Whole Foods closing some UK stores

The Whole Foods market in Giffnock is closing down.
While I feel sorry for the people who will lose their jobs, I have a small measure of glee at this news because I worked there for a couple of months when they first opened, and it was horrendous.  One of the worst... if not THE worst... jobs I've ever had the misfortune to do.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-41886415

I wish I had one near me.  My allergy riddled family could keep them on business!

I wish I had one near me.  My allergy riddled family could keep them on business!

Yes. I will have a fun time finding all new safe foods that also taste good and which flour replacements work well in recipes. The things I got at planet organic were expensive and not as good as my local supermarket here in the states

I have a friend who has worked at Whole Foods here for years and absolutely loves it, but I'm guessing like all retail the managers make or break the morale of employees (since it's always dealing with customers, sometimes very difficult ones!)


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Yes. I will have a fun time finding all new safe foods that also taste good and which flour replacements work well in recipes. The things I got at planet organic were expensive and not as good as my local supermarket here in the states

I have a friend who has worked at Whole Foods here for years and absolutely loves it, but I'm guessing like all retail the managers make or break the morale of employees (since it's always dealing with customers, sometimes very difficult ones!)


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I can help you navigate some of that stuff.  I may bend your ear about USA products as we travel with a suitcase of food when we go to the US!

That's interesting. The Whole Foods Amazon factor is really fascinating.  I think it the US, the prices initially dropped, but they're up even higher in places now. 

It will take a bit of searching Margo, but so many of the supermarkets have more and more stuff these days.  Holland and Barrett are good for a chain and if you have a local health food store, they should be able to help as well. 

I am so lucky to have the Highland Wholefoods Workers Co-Op which has all kinds of good stuff.   What they don't have is the Mozzarisella rice milk cheese that my husband really likes. (And our independant health food store only has the smokey one).  So I order this online through a Vegan website.  Shipping is expensive up this way, so I stock up. 

I really feel for anyone who needs to buy allergy free foods, because they're so darn expensive.  I think you can get some gluten free foods on prescription if you're  Coeliac.  Certainly can in Scotland, but depends on the trust elsewhere, I believe. 

They've been phasing out the prescription food for Coeliacs.  No idea if our area still has it or not.  We are of the mindset that we don't use the program as we can afford to buy the food.  I'd rather the program stays open to those less fortunate!

But yeah.  £3.20 for a 400g loaf of bread is pants.  And my daughter's milk is £1.39 a litre.

Right now, I'm still breastfeeding the baby.  He has an alternative formula that is dairy and soya free on prescription for as needed.  But I'll be returning to work before long and he'll need to go on formula basically full time (I'd like to still breastfeed twice a day if able).  I am sooooo scared that they'll stop his formula!!  My paediatrician is writing the GP a letter as they will only give me 1 tin of milk at a time (versus a one month supply as they are supposed to do).  It sucks when you can't just walk into a store and buy what your baby needs!!!  And yes, there are areas in England that are stopping prescription milk.  It's scary!

They've been phasing out the prescription food for Coeliacs.  No idea if our area still has it or not.  We are of the mindset that we don't use the program as we can afford to buy the food.  I'd rather the program stays open to those less fortunate!

But yeah.  £3.20 for a 400g loaf of bread is pants.  And my daughter's milk is £1.39 a litre.

Right now, I'm still breastfeeding the baby.  He has an alternative formula that is dairy and soya free on prescription for as needed.  But I'll be returning to work before long and he'll need to go on formula basically full time (I'd like to still breastfeed twice a day if able).  I am sooooo scared that they'll stop his formula!!  My paediatrician is writing the GP a letter as they will only give me 1 tin of milk at a time (versus a one month supply as they are supposed to do).  It sucks when you can't just walk into a store and buy what your baby needs!!!  And yes, there are areas in England that are stopping prescription milk.  It's scary!

Allergy care in some parts of the U.K. is down right scary. The consultant letters aren't written by their staff and often wrong as a result, and in some CCG's the GP's will no longer prescribe epi pens for people who have anaphylaxis. One woman I know experiences it a few times a year and her allergy consultant who confirmed the allergies a couple years ago wrote to her GP that she doesn't have anaphylaxis and then refused to see her again, and won't give her any new epi pens even after a hospital stay for it. Horrifying, and people will die as a result of that policy. (Others in the same area are also struggling, that was just an extreme and awful case.)

In the US you're starting to see more allergy friendly formulas available in stores but I would definitely feel safer getting it through the dr. I mostly don't eat prepared GF foods because I react to other ingredients in them, but the flours tend to all behave slightly differently when made my diff brands. So it'll just be a period of slight baking fails and adjustments - probably need to find UK based bloggers with solid recipes that are for the same things I love


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Allergy care in some parts of the U.K. is down right scary. The consultant letters aren't written by their staff and often wrong as a result, and in some CCG's the GP's will no longer prescribe epi pens for people who have anaphylaxis. One woman I know experiences it a few times a year and her allergy consultant who confirmed the allergies a couple years ago wrote to her GP that she doesn't have anaphylaxis and then refused to see her again, and won't give her any new epi pens even after a hospital stay for it. Horrifying, and people will die as a result of that policy. (Others in the same area are also struggling, that was just an extreme and awful case.)

In the US you're starting to see more allergy friendly formulas available in stores but I would definitely feel safer getting it through the dr. I mostly don't eat prepared GF foods because I react to other ingredients in them, but the flours tend to all behave slightly differently when made my diff brands. So it'll just be a period of slight baking fails and adjustments - probably need to find UK based bloggers with solid recipes that are for the same things I love


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Dove is the go to flour for most home bakers of gf food here.  Start there!