Frequently Asked Questions

Loyal and new customers alike frequently ask questions about the ingredients, health benefits and availability of our products. The #1 question is "Where can I find Litehouse products?" Please check out the Find Us page for a list of supermarkets that carry Litehouse products.

Below are some of the other questions, with answers compiled from our expert R&D staff, dieticians, and quality control personnel. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, click here to submit your question, and we will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.

1. How did you get the name Litehouse, and why aren’t all your products “lite”?
   
2. Are there any Litehouse products without gluten?
   
3. Do Litehouse products contain sulfites?
   
4. What is MSG?
   
5. How does Litehouse keep product fresh without preservatives?
   
6. The ingredient panel lists guar gum, xanathan and carrageenan. What are these?
   
7. What does the date on the package mean? Is it good after that date?
   
8. What is the ratio of freeze-dried herb product to fresh? To dried?
   
9. What is Canola oil and why is it healthier than other oils?
   
10. Why are monounsaturated fats considered heart healthy?
    
11. How does Canola compare to other oils?
    
12. Why are omega-3 fats important?
    
13. Does Litehouse have trans fat?
    
    
    

Q1: How did you get the name Litehouse, and why aren’t all your products “lite”?

A: Litehouse was the name of the restaurant owned by the Hawkins family on Lake Pend Oreille in the small tourist town of Hope, Idaho from 1958 until 1985. The Litehouse Restaurant was well known for unsurpassed views, great food and it’s famous salad bar serving the original Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing. When the first jars were bottled and sold in a local grocery store in 1963 under the Litehouse name, nobody had heard of “lite” products. The salad dressing industry first introduced ‘lite and fat free” products in the late 1980’s.

Q2: Are there any Litehouse products without gluten?

A: These Litehouse products do not contain gluten:

Avocado Dip

Bacon Bleu Cheese

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Big Bleu

Bleu Cheese Crumbles

Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette

Blueberry Glaze

Caesar

Chocolate Caramel

Chocolate Yogurt Fruit Dip

Chunky Bleu Cheese

Chunky Garlic Caesar

Classic Feta

Coleslaw

Creamy Garlic

Dilly Dip

Freeze-Dried Basil

Freeze-Dried Chives

Freeze-Dried Dill

Freeze-Dried Garlic

Freeze-Dried Oregano

Freeze-Dried Parsley

Freeze-Dried Red Onion

Freeze-Dried Salad Herb Blend

Garden Ranch Dip

Greek Feta

Harvest Cranberry Vinaigrette

Homestyle Ranch

Honey Mustard

Huckleberry Vinaigrette

Jalapeno Ranch

Lite Bleu Cheese

Lite Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Lite Ranch

Lite Ranch Veggie Dip

Low Fat Caramel

New! Freeze-Dried Cilantro

New! Lite 1000 Island

New! Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette

New! Organic Caesar

New! Organic Ranch

New! Organic Ranch Dip

Organic Raspberry Lime Vinaigrette

Original Bleu Cheese

Original Caramel

Peach Glaze

Pomegranate Blueberry Vinaigrette

Poppyseed

Poppyseed Dressing

Ranch

Ranch Dip

Ranch Veggie Dippers

Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Red Wine Olive Oil Vinaigrette

Salsa Ranch

Southwest Ranch Dip

Spinach Salad

Strawberry Glaze

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip Single Serve

Sugar Free Strawberry Glaze

Sweet French

Thousand Island

Toffee Caramel

Vanilla Yogurt Fruit Dip

Vanilla Yogurt Fruit Dip Single Serve

These products do contain gluten :

Garden Ranch Dressing

Garlic Veggie Dip

Lite Greek

New! 100 Calorie Reduced Sugar

New! Garlic Vinaigrette

New! Lite Caesar

New! Soy Ginger

New! Zesty Italian Vinaigrette

Romano Caesar

Sesame Ginger

Soy Ginger Vinaigrette

Q3: Do Litehouse products contain sulfites?

A: Litehouse products above 10 ppm in sulfites are: Raspberry Vinaigrette, Huckleberry Vinaigrette and Cranberry Vinaigrette. This comes from high use of red wine vinegar. All other Litehouse products are free of sulfites (a finished goods level below 10 ppm), which are used in many products to reduce discoloration and inhibit growth of microorganisms. The FDA estimates one out of a hundred people is sulfite-sensitive, and five percent of those also suffer from asthma.

Q4: What is MSG?

A: Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that has been manufactured for nearly 100 years. It is often used as a controversial food additive. Technically it is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid which is produced in small quantities by the human body. Litehouse chooses not to enhance our all natural products with this controversial ingredient.

Q5: How does Litehouse keep product fresh without preservatives?

A: Litehouse chooses to rely on refrigeration, natural acidifiers, quality raw ingredients and good manufacturing practices to maintain a safe product for our customers without the use of potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.

Q6: The ingredient panel lists guar gum, xanathan and carrageenan. What are these?

A: Water soluble gums are derived from a variety of botanical sources including seeds (guar), seaweed by extraction (carrageenan) and beet sugar fermentation (xanthan). Gums are used as stabilizers, thickeners and bulking agents. They improve mouth feel, appearance and pourability, extend shelf life and build viscosity.

Q7: What does the date on the package mean? Is it good after that date?

A: The date on our packaging is a best by date. This date indicates that Litehouse guarantees the quality up to this date. After that date there could be some deterioration of quality. It is used for a guideline for our customers to receive a fresh quality product.

Q8: What is the ratio of freeze-dried herb product to fresh? To dried?

A: Litehouse Freeze-dried herbs are used 1:1. One teaspoon fresh equals one teaspoon freeze-dried . Litehouse Freeze-dried herbs rehydrate instantly. Do not refrigerate upon opening.

Q9: What is Canola oil and why is it healthier than other oils?

A: Canola oil is one of the richest sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. The #1 cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease. To reduce the risk of heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends reducing saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and making dietary choices that lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends including canola oil as part of a heart healthy diet. Litehouse uses canola oil exclusively as the basis for its regular and lite refrigerated dressings

Q10: Why are monounsaturated fats considered heart healthy?

A: Monounsaturated fat from canola oil increases HDL (good) cholesterol; low HDL cholesterol is considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

• Monounsaturated fat from Canola oil, does not increase LDL (bad) cholesterol High LDL (bad) cholesterol increases risk for heart attack and stroke, especially when HDL (good) cholesterol is low.
• Monounsaturated fats improve blood cholesterol in people with diabetes, who have more than double the risk of having a heart attack and stroke.
• Monounsaturated fats may help reduce the formation of blood clots, thus reducing risk for heart attack and stroke.
• Monounsaturated fats may help to dissolve blood clots if they do form.

The American Heart Association recommends replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat in the diet

Q11: How does canola compare to other oils?

A: Canola oil is one of the few plant foods containing a significant amount (at least 10%) of omega-3 fats.

Canola oil is one of the few plant foods containing a significant amount (at least 10%) of omega-3 fats.

Q12: Why are omega-3 fats important?

A: Omega-3 fats have been shown to:

• Decrease risk of sudden death and arrhythmia
• Decrease triglycerides; (elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for heart attack and stroke).
• Decrease growth of atherosclerotic plaque, (artery-clogging substance).
  Improve arterial health.
• Lower blood pressure (significant for reducing risk of heart attack and stroke).
• The American Heart Association recommends increasing dietary sources of
• omega-3 fats from plant (canola) and animal (fish and fish oil) sources.

Q13: Does Litehouse have trans fat?

A:The hottest health claim of the year has always been a standard at Litehouse. Litehouse uses 100% Canola Oil, which has 0g trans fats. The USDA has determined a diet low in trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Labeling laws require trans fat be added to the nutritional facts panel in 2006.

 

OTHER POINTS OF DIFFERENTIATION
Salad dressings such as Kraft and Maries contain and primarily use soybean oil, which contains significantly less monounsaturated fat, and more than twice the saturated fat of canola oil.