I am very sad to report that it seems the Nima Sensor is gone forever…. or at least until a new company revives it!
My Nima Sensor has been a lifesaver so many times I can’t count! Recently, it seems that they were sold and the company that bought them is no longer making capsules. This has been heartbreaking to my family and anyone who relied on testing!
I have posted numerous posts about food that I have tested with my Nima Sensor while traveling or packaged food. It always took the guesswork out of wondering if foods were truly gluten free or not. It helped me navigate other countries where there was a language barrier or new restaurants that I didn’t have confidence in.
I am sad. I feel like I am back to guessing with my health once the handful of capsules I have left are gone.
Here’s The Facts:
In May I had seen on social media that Nima Sensor had been sold to Medline, a medical supply company. I was excited because my family already had a Medline account so I was hopeful that getting the capsules would be easier.
It had been difficult to get capsules for a while from Amazon. They would be available for a few hours then gone again. This is when I started to worry.
In June, Shireen Yates, one of the founding members of Nima announced via email from Nima that Nima had been sold. Here’s what she had to say:
“I’m delighted to share that Nima has been acquired by one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of healthcare products. You can continue to purchase Nima products on Amazon.”
As I said, I was hopeful and excited that they would take Nima to the next level. I was told that originally they (Nima) were hoping to provide capsules for 8 major allergens eventually.
Nima Sensor Warning Signs:
Shortly after, my Nima app stopped connecting with my device. There was no longer anyone responding to my tech support questions. My daughter’s Nima stopped working and no one would return calls or emails. She basically has a paperweight. The last email I received from Nima was in May, 2020.
I was hoping that maybe it was a Covid shipping delay since the capsules were made in China. But is doesn’t appear to be the case.
I placed several calls to Medline to find out what was going on. I kept getting mixed messages. One rep would say that they didn’t know when more capsules would be in stock. Another rep said they had no idea what they were going to do with Nima.
The Nima Sensor Facebook Page received a message from one of the founders, Shireen Yates. She relied on the Nima to test for herself as she also cannot have gluten.
In July, she posted the following message in the Nima Sensor Users Group on Facebook:
“I no longer have any visibility into the operations of Nima (this is really hard for me!!). I, too, am now waiting for capsules! That said, I spent a lot of time with the folks who are taking the baton for the next phase of Nima and I am confident Nima is in great hands,” she wrote.
But sadly, this is not the case.
What Is Medline Going To Do?
I contacted another Medline district rep and he told me that Nima is out of business and they are just selling the rest of the inventory they bought from Nima and then that’s it. NO MORE NIMA SENSORS OR CAPSULES!
My heart sunk! The look on my husband’s face was distress! We have been able to travel without a thought of me getting sick from food and neither one of us wanted to go back to guessing! Sadly, until possibly someone invests in Nima that is what we will need to do.
Here is what the Medline Rep sent me:
If I could get Nima capsules I would gladly sell them to you. As of right now they have been discontinued and we are out of stock.
Insert crying… possibly ugly crying…..
It seems that Medline is still telling people different stories! A user on the Nima Facebook Group just posted a few hours ago that she just got her Medline account and the rep told her she should be able to order some capsules!
I just logged into their website and there are no gluten testers to be found. UGH!!!!
Here is what Medline tweeted in September:
I guess I will continue to reach out to Medline and pray that someone revives Nima and we can go back to testing food as usual. However, this is 2020 and I am not sure life will ever go back to anything as usual!
Here Are A Few Tips For Going Further Without The Nima Sensor:
Since I only have a few capsules left, I will go back to using my Spidey skills to determine if the food at places is going to be ok for me to eat or not.
It will mean that I bring my own food with me to events more often than not.
When friends want to make food for me to eat I will ask questions and ask to see their labels and ingredients. I love our friends that do this for me without having their feelings hurt and I appreciate it so much!
Restaurants will be called ahead of time to ask questions about their food and kitchen practices. Pizza places with shared kitchens will be avoided due to the flour in the air….as I already do now. I will support my favorite restaurants that I have tested many times and go with faith that they will continue to do a good job making safe food.
We will host dinner parties and ask guests just to bring a bottle of wine so I can control all of the ingredients. When we are allowed to do so I will hug everyone I know and want to eat food with you…. just get ready!
I will remind myself that the people I am with are more important than eating somewhere that isn’t safe for me. I will choose purse snacks (aka my emergency food) and a glass of wine with friends and smile and be thankful.
Hope you have a great rest of your day and you choose joy!
As Always,
Best Wishes for Gluten Free Dishes!
XO,
Michelle
