Alisa Fleming ~ Perhaps you will recall some hype last year about a new line of products slated to emerge from one of the most popular allergen-free manufacturers, Enjoy Life Foods. Well, the release was delayed, but the new ELF products have finally arrived and were announced with excitement at Expo West 2011.
We’ll discuss the new delights in just a moment, but to build up some suspense, I’m going to offer some background information on Enjoy Life Foods. ELF is one of the few “allergen-free” manufacturers, which means their products are free of the “big eight” food allergens (dairy, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish), and they take it a step further with a strict gluten-free policy. In fact, their production plant is dedicated gluten-free and nut-free. Alas, there is dairy produced within the plant, but not on the ELF lines, and they rigorously test to ensure the products stay allergen-safe. You can read more about their policies here.
Okay, back to that announcement … Enjoy Life already produces and distributes a broad line of foods to over 9000 natural food and grocery stores throughout the U.S., but they have expanded their list of products from 26 to 32 with these 6 new products:
Crunchy Cookies
“Crispy, crunchy and completely delicious! Enjoy these handcrafted cookies for dessert, or during snack time!”
This new line is available in 4 flavors …

Vanilla Honey Graham
Sugar Crisp
Chocolate Chip
Double Chocolate
Double Chocolate Crunch Granola
“Loaded with Enjoy Life’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips in every single bite, this granola is great with a bowl of rice milk, or right out of the bag!”

This is a sweet addition to their already existing granola line that includes Cinnamon Crunch, Cranapple Crunch, and Very Berry Crunch.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks
“Rich, smooth, and craveable, our chocolate chunks are the perfect addition to any recipe. Enjoy in your favorite dessert, or even by the handful.”

These are dairy-, nut-, AND soy-free. Oh, and just in case you don’t notice, their equally awesome mini chips have a snazzy new package …

Since the products were just announced, they may take some time to roll out to the stores, but you can expect to see them locally (and online) as 2011 progresses. We have yet to taste-test these products, but preliminary reviews from Expo West have been nothing but raves.
Article by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org, blogger at Alisa Cooks, and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.