about how the company decides on new gluten free offerings – seems she gets to do some taste testing!  As well, we talk able the mission to provide “real food for real life”, which includes a great many gluten free options.  Yvonne outlines the three-tiered approach to identifying a product as gluten free, and she is quite proud of the more than thirty products which carry the CCA gluten free certification.  I was impressed at the variety of foods and can see how these options can make a real difference for anyone who wants to eat well and must eat gluten free.  Thanks M&M Food Markets for taking the time and care to provide us with the great variety of real food to meet both our everyday as well as special occasion needs.

You can find a list of the gluten free foods offered by clicking on the link in the product search box below –

Product Search

M&M Food Market, formerly known as M&M Meat Shops, is a Canadian frozen food retail chain. The company is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, and has locations in all ten provinces, the Yukon and Northwest Territories; the company formerly had operations in the Midwestern United States under the MyMenu brand that operated between 2008 and 2013.

Here is the link to the company’s gluten free policy by clicking on the article link below –

M&M Food Market – Gluten Free Meal Ideas – Gluten Free Diet

M&M Food Market, formerly known as M&M Meat Shops, is a Canadian frozen food retail chain. The company is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, and has locations in all ten provinces, the Yukon and Northwest Territories; the company formerly had operations in the Midwestern United States under the MyMenu brand that operated between 2008 and 2013.

If you have feedback for the team at M&M Food Markets you can visit the “Contact” page by clicking on the link below –

Contact Us

M&M Food Market, formerly known as M&M Meat Shops, is a Canadian frozen food retail chain. The company is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, and has locations in all ten provinces, the Yukon and Northwest Territories; the company formerly had operations in the Midwestern United States under the MyMenu brand that operated between 2008 and 2013.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

It’s amazing what can happen when you don’t go into a store for a few years.  I wasn’t aware of the huge steps M&M Food Markets had taken into the gluten free marketplace.  I remember hearing they had a cake, but because I was in the bakery business, I wasn’t in need of any more cake. 

What I see now is a very targeted effort to achieve their mandate of “real food for real life”, it’s very inclusive, and by that, I mean for us – gluten free us!  Ten or fifteen years ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine that we could easily find such an array of foods, ready to take home and either heat up or prepare for our families.  When I think back to some of the parents of newly diagnosed children, their greatest concerns were providing the types of food to their celiac child that other family members were enjoying.  They didn’t want to single out the celiac in the family and provide second rate food choices. 

Clearly, this should no longer be a concern.  I am amazed, every time I speak with a gluten free food producer as to their commitment to providing family-style food for everyday living that is comparable to or better than the gluten varieties on offer in most supermarkets.  It’s a tall order, and we have some very dedicated people and companies stepping up.  Some, like M&M Food Markets even go the extra mile to provide foods suitable for entertaining from finger food appetizers to decadent dessert collections. 

Thanks M&M Food Markets, and the array of other GF food producers for enhancing our quality of life with well crafted foods that are enjoyable to eat, and a pleasure to serve to others.  It’s our time, and I’m going to very gradually eat my way through it!