Coles ditches gluten free chips but brings in new ones
Posted: January 19, 2024 Updated: January 19, 2024
In 2023 Coles brand oven chips became harder and harder to find on the shelves. Much loved in the gluten free community, these GF by ingredient chips were tasty and best value for money.
In the last few months of 2023 I saw numerous posts in gluten free Facebook groups asking for advice on where to find good gluten free oven chips. Coles brand had been the go to for many coeliac families for years. But according to one Facebook user who spoke to Coles it was confirmed, they were being deleted.
Like many others across Australia these were my go to chip at home as well! I tried out some other brands, one was so bad I had to throw it out!
Out with the old, in with the new
So you’d imagine my surprise when strolling through the supermarket freezer aisle I spotted not one but three Coles branded chips in the chip section.
Picking them up and reading the ingredients, every single one is gluten free by ingredient. In all three the ingredients are potato and sunflower oil. This means they are vegan as well, which is fabulous for those folks who have a dairy intolerance with their coeliac / gluten intolerance.
Slightly higher price but much more choice
Coles brand chips retailed at $3.70 per kilo making it one of the cheapest on the market for gluten free chips.
The new ones that have arrived are priced at $4.00 per kilogram. So about 10% more, but that seems pretty reasonable given some of the price hikes we’ve seen over the last few years.
If you’ve seen my gluten free chips in Australia article you’ll know just how high chip prices can go.
One big change
The big change with the new chips is the country of origin. Coles straight cut chips were made with Australian potatoes – it had this in big letters across the packet.
Checking out these new ones they are all ‘packed in Belgium from imported ingredients.’ Before you get any outrage about imported spuds, most of the low-cost oven chips in Australia are from Belgium. Aldi chips are certainly from Belgium and going by the varieties I suspect these Coles chips are from the same facility.
Coles gluten free chips
Meet your new gluten free frozen chips at Coles. I’ll put full details and prices on my guide frozen chips that are gluten free in Oz. But here’s what you need to look for in the freezer section.
French fries
Straight cut
Crinkle cut
Hungry for more gluten free food? Check out my incredibly popular gluten free shopping guides!