Are your products organic?

Yes. Home Free cookies are certified as more than 70% organic, and the coffee cakes are USDA organic certified as more than 95% organic. All of our baked goods are certified organic by the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food. Most of the ingredients we offer are also certified organic. You can learn more about the value of organic food at www.ota.com/organic.html.

Do you use any genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s)?

No.

Are your products certified Kosher?

Yes. We are "OK" certified as Kosher Pareve. The pareve means that none of our ingredients, products, or equipment has ever had contact with any dairy product.

Is there soy protein in your products?

The only soy ingredient we have in our facility is soy lecithin, which we use in small quantities in all of our baked products except for our oatmeal cookies. Soy lecithin at times can contain small amounts of soy protein. Most, but not all, people with soy allergies are able to tolerate small amounts of soy lecithin. Please consult with your physician to determine what makes sense for you.

Are your products free of wheat?

We do not use wheat in any of our products or in our facility. However, for those for whom traces of wheat could be a concern, please note that our grains are processed in shared facilities with wheat. Further, due to agricultural practices in this country, oats often contain traces of wheat.

Are your products gluten free?

Our baked products are not gluten free, since we bake with barley flour, which contains gluten, and oat flour, which in this country can contain traces of wheat. For those who avoid barley but eat oats, our oatmeal cookies contain only oats. Also, there are many wonderful gluten-free recipes in our baking cookbook!

What flours are in the cookbook recipes?

The recipes call for varied flours. Some recipes use gluten-free flours such as rice and quinoa, some use barley and oats, and some use spelt. Because spelt is in the wheat family and is therefore an allergen for those with true wheat allergies, we do not have it in our facility. However, it can be a wonderful wheat substitute for many of the people who avoid or have sensitivities to wheat. For those who do not have wheat allergies or sensitivities, wheat can be used in the cookbook in place of spelt if desired. If you scroll down in the table of contents, you can see which flours are used in each recipe.

Are there seeds in your products or cookbook recipes?

Our dedicated facility has no seeds. There are two recipes in the cookbook that call for seeds, but in each case the seeds are optional. The ingredient label of our individually wrapped chocolate chip cookie now reads: organic oleic safflower/sunflower oil. However, we have never used sunflower oil, do not have it in our facility, and do not intend to use it! We put it on the wrap because of past and anticipated shortages of organic safflower oil. If we are ever unable to obtain that oil, we need a way to continue providing our chocolate chip cookies! If that ever happens, we will write it here. Otherwise, the oil will always be safflower.

Are your products free of corn?

We have no corn in our facility. However, there is a small amount of corn starch in the baking powder in all but the oatmeal cookies and possible traces of corn in another minor ingredient.

Do you take any precautions with regard to latex allergies?

Yes. We understand that many people with food allergies may also be allergic to latex. We therefore use only non-latex gloves in our kitchen.

Do you take any steps beyond not using the major food allergens in your ingredients to minimize risk of cross-contamination?

Yes. As the mother of a child with multiple food allergies, I set up the facility and the entire production process the way I would want done for my child. Please see Our Kitchen for the many careful details.

The ingredients of the coffee cake seem so nutritious, and the cake isn't very sweet. So why are the calories and sugar I see on the nutrition panel so high?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a regulation for what it calls "heavy" cakes - cakes that are more than 35% by weight fruit or vegetables. Our coffee cakes are actually more than 40% fruit and fruit juice! Because the cakes are so nutrient dense, the FDA has its own definitions for the serving size. In this case, they require us to define 1/8 of the cake (rather than the 1/16th of the cake I generally serve) as one serving. Actually, you might find yourself wanting to eat that much. If you do, you can feel good about eating cake that has no cholesterol or trans fat, is made from 100% whole grain, and has iron and calcium too.

Why do these products cost more than what I am used to in the supermarket?

In order to have the highest possible control over the quality and allergy safety of our products we do not do the common, significantly less expensive practice of contracting with “co-packers,” where someone else bakes and packages the products in a kitchen shared with other products. Rather, we have our own dedicated facility for our products only. In this way we can design and supervise every aspect of staff, equipment, ingredients, baking and packaging. Then we make our products from high quality, wholesome ingredients including 100% whole grain flours, natural chocolate and cocoa powder, apple sauce, fruit juice, and non-hydrogenated oils. Further, most of our ingredients are certified organic. We source all of our ingredients with great care, always choosing allergen safety over price. Additionally we conduct allergen testing for peanut, almond, egg, and milk protein on every batch of ingredients as well as on random batches of finished product. Finally, we bake in small batches, take time for allergy education, and donate regularly to food pantries and to allergy related organizations. All this so you can feel home free with “treats you can trust!”

What is the shelf life of HomeFree products?

Our cookies are wrapped to stay fresh for about 3 months in the cupboard. But a cookie is always best when freshest, so, if you don’t plan to gobble your cookies up within a couple of weeks, we recommend storing them in the freezer where they will keep for about 6 months. The cakes will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. They are best stored frozen until ready to eat -- their texture will be best the first day or two after thawing. The cakes slice easily while frozen for easy single serve snacking.

Do you ship outside the United States?

As a young company, we do not yet export to stores. However, we do ship the cookbook to individuals internationally. We can also ship the cookies and ingredients to individuals, but depending on the country, it is possible for there to be challenges at customs. Please e-mail us for shipping rates.

Do you offer your products in bulk, such as for schools and other food service?

Absolutely. And to support schools’ and other non-profits’ efforts to support our children, we offer discounted bulk rates to keep the cookies as affordable as possible for all of the children. HomeFree cookies, some of which even meet SB-19 nutritional guidelines, provide a terrific solution for schools and other institutions: With HomeFree, our children can be included when treats are served, the parents love how wholesome they are, and the kids without allergies love them too.

Why do the cake boxes say “Gak’s Snacks” rather than “HomeFree?”

Our company began with the name Gak’s Snacks. There are two reasons we still use that name, for now, on some items. First, as an environmentally caring company, we are trying to use rather than waste some of our remaining Gak’s packaging. Second, of the many people who have come to love our products as “Gak’s Snacks, some are very young children. We thought that keeping some Gak’s packaging for a while might help them realize that Gak’s still exists even as we transition to our new name and package design.