FAQs

We buy our ingredients from local sources whenever possible. Among the major ingredients, the yogurt and sour cream in our salad dressings come from the Nancy’s Springfield Creamery and our buttermilk comes from our neighbors at Lochmead Dairy.

The expeller pressed oil is an ingredient in the mayonnaise we use, not a stand alone ingredient. Our expeller pressed oils are extracted using a physical press to squeeze the oil from the seed, legume, fruit or vegetable. Our canola oil is also GMO free and has no trans-fat. The result is a canola oil that is high in Omega 6, Omega 3, and vitamin E and on par with other well-known healthy oils such as Olive Oil. We will continue to evaluate our choice of oils in search of the most healthy choice at the best price.

Many other oils are extracted using a chemical process. In this process, the raw material is placed in a chamber, which is then filled with gas (usually hexane). The gas is pushed through the product, stripping out the oil. This oil is then soaked in a solvent to remove any remaining gas. The oil is then heated so that the remaining solvent evaporates. The result is an oil which may be functional but has lost much of its original nutritional value. Toby’s will continue to avoid ingredients produced in such a way.

We strongly oppose GMO ingredients. The oil in our mayo is expeller pressed non-GMO canola oil. The cheeses and cheese pastes are from non-GMO sources. Our buttermilk is made from milk that is antibiotic-, rBST-, and hormone-free cows, and we are currently seeking farms which consume non-GMO feed.

Toby’s Dressings are vegetarian. Our cheese is produced without animal rennet. We will be coming out with vegan dressing options soon!

Absolutely not! We produce everything in small batches using the highest quality ingredients for an unbeatable flavor. We do not add preservatives, stabilizers, artificial flavors or colors, or MSG.

Absolutely! We do not produce any products containing gluten nor do we use it at our facility.

Our Toby’s Dressings are made with some organic ingredients. The other ingredients are non-gmo.

All the ingredients in Toby’s Dressings are pasteurized before we use them.

We recommend consuming the product within 14 days of opening the container. Exposing the product to the air, other food, heat, etc. will immediately begin to degrade the product.

The dressings and dips have an “Enjoy by” date printed on the lid. We recommend the dip or dressing be consumed by this date. Under ideal circumstances our products will last well beyond this date, but we cannot guarantee the freshness, quality or safety beyond this date.

Yes, we recommend refrigerating our products at all times. Refrigeration ensures that taste, nutrition and safety are maintained.

This is a perfectly normal separation. Common kitchen ingredients like oil and water will separate. The separation is naturally occurring. You can shake or stir the dressing to properly recombine ingredients.

Gluten Free certifications currently require each and every batch to be tested. We handcraft everything, to order, in small batches. Testing would be both cost and time prohibitive for a small, hands-on facility like ours. Fundamentally, however, there is no gluten in our production facility, so the practical risk of cross-contamination is extremely remote.

First and foremost, we follow strict Good Manufacture Practices (GMPs), implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and are proud of our continuous improvement philosophy. These three systems combine to provide the framework for identifying problems, finding solutions, verifying the effectiveness of the solutions and then improving upon our methods.

We are accountable to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Orthodox Union and Oregon Tilth, who regularly inspect our facility and confirm that we have indeed done our due diligence to eliminate potential allergen contamination.

Our products are available in many states. Please use our STORE LOCATOR to find the store nearest you.

Request it, request it, and request it!  Local grocers are typically very responsive to requests, particularly if they are in writing and/or via the company’s social media channel. If the retailer doesn’t respond, forward us a copy of your request to info@tobysfamilyfoods.com and we will contact the retailer directly to see what we can do.

We put various products on special in your local grocery store throughout the year. We do in-store tasting demonstrations and participate in a variety of events where we sample our products and offer coupons for your next purchase. Follow us on social media to stay up to date about upcoming events. If you represent a commercial or institutional buyer, please contact us directly to discuss distribution options.

Yes, we would love to see our products on your menu. Contact us at info@tobysfamilyfoods.com for more information about distribution or delivery options and recommended recipes.

Our products need to be kept refrigerated to ensure optimum flavor and nutrition. Shipping refrigerated directly to individual customers is cost prohibitive at this time. Your best bet is to contact your local grocer and request our products. If you represent a commercial or institutional buyer, please contact us directly to discuss distribution options.

Absolutely not! We produce everything in small batches using the highest quality ingredients for an unbeatable flavor. We do not add preservatives, stabilizers, artificial flavors or colors, or MSG.

Absolutely! We do not produce any products containing gluten or grain, nor do we use it at our facility. Gluten or Grain Free certifications currently require each and every batch to be tested. We handcraft everything, to order, in small batches. Testing would be both cost and time prohibitive for a small, hands-on facility like ours. Fundamentally, however, there is no gluten or grain in our production facility, so the practical risk of cross-contamination is extremely remote.

Yes, all of our Plant Based Dip & Spread products are vegan and made without animal products, including Original, Jalapeño, Lite Original, and Lite Jalapeño Dip & Spread.

Yes, Toby’s Dips & Spreads are non-GMO. The organic tofu is handmade in small batches by Ota Tofu in Portland, OR. They are the nation’s oldest tofu producer! Check out a video about their unique, small batch process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki0BUon0zIE. The oil in the mayo is expeller-pressed and non-GMO.

The key ingredient of our Dip & Spread is organic, non-GMO tofu, handmade in small batches by Ota Tofu in Portland, OR. They are the nation’s oldest tofu producer! Check out a video about their unique, small batch process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki0BUon0zIE

We recommend consuming the product within 10-14 days of opening the container. Exposing the product to the air, other food, heat, etc. will immediately begin to degrade the product.

The product has an “Enjoy by” date printed on the lid. We recommend the Plant Based Dip & Spread be consumed by this date. Under ideal circumstances our products will last well beyond this date, but we cannot guarantee the freshness, quality or safety beyond this date.

Yes, we recommend refrigerating our products at all times. Refrigeration ensures that taste, nutrition and safety are maintained.

HPP allows us to provide great tasting, highly nutritious, safe products to our customers. Our Plant Based Dip & Spread is preserved with HPP. This keeps the product fresh without using preservatives or heat pasteurization. Click here for more information about HPP.

You can freeze the dip, but you may not like the result. Freezing causes some separation of ingredients and makes the texture gritty upon thawing.

Heat will change the consistency, texture and nutritional benefits of the product. However, there is no risk to health from cooking.

Yes, our products are certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union.

Gluten Free certifications currently require each and every batch to be tested. We handcraft everything to order, in small batches. Testing would be both cost and time prohibitive for a small, hands-on facility like ours. Fundamentally, however, there is no gluten in our production facility, so the practical risk of cross-contamination is extremely remote.

Toby’s strictly follows Good Manufacture Practices (GMPs), implements Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and is proud of our continuous improvement philosophy and compliance record. These three systems combine to provide the framework for identifying problems, finding solutions, verifying the effectiveness of the solutions and then improving upon our methods.

We are accountable to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Orthodox Union and Oregon Tilth, who regularly inspect our facility and confirm that we have indeed done our due diligence to eliminate potential allergen contamination.

We have never had a substantiated complaint about allergen exposure resulting from our production process.

HPP uses pressure instead of heat to neutralize the pathogens that cause food to spoil. Toby’s places airtight packages of finished products into a giant stainless steel vessel that is filled with cold water. This vessel is then sealed and pumped with pressure at 87,000 psi. (For a reference point, the pressure at the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench, is only 16,000 psi).

At this pressure, pathogens that cause foods to spoil are neutralized, making the products safe for customers and exceeding FDA pathogen log reduction requirements. Most importantly the HPP treated packages never rise above 42 F, which means enzymes, vitamins and antioxidants that would normally be killed during heat pasteurization, remain active.

Not all soy is created equal. The organic Tofu used in our product is both easy to digest, high in protein and other nutrients, and correlated with lower rates of cancer when consumed in moderate quantities.

Other kinds of soy include whole soybeans and soy isolates. Whole soybeans have all of the nutritional benefits but can be difficult for humans to digest. Soy powders and isolates, on the other hand, are also very hard to digest, lack many of the nutritional benefits, and are typically derived from GMO soy. In addition, research linking soy to cancer risk due to the presence of plant estrogen in soybeans was all based on high-volume consumption of products containing highly processed soy powders and isolates.

As the largest global producer of soybeans, US producers are always looking for ways to sell more soy. As a result, soy powders and isolates are used as fillers in countless products and consumers are getting much more soy in their diet than they know. If you have other questions about soy, please feel free to contact us.

A lifelong diet rich in soy has been strongly linked to decreased risk of all types of cancer, including breast cancer. Recent studies in cultures where soy consumption is much higher than typical in the United States have confirmed this. In contrast, highly-processed soy supplements or isoflavones (which are contained in soy) contain plant estrogen; high levels of consumption of these forms of soy has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, particularly in women with a family history of breast cancer. Toby’s products do not contain any of these types of processed soy.

Toby’s Plant Based Dip & Spread is available in many states. Please use our STORE LOCATOR to find the store nearest you.

Request it, request it, and request it!  Local grocers are typically very responsive to requests, particularly if they are in writing and/or via the company’s social media channel. If the retailer doesn’t respond, forward us a copy of your request to info@tobysfamilyfoods.com and we will contact the retailer directly to see what we can do.

We put various products on special in your local grocery store throughout the year. We do in-store tasting demonstrations and participate in a variety of events where we sample our products and offer coupons for your next purchase. Follow us on social media to stay up to date about upcoming events. If you represent a commercial or institutional buyer, please contact us directly to discuss distribution options.

Yes, we would love to see our products on your menu. Contact us at info@tobysfamilyfoods.com for more information about distribution or delivery options and recommended recipes.

Our products need to be kept refrigerated to ensure optimum flavor and nutrition. Shipping refrigerated directly to individual customers is cost prohibitive at this time. Your best bet is to contact your local grocer and request our products. If you represent a commercial or institutional buyer, please contact us directly to discuss distribution options.