Does Aldi Have Gluten-Free Bread?

If you're lucky enough to have an Aldi nearby, you're probably already obsessed with the budget supermarket (maybe you're even lucky enough to live in the state that has the most Aldi stores). Aldi consistently ranks the lowest in price comparisons to other grocery stores, including low-cost favorites like Walmart and Target. Customers love Aldi for its budget prices, but they also can't get enough of its high-quality snacks, meat, and produce (just don't forget to bring a quarter for the shopping cart – you can even get a cute keychain to carry it!). But is it a good place to shop if you have special dietary needs, like a gluten-free diet?

If you can't consume gluten, you don't have to shop a bigger (and more expensive) grocery store to get you what you need – Aldi has both white and whole wheat gluten-free bread, and even provides shoppers with a gluten-free bagel option. Aldi sells these gluten-free baked goods under an in-house brand, liveGfree, which also offers products like gluten-free pastas, donuts, and frozen food. Along with being certified gluten-free, Aldi's liveGfree bread is kosher, vegan, and non-GMO. A two-slice serving of liveGfree white bread has 170 calories, 35 grams of carbs, and five grams of sugar for two slices.  Nutritionally, it's a little higher in calories and carbs than Aldi's other white bread, L'oven Fresh, which contains gluten and has 130 calories, 25 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of sugar for two slices. 

These days, "gluten-free" might just seem like another trendy buzzword, but the truth is that some people suffer from gluten allergies and intolerances, and cutting out gluten can impact their lives in a positive way. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It naturally occurs in many foods, but can also be added to foods as a thickening agent, flavoring, or even coloring. Many people can happily eat gluten and enjoy the health benefits, but it can cause extreme discomfort in some and even make a few very sick. People with Celiac disease shouldn't eat gluten at all. This autoimmune disease causes the body to go into defense mode when gluten enters the system, which can lead to damage of the small intestines. Today's gluten-free baked goods are often made with alternative flours, which might give the finished product a different texture than we're used to.

Aldi only stocks about 1,400 products (most grocery stores carry over 37,000 items), so the inclusion of gluten-free products is all the more significant. Aldi's lifeGfree products are all certified to contain fewer than 10 parts per million gluten. The FDA requires food to have fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten to wear the gluten-free label, so Aldi goes above and beyond with its gluten-free line. 

The best way to confirm if a product is gluten-free is to check the packaging for a gluten-free label. In 2014, the FDA mandated that all food with a gluten-free label meet certain requirements in order to ensure that brands were meeting the same minimum standards before labeling products gluten-free.