Hello Reader,

Many of you have kids heading back to school this week - as do I. My daughter started her senior year in high school, and my son starts his junior year at the Colorado School of Mines. Welp. 🥹

Nothing like growing kids to make you realize how fast time flies.

With all the back-to-school talk, I figured it was time to announce the theme for my September Love Me Gluten Free box, which is "Honor Roll Foods."

I'm featuring foods that make the grade this year - lots of lunchbox treats and easy meals. This box is a savory feast with a few sweet treats peppered in!

​Reserve your September box today, while supplies last. Use the code LOVEME10 for $10 off any subscription (new customers only).

Another Gluten-Detecting Device Bites the Dust

Once upon a time, I was thrilled about consumer testing devices like the Nima Sensor and Allergy Amulet. I thought, “Hey, this is the future! Testing allergens at home!”

But it looks like these devices are struggling to stay afloat.

I’m not sure if it’s a busted business model, the brutal medical device industry, or if all the negative energy from the gluten-free community is what really sunk these once-beloved brands.

Let’s dive into what’s going on:

(1) First up, Allergy Amulet. Back in August 2024, they announced they’d secured $6 million in funding and were ready to launch their gluten and allergen-detecting devices to their waitlist.

Fast forward to this week ... the company sent out a “we’ve decided to pause our consumer launch” email, and they're refunding all pre-orders. They said they will “reach out” when they have a firm timing for a consumer launch. I'm not buying it.

(2) Then there’s my once-beloved Nima. In July, Nima sent an email saying, “Your voice matters!” and launched a survey to get our feedback so they could “think differently, improve, and serve us better.” Classic.

But wait—after that? The website vanishes, only to be later replaced by nimanow.com with zero redirects and no communication. Crazy!!

Since new leadership took over in 2020, Nima has been a slow-motion crash-and-burn. It's impossible to order new test capsules, which renders the device useless.

Dave DellaFave, who once said he was the CEO and “founder” of Nima Partners (spoiler: he’s not the founder of the device, just the investor group that took it over), is now “Head of Commercial Operations.” I'm not sure who is leading Nima now, but the failing brand needs help.

(3) Then there’s LEO. Honestly, it's the device that has the most potential because it’s run by actual leaders in our community who live and breathe the gluten-free lifestyle.

But let’s be real, the device is still a bit flawed, and you can read about my testing concerns here. Here’s hoping they make some adjustments because this one could be a game-changer with a bit of zhuzhing.

(4) And of course, let’s not forget dear old Allis. Many of us ordered this device in 2021, which promised great things, and then it shut down quicker than you can say “refund.” What a colossal waste of time and money. I never did get my money back.

So, what’s the takeaway here?

Well, it seems that the dream of at-home allergen testing is still, sadly, just that—a dream. While some of these devices showed great potential (and I once dearly loved my Nima), the realities of the gluten-free testing market have proven to be far more complex than once realized. I wish I had better news...

Life's a Peach 🍑

Okay, I admit it—I may have gotten a little carried away at the farmer's market on Sunday. Fresh peaches, mint, and some gorgeous specialty cheeses from a celiac-friendly vendor were calling my name, and who am I to say no?

I ended up turning my haul into this amazing lunch board that I demolished all by myself (no regrets).

Here's what made it so good:

• Crunchmaster Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers
• A slice of Vino White Cheddar I picked up at the market 🧀
• Fresh peach slices 🍑
• A sprinkle of chopped mint 🌿
• A drizzle of really good balsamic (though honey works beautifully too if you want something sweeter)

The combination was just perfect—fancy enough to feel special but so simple to put together. Sometimes the best meals happen when you let good ingredients do the talking.

I captured the whole thing in a Reel if you want to see how it came together, and a huge thank you to Crunchmaster for sponsoring this post and making great crackers that served as the inspiration for it all.

New Episode Alert

I loved loved loved interviewing Trish Thomas, the co-founder and CEO of Every Body Eat. She leads a top allergen-free snack food brand and is a professor of entrepreneurship at Northwestern.

Trish not only shares her origin story, but she also discusses the realities of building a gluten-free business today - and why most food brands fail. It's a raw look inside this hard-to-crack industry.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts - thank you for your support!

Episode 14: Every Body Eat U... Aug 13 · Gluten Free Unwrapped 49:24   ​

New Bakery Alert!

I get alerts and emails from readers when new gluten-free bakeries pop up, and this week, four new bakeries hit my inbox.

If you live near any of these bakeries, give them your support! I also added all of them to my list of 300+ gluten-free bakeries that you can support, too.

• ​Cake It Easy, a new dedicated gluten-free bakery, has just opened this week in Logan, Utah.
• ​Estelle is a new bakery (opened last May) near Springfield, Oregon, just two hours from Portland.
• ​Southern Delights by Michele celebrated a grand reopening this week in Abilene, Texas.
• A new bakery called Sweet Impastries opened in Gilbert, Arizona, earlier this month.

That's all for this week! "See" you next time...

Sincerely,

Jenny

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Order a Love Me Gluten Free Subscription Box - our September box is now available.

Listen to the Gluten Free Unwrapped podcast.

Read about my journey to break up with gluten in my book, Dear Gluten, It's Not Me, It's You.

Go gluten-free fast - enroll in my SIGNATURE Gluten-Free Course.

Visit Good For You Gluten Free for more tips and recipes to help you live your best gluten-free life.