I was so excited to find the large loaves of Udi's Multi Grain gluten-free bread at Costco a few weeks ago. I spent $6.99, which I thought was a bargain at the time, for the big loaf. It was only when I got home did I realize that HALF THE LOAF was broken! It wasn't even really salvageable because not only were these slices broken, but there was a huge hole down the middle of these 10 slices... if I can even call them that! They were more like a broken bag of soft croutons. There was no full slice to be seen in this section of the loaf.
Here is what Udi's had to say in response to me posting the picture above on my Instagram page.
I was frustrated by this response. This was now going to be my THIRD time that I am contacting Udi's about a problem with their products. I've had problems with holey bread. I've had problems with hole-less bagels. When I pay anywhere from $4.99-$7.99 for bread or bagels, I expect higher quality. I did exactly what Suzanne suggested above and contacted Udi's with the picture of the Costco loaf along with these pictures from previous negative experiences.
Let's play guess the #glutenfree bread brand. Hint: holes through more than half the loaf to the point of crumbs. pic.twitter.com/BSLj6E4kCa
— Erin Smith (@gfreefun) June 19, 2014
@udisglutenfree I'm a fan but this is a #glutenfree bagel fail. Looks more like a misfit croissant. pic.twitter.com/VQO38PJphr
— Erin Smith (@gfreefun) April 3, 2014
As I did more digging, I realized I had posted multiple Udi's fails to my social media before.
Hey @udisglutenfree, what's up with this holey bread? So disappointing at $5.99 a loaf. #GlutenFree #Fail pic.twitter.com/jnh6NbYgvI
— Erin Smith (@gfreefun) August 13, 2013
@gfreefun: Hey @udisglutenfree, are these bagels or hamburger buns? Kind of disappointing purchase. #glutenfree pic.twitter.com/enENNyIl
— Erin Smith (@gfreefun) February 19, 2013
This is getting downright frustrating. I post the most obvious product failures, but it is becoming too many to count. On my first two emails to Udi's, I was sent free coupons for future products. Great. I can try more broken products but appreciated the gesture. I was hoping my third email with photo evidence of the faulty products would bring about more of a response as well as a solution to the problem. No such luck!
Here is what Udi's/Boulder Brands had to say just last week:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at Udi's. We always appreciate hearing from consumers who care enough to reach out to us with their comments or questions.
We regret that you had a negative experience with our Udi's Whole Grain Bread. Thank you for providing the packaging coding and photo so our Quality Control Department can look into this further.
We are passionate about offering the highest quality gluten free products that bring joy to our customers. The holes in our loaves of bread can be caused by a natural enzyme reaction with gluten free ingredients, we’ve invested in new equipment and just moved into a brand new facility to help address this. We thank you for your patience while we continue to strive for the best product possible.
We sincerely apologize and hope you will give us another chance. We are sending you two coupons for free UDI's product of your choice. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we're also sharing your comments with the appropriate departments within our organization. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.
Great, more coupons for a crappy product. I refuse to buy anymore Udi's until they fix this problem. In the meantime, I will use the free coupons. Hey, what's free is FREE! Let's hope this next loaf is usable for sandwiches and not a really expensive bag of gluten-free bird seed/bread crumbs. I do hope that Udi's new facility helps address this issue and that the holey bread goes away real fast.
What do you think? Do you still buy Udi's gluten-free products? Are you getting fed up too? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Labels: gluten-free, products, Udi's
21 Comments:
I've noticed the same thing! Not sure what's going on with them...a lot of the products I've noticed lately (regardless of store they were purchased from) have tasted extremely freezer-burned. Perhaps it's just coincidence but for the price of 4 measly muffins, I'd expect them to taste a little better. I made the switch to Rudi's bread a few months ago and have never been happier!
I've noticed the same problems with the bread but not wanting to waste an expensive product, I made bread pudding since I couldn't use the slices for sandwiches.
I tried to contact them about a horrendous experience I had in Florida with their pizza. I bought two Udi's pizzas (different toppings)at a Publix on Marco Island while on vacation. The point was to have something super easy and quick to fix before a wedding I was in. I opened it and the ENTIRE pizza was covered in mold. I am in the food industry, so I immediately realized that this was a temperature issue, a very, very long temperature issue. I contacted Publix and they took care of the problem right away, pulling all the pizzas there and at all publix's. It ended up in a (at least) regional recall of Udi's pizzas. Udi's NEVER contacted me back after leaving multiple messages. I was definitely less than impressed with their customer service!
THANK YOU!!!
I wasn't sure if I was being too picky because I've been experiencing broken slices, holes throughout the loaf as well as a freezer burn taste/texture.
Given that Udi's isn't new to the gluten-free food industry, it should be past this phase of rookie mistakes. With so many people experiencing the same issues, Udi's needs to seriously step up its quality control.
Udi's White Bread is generally the least hole-y of the bunch, at least in my experience - the Whole Grain bread usually fares a lot worse. And yeah, their bagels leave a lot to be desired. (Their bagels also make me feel a little gross, too, so maybe there's something going on with me besides gluten.)
I've had the same problem over and over again and at one point used the bread to make toad-in-the-hole -- where you drop an egg in and fry. But I've been disappointed with quality vs. price -- yet they are one of the most widely available brands.
Being a newly diagnosed Celiac, I was introduced to Udi's. I found a giant whole in every slice in every loaf from Trader Joe's. I just want a "normal" sandwich again. Why are the slices half the size of a regular slice? I'm certainly not on a diet! I need to eat two sandwiches just to feel full. Thank you for your post. Now I know its not just me that is frustrated with holes in tiny slices of bread!
I too have been increasingly disappointed with Udi's products. Many of the same problems you have posted. I have stopped purchasing and now look for Canyon Bakehouse bread products. Far superior and the closest I have ever found to traditional bread.
Same here; broken in useless pieces and holes big enough that we can't make sandwiches with Udi's bread. How does one "break bread" so it is rendered in such pieces? Only Udi knows. They have a problem and it isn't being addressed in a timely, professional manner. It's not the nature of GF bread. When I bake a loaf, I don't have these problems. Occasionally I'll have a bubble but nothing to the extent as your pictures show. I've never been kept from making what I want when I bake my own. Wake up, Udi's. Without your happy consumers, Udi's is out of business.
Addressing their last response, I think their response is professional and that they are handling it correctly...there's nothing more they can really offer you. That being said, since you are having repeated problems with their products, it would seem that they are not addressing the issues, or have not figured out yet how to fix the problems. You should not have to be put in the same predicament each time...how annoying!I suggest you find another brand.
I've had this problem a couple of times with Udi's bread too, and even got a similar response to you about them moving into a new facility with new equipment -- although that was sometime last year. (Just tried searching for the email to find exactly when but couldn't find it easily.) I have tried Canyon Bakehouse bread and definitely like it better. Reminds me of the kind of bread I used to eat before being diagnosed with celiac.
I got really excited when I bought a bag of bagels that tasted great. So I purchased 2 bags of bagels ,white bread,3 udis pizzas and was disappointed to find the lack of consistency in sizes as well as no holes in bagels but found that the holes were in the sandwich breads lol I did enjoy one of the pizzas the other two were so freezer burned in taste that I ended up throwing away thr rest of the pizzas. I was looking forward to the Expo that will be here in Dallas so I could talk to someone. A rep from udis.
Thank you all for your feedback! I am so happy that I am not alone here, especially being attacked by an Udi's fan on Twitter this morning!
To the commenter who said they were hoping to talk to an Udi's rep, good luck! I got in a very heated argument with someone from Udi's at one of the trade shows. He told me it would be fine for me to eat the granola even though I have a problem with GF oats. He insisted that GF oats were safe. I told him while they were ok for some people, NO OATS are safe for me. I have a reaction no matter what. He told me that was impossible. Um, what?!
I am so happy I found this post. I thought I was going crazy with all of the bad loafs of bread I was buying (not cheaply) from Udi's. I thought it was just me, but it makes me feel better that it is widespread. I have also noticed that their bread gets stale very quickly now. I used to be able to eat it without heating it up which is why I loved it so much, but now I have to microwave it or toast it to make it edible. Did Udi's change hands and is that what has caused these issues? Very disappointing. Thanks for the post.
My favorite GF bread is Three Bakers. It is far superior to Udi's. I find it in the freezer department at Stop & Shop, Caraluzzi's, and some local health food stores. Whole Foods does not carry it. It is sturdy and does not have holes in it. I usually buy the Whole Grain Style Mock Rye Bread and the hamburger buns. My kids, who live out of state, love the bread and devour it when they visit.
I think it is sad that you are this angry about the bread. I have to eat gluten free bread as well and I am very grateful that Udis has made a bread that actually tastes good as most gf products suck. is it the worst thing I have ever heard that a bagel doesn't have a hole in it?... get real - it just shows that this is not some over processed 'cloned' piece of rubbish that people eat - try making a bagel yourself
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Dear Anonymous. I really wish you left your name and email address so I could contact you directly. Anyway, I have been eating gluten-free for 33 years because I have celiac disease. I've paid anywhere from $4.99 to $8.99 a loaf for Udi's. When I am paying 400% more on a loaf of gluten-free bread, I would expect a quality product. When I continue to get holey bread from a company, I would rather than spend my money on a sub-par product. There are many other companies out there making gluten-free bread that doesn't have holes in it. I am just not sure why Udi's is hit or miss with their quality.
Hole Grain Bread.
I don't get your attitude toward Udis. We live in a free trade society. If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's obviously very difficult to create a consistent GF bread without making it rock hard and I personally prefer holes over tough dough.
@Guy, I don't buy Udi's anymore. I cannot justify buying a loaf of bread for anywhere from $5.99-8.99 only to find more than half of it to be air bubbles. If you like to pay for air, that's completely your choice. Not me.
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