Gluten Free Section ‘Yesterday’
It was a little more than five years ago that Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle revamped select stores in Columbus, Ohio – including my “home” store. A key feature in the then remodel was creating a dedicated store-in-store Health & Wellness section. As part of this initiative, the retailer added a gluten free aisle, or more accurately about half an aisle, in the wellness section (photo).
The gluten free aisle was outfitted with a dedicated cooler that featured a small selection of frozen items (photo). At the time I thought, “How great. My 
own small piece of paradise.” Now looking back, it was probably this move – my everyday grocer adding an increasing number of gluten-free items to its assortment – that was the beginning of the end of my routine trips to Whole Foods or another ‘healthy specialist’ to stock up on gluten free. Why make an extra shopping trip when most of my special dietary essentials can now be found under one roof?
While I applaud Giant Eagle for carrying an expanded assortment of gluten free foods, there’s one thing that’s always bugged me: the retailer’s placement of gluten free foods in Health & Wellness, the place shoppers primarily go seeking OTC products like Tylenol, Tums and throat lozenges. While celiac disease and gluten intolerance are chronic and serious medical conditions, there’s no “magic pill” to be found in the OTC aisle. We’re not talking colds, coughs and congestion here. The only form of treatment is adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. This fundamentally means eating clean, unprocessed foods like fresh fruits & vegetables, fresh unseasoned meats, nuts & legumes, and an assortment of grains made from corn, potato and rice (among others). Hey – all things found in the “regular” grocery aisles! (For more on what’s safe for celiacs to eat, see The Celiac Foundation’s What Can I Eat?)
Gluten Free Section ‘Today’
So let’s fast forward to present day. My Giant Eagle has once again just undergone its standard five-year remodel. Besides having to learn the new location of just about everything in the store, the most noticeable difference to this gluten-free shopper is the new home for all my gluten free staples. I am here to declare that gluten free foods have now been given their rightful home (at least in my Giant Eagle) in the center store, residing side-by-side with all the “regular” foods (photo).
Key Takeaways
- My read: This is Giant Eagle’s acknowledgement that gluten free has indeed reached mainstream status. No longer is it relegated to a corner in the “wellness” section (i.e., where sick people shop).
- Instead, gluten free can now stand on its own in the center store for all consumers to see, buy and enjoy. (Or perhaps management and staff just got tired of the growing host of shoppers asking, “Where’s the gluten free?”)
- Whatever the reason for the change, consider it another huge step for celiacs and other gluten intolerant shoppers.