Just a quick note: apparently Genius brown bread is now available from the GFF Direct website. Here’s the link direct to the GFF Direct Genius Brown Bread page.
Because it is a fresh product with a short shelf life, they’ll only be sending it out once a week. That seems sensible…
  |
I’ve written a book summarising what we’ve learnt over 20 years of dealing with the gluten free diet, and it might be just what you’re looking for. It packs the lessons we’ve learned into what I hope is a helpful and straightforward guidebook. It’s available on Amazon, as a paperback or for your Kindle… |
I have sent an e-mail to Genius suggesting that other outlets other than Tesco would be a great advantage to those who shop at other supermarkets particularly the elderly who would be less likely to visit another shop just for their loaf of bread. Most towns and cities have several outlets which would serve many many coeliacs and other patients who have a gluten intolerance.
Colleen Antrobus
Genius bread is brilliant lets hope it makes it onto the preScription form ASAP
I understood this breadd was now available on prescription but my doctor refuses to prescribe it. I have been getting it from Tesco and eating it without any ill effectsbut she said it ismore than her job is worth to prescribe it. I am a pensioner and although I will sacrifice anything to get this marvellous breead, it would be good to have it on prscription. You sent me a handout to take to my doctor which I did, to no avail.
Hello Eileen
It looks as though the Genius bread is available on prescription but at your doctor’s discretion. I don’t know why your doctor wouldn’t prescribe it…
I think you must have got the handout from Genius themselves; this page (http://www.geniusglutenfree.com/about-genius/news/article/genius-on-prescription) discusses a handout that you can take to your doctor.
Lets hope that Genius manage to get onto the proper list next time round, which will be Spring 2010.
I am officially in love with genius bread! :) You can get it in wholefoods now
In Wholefoods? Thanks for letting us know.
Yes, Genius does seem to be doing well – there was an article about Lucinda in the business pages of the Sunday Times this week.
I live in France but can get English food products at Brittains store at Valbonne in the south of France..any chance of getting it there? After four years managing without bread it would be so good to taste it again. Is it possible to get the recipe perhaps? All the recipes tried so far are not very nice and I have tried so many. Otherwise please get it into the many dietetique shops here (Soleil Bio for example). A lot of people would be very grateful.
Could genius please tell me if genius bread is available on prescription or not.
The handout for doctors that is referred to online is no longer available.
My pharmacist advises that it is not listed on their prescription list.
Please advise someone.
David – Another commenter, Jean, writes over here that she is getting this bread on prescription. Worth asking your doctor?
Valerie – I asked Genius, and they kindly replied to say: “Unfortunately Genius bread is only available in the UK at the moment and we have only just launched the products into the supermarkets here. It would be great to see the bread available across the other parts of the world and we hope to make the bread as widely available as possible, however it will take time for us to make this happen. We can’t promise anything at this stage, but please sign up to our newsletter on our website, http://www.geniusglutenfree.com, to be kept up to date with all the latest developments.”
I find this bread that is sliced is ideal for my wife as she is wheat intolerant
sainsbury now sell this product sliced but as it is so expensive for us pensioners it would be ideal for it to be on prescription
as soon as possible
Genius bread loaves are also available at Sainsbury’s – and a whole lot more expensive than the same product at Tesco’s. How come? I get mine from Tesco’s and have found that the bakery department are more than happy to slice it for me – how good is that?
I was diagnosed Coeliac back in 1967, as an adult. At that time the only GF bread came in tins. It smelt foul and tasted worse. Sine then things have changed and I must have tried most of the GF breads, both on and off prescription.
Genius is, by a fair margin, the best GF bread I have evr come across. Luckily, it is available at a Tesco not far away and I can pick up a loaf or two when I do the shopping. On prescription would be nice, but it’s worth paying for it if you can run to the expense.
I was diagnosed Coeliac as an adukt, back in 1967. At that time the only GF bread available came in tins. It smelt foul and tasted worse. Things have improved immeasurably since than. I must have tried nearly all the gF breads available, both on and off prescription.
Some of them are very acceptable but, for me, Genius is the best by a fair measure. It is a real pleasure to est it. Fortunately, I can pick up a loaf or two at a Tesco where I shop regularly.
On prescription would be nice but,if you can run to the expense, it’s really woth getting it.
Hello Christine
Thank you for the information and yes, the bread should retail at the same price at each supermarket!
Regards
Colleen
Hi Michael – I’m so glad we’ve never had to use the tinned bread! It sounds horrible.
Christine – it’s very kind of Tesco to slice the bread for you. My concern would be about the risk of cross-contamination, and getting gluten-breadcrumbs onto the gluten-free bread. Though I suppose its easy enough to clean the slicing machine…
Am looking for someone in England willing to mail Genius bread to me in Virginia, USA. I tried it on my last trip to UK in June. I will pay you for your time in addition to paying all expenses of packing and shipping. Please get in touch with Laura at stokowski@cox.net Thank you
Hi just seen genius on sale in a sainsbury local in freshwater I.O.W for £3.19. 50p dearer than in the main store 8 miles away. Why are stores so gready in making poor coeliac’s pay through the nose when it was the only option they sell.
Hi Gordon. Have you seen that Genius are now selling their bread direct, via an online shop? The link is here: http://geniusglutenfree.myshopify.com/
I checked on the gluten free food update for Sept and Genius fresh unsliced bread white or brown is now available on prescription. At last a proper slice of bread. There is also confirmation of this on the Genius website.
I hate the incessant message that only supermarkets are “good enough”. We have stocked Genius Breads since Autumn last year and I am sure many other independents have, too.
We are committed to providing good food. Supermarkets are committed to selling what’s profitable for only as long as it remains profitable. That difference is quite pronounced and carries through to all of our products, food and otherwise.
At our request Genius kindly changed their web to list independents before the various supermarkets as outlets. Look around – everywhere else the big boys get the first plug and real people come a poor second. “Thank you”, Genius.
We suffered our usual disadvantage within the retail industry: we could not buy Genius breads as cheaply as Asda (the first to stock them, I believe) were selling them, nor, it should be noted, did all of the Asda/Tesco stores stock Genius – they are very geographically selective about where they think their stock will sell (rather than where coeliacs might be). But, having seen it all before – e.g. Cafe Direct – our commitment carries us through.
I’m not asking anyone reading this for sympathy (no one made us become retailers) nor am I asking for people to abandon big business, I just want people to have an understanding of what their spending actually buys.
Thanks for reading.
Hello to The Green Shop.
Thanks for your comment. How interesting that Genius have reordered their suppliers page! Good for you/them.
Small independent outlets are at a disadvantage, and if we’re lucky enough to have a good provider of gluten free foods near us, we should definitely support them.
Where are you? Do you have a web address you would share?
Oops! I meant stockists, not suppliers! Thanks to The Green Shop for pointing this slip-of-the-keyboard out…
In case anyone is in the area, The Green Shop is in Berwick upon Tweed.
30 Bridge Street
Berwick upon Tweed
Northumberland
TD15 1AQ
Hi,i have had several poor quality genius loaves recently,with the uncut loaves having a whole right through the loaf,genius have told me that they have moved the production site and all should be well in the future,my concern is now that genius is on prescription the loaves will go down in quality owing to the ammount that will be ordered,i hope not.I must say though genius did send me 2 vouchers to replace the loaves. John
Hi John
I’m sorry to hear that your Genius loaves have been of poor quality. I’ve had this response from another reader which you might find interesting:
Hello,
Thank you for your comment on the quality of your Genius loaves.
Just to say I have also tried a loaf called ‘Honest’ which normally is quite delicious and £2.07 per loaf. However, I have just eaten a loaf which had a large hole right down the middle. Possibly this is a fault in the kneading of the dough before proofing and baking at both bakeries!
Yes, lets hope the standard remains the same, it should, as the company will be compensated by the NHS instead of the private sector.
CJA
Thank heavens for Genius bread. Both my husband and myself eat and enjoy it. I just stay off wheat, as I am better without it, my husband is diabetic, and like me, enjoys Genius, and neither of us feel bloated, as with normal bread.It is also delicious, like bread used to taste when we were growing up 50 odd years ago. We are hoping to move to Spain when we retire, and hoping that we can obtain the bread there. We prefer the unsliced version. Thanking you, keep up the good work, Joy and Peter Jones
Just an update. I recently looked again at the Genius website and have found that since (presumably) the creation of the on-line shop the simlpicity has gone and our small victory in getting “independents” before big business no longer applies. Ho-hum.
A word on quality. Genius had a big problem with what appeared to be a poorly mixed dough resulting in an “uncooked” band alond the edges and even in the middle. This problem seems to have long since been resolved. Other quality issues will no-doubt find solutions too. We have seen some of the reported “holes” but there have been no complaits to us as retailers and as consumers ourselves we found the problem no more than mildly irritating.
Regarding the issue of quantity versus quality we think it is inevitable that quality slumps when volumes are maximised but it won’t be because of prescriptions it will be when production glitches match demand through the supermarkets.
‘Least that’s what we think. We also know that, in addition to France and elsewhere, a market for the wonderful product already exists in North America. Genius – it’s over to you.
just can’t get the sliced brown, have to be in Sainsbury when they open (impossible) or wait in Waitrose 24/7. I never seem to make it there in time – its a bonanza day when I do!
Hi Ann – I think your comment shows how popular it is! Perhaps your local Sainsbury would order more if they knew there were customers who couldn’t get there before the shelves emptied? Have you told them?
My Doctor has prescribed Genius bread for me,and awaiting the first delivery.John
I have just placed my prescription to the chemist yesterday and have been advised that my bread will not be delivered until 17th November!
Genius only bake once weekly and the order cut off was before 11am on a friday for this weeks delivery. Juvela and Glutafin fresh breads are baked twice weekly and are delivered wednesdays and fridays so I have to wait forever, I hope its worth it, poor show by Genius tho ….
Hi Jane
Sorry to hear you’re going to have to wait so long.
Perhaps when they get a bit bigger, or get more orders, they’ll be able to bake twice a week – I suppose it must be tricky trying to make sure that all the bread is as fresh as possible!
I wonder what day would be the best day to buy it from the supermarket?
As far as I can tell, as a retailer, they bake twice a week. We get two deliveries (Wednesday and Friday) with different bbf dates on the packs.
Presumably, they use an existing bakery with its own production requirements and have to do serious cleaning-up before producing gluten-free. I think it’s still early days for Genius and they’ve had production difficulties for sure. I reckon people should be a little more patient but then, that’s Society for ya. And, no, I’m not a mouth-piece for Genius (they …hmm, like the rest of Society…are far too supportive of BIG business for my liking) but I’m often puzzled by people’s lack of, oh I don’t know: courtesy?..can’t think of the right word..understanding?…compassion?, forgiveness…ah, you probably know what I mean, we’re all just too self-centred and selfish these days.
It’s a radically good product, enjoy it when you can.
Nice to hear from you again, Green Shop!
It’s interesting that you get two deliveries a week. Presumably that’s true for the major supermarkets too.
Perhaps Jane’s pharmacist only gets one delivery a week? I’m not too sure how the NHS and the pharmacy ordering system works, but I think at our local pharmacy, some items come from a central warehouse and some have to be ordered direct. Maybe this is where the one-delivery-a-week comes in.
Any pharmacy experts out there who can explain the ordering system to us?
I certainly wasn’t complaining or being inpatient, I was just rather surprised that it took so long!!! Normally I have Juvela fresh bread and if I handed it to my Pharmacy yesterday I would receive it this week on friday, I was merely stating that to wait from Nov 8th – Nov 17th is exceptionally long.
I saw the bread for sale in Asda this morning, they had 23 loaves all which have a use by date of Nov 10th which is tomorrow! £2.46 each.
My pharmacist ordered this direct from the Genius company where they hold an account I am told. I just rang them myself to doublecheck. I wish my Dr had informed me that this brand takes a lot longer to dispense than the other fresh products available even so, I am looking forward to trying it out.
Hi,
I get a supply of Genius bread from my surgery which is provided through Lloyds Pharmacy in our town. However, while I am truly thrilled with having this bread on prescription the four loaves I receive each month only have a best before date of about three days after collection which, unless you have the facility to freeze it is difficult to keep them fresh.
Colleen.
I wonder if that means that there’ll be a mark-down price on Genius at your Asda tomorrow, then!
It may interest you to know that the NHS is charged around £20 in handling and delivery for each prescription on top of the cost of the bread.
No such thing as a free lunch then!
Any seemingly good “offer” , like getting prescription products or buying dirt-cheap from ASDA, has hidden costs which usuually far outweigh the apparent saving but are too deep, convoluted, long-term and complex to be easily calculated.
Believe me, as a retailer of 18 years looking at the mainstream from the green side: You/we all pay for every benefit you think you gain.
I hate big business.
£20? How can it possibly cost that much? Thanks for the comment Rebecca!
Hi to the green shop. Sadly, you’re right about no such thing as a free lunch – someone pays in the end. For example, I’m always suspicious of cheap t-shirts. I know that big business use loss-leaders to bring in more business… but cheap clothes make me wonder whose child made them, in which country.
I was shocked to learn from my local Asda in Bristol that they are no longer stocking Genius bread in favour of Warburton’s GF bread. I made a formal complaint about this to Asda as the Warburton’s GF bread is rather horrid.
I hope they start to restock Genius again at Asda.
I hope the other main supermarkets don’t follow suit. Both of my children are coeliacs and they only seem to like the Genius Bread – it’s been a life saver for us.
I hope Asda do start restocking Genius again as myself and wife are both coeliacs,and we feel the same that warburtons GF bread is horrid,we can still get Genius at the tesco ok.
Hi John,
Please contact Asda and tell them you’d like to see Genius bread back on their shelves. When I emailed them, they said if enough people complain they’ll reinstate it.
Best wishes, Natasha
If you would like to see Genius bread back on the shelves of ASDA stores, telephone the customer services department on 0871 909 0582, choose option 5 and make your opinion heard!
It may be the case that Warburton’s have struck a deal with ASDA, as their wide range of ‘normal’ products probably means that they pack more of a punch than Genius. However, supermarkets are not ignorant to the concept of ‘loss leaders’ and it should be pointed out that failure to stock this product might result in the loss of custom from any family containing a coeliac member. If ~1% of the population has coeliac disease, then a greater percentage of families must be feeding at least one coeliac. (I shan’t do more than simply mention, in addition, the great number of people who have also decided to forego gluten consumption due to current dieting fashion…)
Genius bread enables us to make sandwiches that remain intact until lunchtime. Before discovering this product, I hadn’t tried making a sandwich using GF bread for years, as such attempts resulted in my tucking into a bag of crumbs and pieces of cheese/ham that were coated in a thin layer of fluff, thanks to the sticky properties of copious amounts of butter.
Support the coeliacs – if you can’t let them eat cake, at least let them have a sarnie or few!
Apologies – I should have written “Warburtons”. The reckless addition of an unwanted, incorrect apostrophe to a brand name is unforgivable. My shame knows no bounds.
Hi Lou
Your comment about apostrophes made me laugh!
And your point about losing the custom of family members if you can’t provide gluten free products for the coeliac in a family is a good one.
Thank you, Lucy. I’m glad that it amused you – it almost made me cry, being something of a perfectionist!
The point is useful in that it might gently remind ‘powers that be’ that the wholesale price of a product is not the only financial factor to take into account (ahem).
Let’s hope that the aforementioned suits take heed. I, for one, have long been positively impressed by the range of GF products available at ASDA, just as I have been disappointed by the shelf contents at competing stores such as those of Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. (Yes, I checked that apostrophe’s appropriateness before ploughing in…and was amused at the definition of this business as a “subsidary” of J Sainsbury plc. If a large corporation can commit such an ‘SPG’ sin with relative impunity, I hereby forgive myself.)
Please accept my apologies for having waffled all over this thread – I suffer from logorrhoea as well as Silly Yak disease!
I have noticed that Genius have changed the size and thickness of their GF brown bread.They have admitted, (under pressure)that they have in fact added something else to the ingredients.It now tastes very similar to all the (much less expensive)other makes of GF loaves.I wonder how long before other users notice.
I will probably give up getting Genius bread on prescription as it is always too dry and stale. The brad I buy in the supermarket is much fresher. My bread was delivered to the chemist today and it was the last best before date. It’s dry before I even put it in the freezer. Whay isn’t it as fresh as the supermarket version?
Good question, Christine: maybe something to do with the way it is stored during transportation? Perhaps it simply takes longer to get it through the delivery system to the chemist than getting it to the supermarkets…
i get genius white bread on prescription. the last order the bread was disgusting, slices had blue mold, the bread was covered in a whitish powder. my daughter went to a supermarket and purchased me one of your white sliced loaf. the bread was excellant.why the huge difference in your bread on prescription and bread we buy ina supermarket.
Hi Bob
I’m sorry to hear that your prescription order was bad; I hope you took it back to the pharmacist, and requested a replacement.
I don’t work for Genius, so can’t comment on why this happened. I expect there was a hiccup in the delivery system to the pharmacy…