Hats off to Haggen | Letter

Published 12:42 pm Friday, December 4, 2015

I am writing to share with you an undiscovered gem of our community: Haggen Food & Pharmacy on the Redmond-Fall City Road (SR 202) at 236th Avenue Northeast. Our children suffer multiple allergies (gluten, dairy and egg). For years, our specialty product search has necessitated weekly grocery trips to as many as four stores.

We have watched a steady decline in the number of products offered at local grocery stores that are free of multiple allergens, while the options for GF (only) have exploded in availability. This is true, sadly, even at the stores renowned for their whole or co-op nature.

We recently stumbled into Haggen on a whim — for us, it was like stumbling upon a gold mine. They carry the hard-to-find Schar gluten-and-dairy-and-egg-free bread that one perceives identical to standard bread. They carry the holy grail of GF flour, Betty Crocker, as well as many other brands. They actually have an employee who specializes just in the allergen-free foods. They even offered to obtain foods not regularly stocked.

The regular food product offerings are expansive and high quality. Their prices are as good as the numerous other groceries available in our area (yes, we actually do shop at all of them). Their St. Helens Beef is some of the best beef in stores. I’ve witnessed them being a good neighbor, participating in food drives for local food banks. Also, they really cleaned up, brightened up and revamped the building from its prior owner.

While it may seem unusual to write to the editor about a grocery store, Haggen has earned our praise and appreciation. I don’t miss the four grocery store stops each week! More importantly, I hope this information helps other local families dealing with the challenge of feeding those with multiple allergies.

Jeanette Weaver

Sammamish