FAQ

FAQ about ordering and delivery

Can I change my order later?

Subsequent changes to an order are always complicated and not always possible.

When paying by PayPal, for example, PayPal's fraud prevention does not allow this.

Even if you have already received the shipping (not the order) confirmation, we can no longer change anything, since the packaging and shipping process is already "in progress" at this point.

 

I've changed my mind and want to return my products

In principle, you have the right to return the goods within fourteen days after you have received them without giving a reason. (Of course, opened packaging is excluded from this).

We are not legally obliged to bear the costs for the return. In certain cases we do this as a gesture of goodwill.

In order not to cause any disadvantages to our customers, who are responsible for Internet orders, we have not included return costs for "fun orders", erroneous orders, refusals of acceptance, etc. in our prices. In these cases we do not bear the costs for the return. Fortunately, this is extremely rare.

 

address error

Occasionally it happens that packages come back to us because, for example, the address given is incorrect or the package was not picked up.

We will then write to you and can send the package again with the corrected address.

We incur costs of €8 for the return and resending. If this is the result of an error on the part of the customer, we would ask you to make a reasonable contribution to the additional costs incurred as a result of your error, otherwise we will not be able to keep our low prices.

Of course, this does not apply to packages that are returned to us due to an error by DHL.

 

I haven't received an order confirmation yet.

In most cases, a typo in the email address is responsible for this. It can also happen that the order confirmation email got stuck in the spam filter.

If you pay via PayPal, you will be redirected back to our shop page after the payment has been made (this happens automatically through PayPal). You must then tick the terms and conditions and the cancellation policy and then click "Confirm order" again. If this step has not been carried out, your order has not reached us and PayPal will not debit any money from you.

If none of this helps, you are welcome to call our hotline 0800-5227274 (Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.).
We'll take care of the case then.

What do I do in the event of transport damage?

We have optimized our packaging so that there is less than 1 in 1000 cases of damage. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that DHL handles the packages so ruthlessly that something breaks.

If you notice the damage when you receive it from the parcel carrier: PLEASE DO NOT REFUSE ACCEPTANCE!

After you have opened the package, tell us what is damaged (hotline 0800-5227274 Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) or send us an email.

So far we have found such a quick and satisfactory way of regulation in all cases.

 

Can I get a free sample?

Unfortunately, we cannot offer small test packages or free samples. Unfortunately, the European food labeling regulations are so complex that this would go beyond the budget.

 

I can't log in to the shop?

In many cases this is due to the fact that the e-mail address you entered contains a blank that cannot be seen. This happens very quickly when copying or autofilling. Check whether there is a space at the beginning or end of the e-mail address.

If you have forgotten your password, click on "Forgot your password" and enter your email address there. You will then receive an email with a link that you can use to reset your password.

Proceed in exactly the same way if you receive the message that your e-mail address is already in use. If none of this helps, contact us (hotline 0800-5227274 Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or send us an email). We'll take care of it then.

 

Ich habe eine Versandbestätigung bekommen, aber die DHL Sendungsverfolgung zeigt nichts an

Wenn wir Ihre Sendung verpacken, erhalten Sie von uns die Versandbestätigung. Auch DHL ist ab dann das Paket bekannt. Leider ist es so, dass DHL alle neuen Pakete nur einmal täglich (meist abends gegen 19:00 Uhr) in die Sendungsverfolgung übernimmt. Sollte Ihr Paket also noch nicht sichtbar sein, versuchen Sie es am besten abends noch mal.

 

The shipment tracking only shows: "The order data was electronically transmitted to DHL by the recipient." Has the package not even been sent yet?

In 5 years of the l-carb shop, we managed in almost 100% of cases that all packages for which customers received a shipping confirmation were also handed over to DHL. The DHL truck only broke down on one day, so the packages were only handed over the next day.

Unfortunately, what happens more often is that our parcel trolleys remain in the dispatch center in the evening without an incoming scan due to too much work. It also happened that this backlog of work was not made up for the next day either. If you notice this, it is best to contact us immediately (hotline 0800-5227274 Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or send us an email). We will then ensure that your package is on its way.

 

My package is hanging. Nothing has been happening in shipment tracking for days

90% of the packages reach our customers the very next day. 98% within 2 days.

In the remaining 2% there are cases where something went wrong at DHL or the package was even lost. So if you haven't received your package 5 working days after it was sent, it's best to contact us immediately (hotline 0800-5227274 Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or send us an email). We will then ensure that your package is on its way. If DHL does not find and deliver your package within 3-4 days after our complaint, we will send it again.

 

What VAT is charged for deliveries abroad?

Shipping costs and the applicable VAT are automatically determined by our shop system according to the country specifications in the delivery address. For all EU countries, these are the VAT rates applicable in Germany. There is no VAT for deliveries to Switzerland and Lichtenstein, but you may have to pay customs duty for the package upon acceptance. Your invoice will be automatically generated on this basis. If you enter an incorrect country, the order cannot be executed.

If you have a package delivered to one country and then bring the goods yourself to the final destination in another country, it is not possible to subsequently change the invoice for organizational reasons. This also applies if you have an export certificate issued to you by customs.
Therefore, even if you take our goods to a country outside the EU, we cannot refund VAT.

l-carb shop is aimed exclusively at private customers. A VAT-free intra-community delivery to companies with a VAT ID is not possible.

Please understand these restrictions.

 

General information about our products

The nutritional information on chocolate, candy, and sugar are high in carbohydrates. Is that low carb?

The nutritional information that is listed on our chocolates/sweets is actually a bit difficult to interpret. The reason for this is the EU labeling regulation, which stipulates that sugar alcohols (polyols) must be recorded under carbohydrates.

What was actually intended to provide better consumer information provides completely wrong information.

Sugar alcohols are not metabolized in our body like carbohydrates, but more like fiber. It is important for low-carbers that these usually cause only a very small or, in the case of erythritol, no insulin reaction at all or raise the blood sugar level. We have therefore included the item "usable carbohydrates" in our product description in addition to the carbohydrates, which shows the sugars and starches contained in the product.

We have summarized how nutritional information is determined and what low-carb people in particular should know about it in a somewhat detailed article "Understanding nutritional information".

 

Are there any tips for storing the products?

Above all, all our flours must be stored dry (hence the resealable lid of our buckets). Make sure that it clearly "clicks" when you close it again. After opening, storage in the refrigerator is not necessary and may even be harmful, as condensation can form.

The temperature should also not exceed 25° for a long period of time, otherwise the fats contained will degenerate (if possible, do not choose the cupboard directly above the stove). Storage in direct sunlight should also be avoided. Conversely, storage in the refrigerator (as with all other dry products) is also bad. Condensation can form, causing spoilage.

Storage in a normal cupboard at 18-25° C in our sealed cups is ideal. We have samples that have held up perfectly for more than 5 years.

The same applies to our pasta and sweets.

The chocolate melts at over 35° C. It then no longer looks nice, but is usually still edible.

The jams should be stored in the refrigerator after opening.

 

Can I get a first time order/quantity/repeat/Saturday discount?

When we started the l-carb shop, we were advised to add 25% to our price calculation. "Otherwise you can't run any discount or bonus campaigns. That's common on the Internet." "You have to do a lot of online advertising and that's expensive. Bloggers have to get free samples and gifts on a regular basis. It's best if you offer money right away" were the arguments.

We didn't take that advice, so we don't have any discounts.

Instead, many customers recommend us because we offer selected, high-quality products at good prices. Thanks a lot for this!

 

Can I also order other quantities than those displayed in the shop?

Unfortunately, this is not possible for cost and logistical reasons. Again (as with test packs or free samples), there are very complex rules for labeling food. In this respect, it would involve a huge effort for us to deliver to private individuals in containers other than those offered in the shop. Business Customers may look at the page l-carb-handel.de. There we have offers for small to medium business

 

Are the products organic?

Some of our products are organic (the brown almond flour, soy flour and bran, lupine flour, golden flaxseed). However, we are not yet allowed to call them BIO because we are not yet certified ourselves. In order to be able to offer organic goods, you would have to describe hundreds of pages of paper and pay expensive organic inspectors. The bureaucracy is enormous. Nevertheless, we are in the process of obtaining organic certification.

Whether a product has an organic certification depends on whether the manufacturer and all participants in the entire supply chain (and therefore also us) make the considerable financial and organizational effort to acquire an organic certification.

For products from the 3rd world, we and many development aid organizations categorically reject this, as this blocks smallholders' access to the market.

Fair trade products are different. Wherever possible, we try to support fair trade. Examples are our chia and shea butter.

 

Are the products no longer usable after the expiry date?

Our flours actually all last much longer than the best-before date indicates if they are stored correctly (hence the cup). If the cup was closed properly and no moisture could get in, the water content in the flour is so low that no bacteria or other spoilage organisms can grow in it. Direct sunlight or high heat could affect the taste. If it is too warm for a long time, the fats can decompose. That's called "rancid". If that happened, you'll taste it right away.

We ourselves have stored some of our flours for up to 4 years and they have always been good.

We personally rely on our sense of smell and taste to determine whether a food is still good or not, or has changed significantly in appearance, taste and smell.

 

Why do we use the "buckets"? Are the products also available in packaging other than the "buckets" (e.g. refill bags)?

The reason we chose the buckets is to protect our high quality products during transport and storage. This is not possible with a simple plastic bag.

Elaborate bags create the same waste as buckets, are typically even more problematic than buckets because they are made from multiple types of plastic and coatings, and typically contain aluminum that comes in direct contact with the product.

Uncolored PP (which is what our buckets are made of) is ideal for food, as there is no evaporation or interaction and contains no additives or plasticizers. It is particularly easy to recycle (whether or not this happens depends on the local recycler). Even if your local disposal company incinerates it, it burns absolutely residue-free and doesn't produce any dangerous exhaust gases like dioxins or anything.

Ideas for what else you can use the buckets can be found under delivery conditions and costs

The "buckets" are very difficult to open.

For a long time we have been looking for transport packaging that does not break during transport. We have now found them but bought them with the disadvantage that the lids are sometimes difficult to open.

Our tip for this. Break off the tamper-evident seal completely. If the lid cannot be opened by hand, lever it out a little with a spoon.

Do not try to force it, otherwise the contents will easily spill.

 

FAQ about our flours

Can I replace wheat flour with the l-carb flours?

That's what the low carb flours are for! BUT ATTENTION! Low carb flours work differently than "normal" wheat flour when baking. In order to get a working dough for bread, cakes and pastries, you have to mix them with other ingredients such as wheat gluten or psyllium husk flour.

We advise you to follow tried and tested recipes when trying our flours for the first time. You can find our own recipes at https://www.lecker-low-carb.de

 

Which of the many flours do I use for what?

In principle, our low-carb flours can be combined as desired (it's simply a question of taste).
For example, if you have a recipe with 300g almond flour, you can replace this with 300g sunflower flour. A combination of 200g linseed and 100g lupins is also possible.

However, the water absorption capacity of the different flours is also different. You have to be careful about the right amount of water.

 

Do I have to sift the flour?

All our flours should be sieved before use. We take great care to ensure that they are ground very carefully, but due to the oil content, it is not always possible to avoid a small proportion of slightly larger granules.

 

Almond flour brown, classic, white: What's the difference?

The Almond Flour Classic comes from a small artisanal oil mill in France. Due to the way it is made, the flour has a slightly higher oil content, which makes it particularly aromatic (it tastes a little more "almond" than brown almond flour). A new grinding process gives us the higher-fat classic almonds with a fine grain size. Therefore only 500g fit in the cup.

With brown almond flour, the oil content is significantly lower, but the fiber content is higher.

Both flours are ground after gentle cold pressing and are well suited for baking bread, pastries and cakes.

The white almond flour is made from almonds that have been stripped of their shells and brown skin before pressing. This gives it its light color. The almond flavor of this almond flour is more pronounced. You can taste a hint of marzipan. This makes it suitable for all types of light dough: light bread, fine cake dough or even cookies and homemade pasta.

 

The almond flour tastes like bitter almonds

Our white almond flour comes from Spain, where cultivated almond varieties have a slightly higher proportion of trees with a proportion of bitter almonds. (this happens with all almonds, a little more often in Spain) Since the almond flour comes from artisan production, there are in a few cases (1:200) taste differences in the form of a slightly more pronounced bitter almond taste. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable with natural products. Only in an industrial production could they mix such large quantities that the taste is always the same.

What we can guarantee you is that the proportion is always far below the limit that is harmful to health.

This effect practically never occurs with our Almond Flours Classic and Brown, which are made from French and Californian almonds

 

The flour tastes a little different than usual with the current delivery. Is it bad?

Our flours usually come from companies with artisanal production that source their raw materials locally. There are differences in taste depending on the supplying farmer. For example, almonds on the sunny side of a tree can taste different than on the sunless one. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable with natural products.

Only in an industrial production could they mix such large quantities that the taste is always the same.

 

Are the flours gluten free?

In principle, there is no systematic reason for our flours to contain gluten.

However, we have 2 suppliers who also process grain on their premises.
Lupine flour, soy flour, soy bran, potato fibers and cocoa fibers are affected.

Both companies also explicitly offer gluten-free goods, so they take great care within the company to ensure that there is no mixing. In the case of products advertised as "gluten-free", care is also taken to ensure that there is no possible contamination, e.g. through crop rotation or neighboring fields.

This is not guaranteed with our products (including those from other suppliers); otherwise they would be far more expensive.

So it's entirely possible that wheat was grown in one of the flaxseed fields last year and - improbable but not impossible - a single stalk seeded itself again. Or that wheat is being grown in the neighboring field and a grain of grain is blown over while sowing.

However, we regularly carry out spot checks to determine whether there is any cross-contamination in our products. We have never been able to detect gluten in our products, although our test is four times more accurate than the legal limit for gluten-free foods (this is 20ppm, our detection method for 5ppm was always negative).
Since accidental contamination can never be ruled out 100% (no company can give you such a guarantee, because all tests can only be carried out on a random basis), we do not claim that our products are gluten-free.

 

(How) can I replace wheat gluten (gluten)?

Basically, we advise you to only bake according to tested recipes. In most cases, a dough works quite well if you replace the amount of wheat gluten (gluten) specified in the recipe with ½ the amount of psyllium husk flour.

 

My bread/cake tastes funny or bitter. Is something wrong with your flours?

Our flours are constantly examined in the laboratory and also subjected to sensory tests during bottling. However, if there is a complaint, we take it very seriously. However, if a bread/cake tastes funny or bitter, there can be a number of reasons.

Please check: Was the flour already bitter when you tried it raw or did the bitter taste only develop during baking? If the latter is the case, it would be good to know what you baked with which recipe.

Since we use all of our flour ourselves, we know very well, for example, that a very bitter taste can develop from the combination of eggs and baking powder. In this case our flours would be "innocent". However, it is quite possible that our flours may differ in taste, since these are natural products and do not always taste the same as industrial goods do.

If you still think something is strange or not right. Do not throw away the pack. Call us (hotline 0800-5227274 Mon-Fri; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) or send us an email.

 

My bucket is "crawling"

Storage pests (above all moths and beetles) have been with people since they started farming and raising livestock. We go to great lengths to ensure that these remain removed from our flours (ferromon and light traps, monitoring, storage conditions that prevent reproduction, visual checks). However, 100% protection would only be possible through the regular, massive use of chemicals, which we do not undertake, as residues always remain in the product.

That's why it happens 2-3 times a year that a pest escapes. So if you should actually discover a doll's web in a product, please take a photo, close the bucket tightly again immediately and dispose of it. We will send you a replacement.

 

FAQ about other products

How is –carb sugar different from other sweeteners?

Our -carb sugars consist of erythritol, a sugar alcohol that is also found in many types of fruit. Erythritol is made by fermenting starch and then has no usable carbohydrates. One difference to other sweeteners is that the crystals are more tightly bound. This results in a slight coolness on the tongue when eating pure -carb sugar. If you use it for cooking or baking, you always have to make sure that enough liquid is added so that it can dissolve. Otherwise the sugar crystals remain and the impression is as if there were sand in the dough. Unfortunately, -carb sugar is not suitable for the production of chocolate or purely fat-based dough. In my opinion, the problem of crystal formation also applies to the finely ground -carb powdered sugar.

Why don't you have any gelling sugar?

You can find out how the product gelling sugar came about on Wikipedia. We don't offer this "ready-to-use mix" because from our point of view it only has disadvantages: the short shelf life (no longer usable the following year) and the fixed ratio of pectin to sugar.

We would advise you to buy a pack of pectin and, if necessary, citric acid at the beginning of the jam season. Mix the pectin with our -carb sugar according to taste and depending on the fruit (and always mix the erythritol with the pectin first, otherwise it will clump).

The dosage is 20g pectin based on (500g -carb sugar + 1kg fruit). If you use less erythritol and more fruit instead, the pectin stays the same. Also always add some lemon juice (or citric acid as a powder from the chemical industry, as in the finished gelling sugar). Erythritol does not have the disadvantage that normal table sugar has compared to the larger sugar crystals used in preserving sugar (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einmachzucker)

What you should pay attention to: If the finished jam contains more than 30% erythritol, it will recrystallize when it cools down. The crystals are then also visible as a white coating and you can feel them on your tongue. So always at least 2 parts fruit with one part erythritol, regardless of whether you use ready-made gelling sugar or mix it yourself. So if the jam isn't sweet enough for you, you can't just use more erythritol, you have to increase the sweetness with our Stevia 800%, for example, or add other concentrated sweeteners.

 

My cocoa tastes funny and bitter

Our cocoa fibers cannot be compared with products such as Kaba, Nequick or other instant powders (here are the ingredients from the Suchard product page: sugar, glucose 23%, low-fat cocoa 18%, emulsifier soy lecithin, salt, flavoring vanillin)

Cocoa fibers are more comparable to baking cocoa, which also has a bitter note. Only with a significant amount of sweeteners (e.g. our -carb sugar) do you get the usual cocoa taste.

Here is our "recipe" on how we make our chocolate drink:

We mixed 3 teaspoons of erythritol (-carb sugar) with 1 teaspoon of cocoa fibers and then stirred in 200 ml of warm milk. (always in this order, since the cocoa fibers do not contain any chemical flow aids and therefore clump more easily).

 

Does maltitol, isomalt or similar fit into a low-carb diet?

In addition to Erithit, which we can fully recommend for low carb, there are other sugar alcohols. Xylitol (or birch sugar) undisputedly has 10-30% of the effect of sugar on the body. There are many who swear by it, but we would always prefer erythritol.

But there are other sugar substitutes that are based on sugar alcohols (polyols) and whose evaluation (especially maltitol and isomalt) is very different.

According to the EU standard, all polyols must be added to the official carbohydrates (which we also have), but only 50% of the calories are counted, and erytrit is even rated at 0%.

The nomenclature is really not that easy, because strictly chemically speaking, fats and proteins are also carbohydrates. However, the EU definition of simply taking "the rest" after subtracting water, protein, fat, fiber and minerals is not helpful for specialty diets.

In the US standard, roughage is also counted among the carbohydrates. Hence the idea of ​​differentiating between the "effective carbohydrates", namely those that cause an insulin reaction. Based on this, under "usable carbohydrates" we always list all usable sugars and all starches that are broken down into simple sugars in the intestine.

Having said that, we would suggest that if you must stay in ketosis, you might be better off avoiding all polyols altogether, as everyone digests them differently. In most cases, the utilization first takes place in the large intestine, similar to roughage by bacteria (hence the laxative effect). Therefore, similar to fiber, half the calories. Then you fit quite well into the low-carb diet. Especially if you've been doing it for a long time and your body knows that sweet doesn't necessarily mean sugar.

However, a few also have an increased sugar and insulin level due to maltitol and isomalt. Nobody knows where that comes from.

  

Flea seeds, psyllium husks, psyllium husk flour. Where is the difference?

Flea seeds are an oil crop (similar to linseed) grown in India and related to German buckhorn. The actual kernels of psyllium are not a very attractive product. The oil that can be extracted from it is rarely used for consumption. However, the seed shells (flea seed shells), which contain a natural hydrocolloid, have outstanding properties. This can bind up to 50 times its own weight in water and then forms a stable gel. This property is used to replace gluten in bread, since the gel hardens during baking and can give the bread its structure.

Flea seed husk flour is finely ground psyllium husk. The flour has the advantage over the whole peel that the effective  hydrocolloid  is released much better. You only need a third of the amount to achieve the same effect.

In the l-carb shop we (always) only have psyllium husk flour on offer.