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Make spare aprons or protective clothing available to staff if their apron or protective clothing become soiled with gluten-containing flour (clothing should also be regularly laundered). Effective cleaning practices - hot water, detergents, rinsing - must be used (good hygienic food safety practices need to be in place to prevent cross contamination with gluten). Make random tests to ensure that the finished gluten-free pizzas are well below the allowable gluten level of 20 parts per million necessary to be considered gluten free.
TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY As meeting the needs of dietary requirements and allergies increases, the importance of trust and transparency in the supply chain is vital, says Dawn Farms (www.dawnfarms.ie), a leading supplier of innovative cooked and fermented ready-toeat meat ingredients to food manufacturers and the foodservice industry in the UK nd Europe. The company similarly recognises the importance of the growing need for personalisation in food choices, observing that according to a 2018 Mintel survey, two thirds of UK consumers believe what they eat affects their wellbeing. This growing consumer interest in health and wellness has led the company’s stateof-the-art innovation centre to place clean label ingredient transparency at the centre of its new product development process, making it a pillar of its sustainability programme. All the company’s cooked meat pizza toppings such as pepperoni, salami, pulled chicken and beef are 100% free from artificial colours, hydrogenated and trans fats, palm oil, nuts and MSG, for example. “The whole area of ‘free-from’ is evolving fast,” says Julie Sloan, the company’s consumer insights manager. “A basic premise of our new product development strategy is to ensure that all our ingredients are derived naturally. We’ve been driving ahead with our Clean Label initiative and now have a comprehensive range of clean label products. These include development of low salt phosphate-free chicken, sodium nitrite-free and no-added-nitrite cured meat products.” While developing these products, Dawn Farms says that it also recognises the importance of not sacrificing quality, taste and enjoyment in the pursuit of ‘free-from’. “Today’s consumers are seeking authentic and delicious food experiences,” she adds. “We are constantly exploring new methods of locking in flavour, via natural smoking techniques, for example, or sousvide cooking which cooks meat in its own juices for extra flavour and succulence.
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“The demand we are seeing for our pork carnitas, beef barbacoa and chicken tinga in our Street Food Collection is largely due to its enhanced flavour and succulence. They are also clean label.” With operators needing to be ready and able to cater for this diversifying and growing sector of the market, Dawn Farms reports that it has also been working on salt/fat reduction and high fibre cooked meat ingredients. In the pursuit of health and wellness, it is recognised that there is a strong and growing demand among consumers for ingredients which are high in protein and fibre, especially among those who may be reducing or cutting out other potential sources of nutrients from their diets. ”Cooked meats are ideally placed to meet this demand as they are naturally rich in protein,” says Julie Sloan. “We are also increasingly incorporating fibre-rich vegetables into ‘flexitarian-style’ meatballs and koftes to enhance the nutritional content for consumers.” Dawn Farms is a founding member of the Bord Bia Origin Green programme which provides a verified commitment to sustainability all along the food chain. This includes actively pursuing the use of natural
ingredients, while also reformulating existing products (for more info on their new Street Food Collection visit www. cookedcuts.co.uk). PASTA SOLUTIONS Celiac disease is an incurable auto-immune disease which means that the body is unable to digest grain protein gluten, harming itself in the process. Its diagnosis causes considerable unease for patients and their relatives. According to information from Coeliac UK, which represents 60,000 members, in the region of 700,000 people - 1% of the population - in Great Britain are affected by this disease, with experts across Europe also presuming that there are a relatively large number of undetected cases (the disease often not being recognised, or diagnosed incorrectly). After the diagnosis, those affected are advised to change their diet immediately, having to totally abstain from food made from wheat, spelt, rye, and barley for the rest of their lives. But in spite of such massive restrictions, these people can still avail themselves of a highly enjoyable diet, point out pasta suppliers, Ebrofrost (www. ebrofrost.com, who supply the Keck brand of pasta), because there are substitute July 2018