FOOD & DRINK
FREE-FROM BITES Alex Gazzola Freelance Journalist
A roundup of news and product launches in the world of ‘free from’ and low-FODMAPs.
Alex is a writer specialising in food intolerance, coeliac disease, IBS, restricted diets and ‘freefrom’ food. He is the author of five books and regularly blogs at his site:
It has been a busy early start in 2018 for FODMAPs in the UK. The national IBS charity, the IBS Network, has just announced an exclusive collaboration with UK food distributors Fodmap Easy Ltd, to bring the well-established Australian brand of low-FODMAP sauces and soups into the British market, with a contribution of sales revenue going to the charity. These products are now available through the IBS Network’s online shop (www. theibsnetwork.org/shop) and include a sweet and tasty Roasted Pumpkin Soup, as well as a versatile Red Wine Italian Tomato Sauce, which is free of all 14 EU designated allergens, as well as onion and garlic. Some products contain one or two allergens, such as celery or shrimp, but never any glutencontaining cereals. The brand is also available through FODMarket (www.fodmarket.co.uk) - a new online store launched in January. Founder Linda Collinet has been a follower of a modified-FODMAP diet for over a year and started the business after feeling frustrated at the dearth of low-FODMAP options available in the country. “Many people living in remote locations find it exceptionally hard to buy low-FODMAP convenience foods,” she says, “and FODMarket addresses that.” At the time of writing, the store has around 50 low-FODMAP products, with further plans to extend the offering. Other stocked brands include Canadian
www. allergy-insight.com
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brand FODY (who produce snack bars, sauces, and seasonings) and other well-known ‘free from’ brands such as Orgran, Delicious Alchemy, Anila’s Sauces, Difatti, Biona and Amisa. FODMarket also plans on stocking a new range of low-FODMAP sauces by start-up brand Bay’s Kitchen (www. bayskitchen.co.uk), whose founder Hayley Burdett told us that the launch sauces are Jalfrezi Curry, Tomato & Basil, and Sweet & Sour, with Pancetta Carbonara to follow later in the year. The initial three sauces feature none of the 14 EU-designated food allergens in the ingredients, but precautionary warnings are in place for ‘allergens including nuts’ - although Hayley reassured us that neither seafood allergens nor lupin or sesame are handled in her kitchens. More launches and their wider availabilities are to be welcomed, of course, but must come with a caveat: as dedicated low-FODMAP brands and products are low in all FODMAPs, but over-reliance upon them should be avoided and patients following the modified-FODMAP plan should always be reminded to consume their own tolerated FODMAPs, within personally safe limits. WHATEVER MAYO BE
Better known for their Italian sauces and antipasti, including some ‘free from’ sauces such as their gluten-free and dairy-free No.9 Basil Pesto, Saclà have surprised many in the market by launching a vegan mayonnaise
at the start of 2018 (made using a base of sunflower oil and corn starches, plus flavourings). There have been egg-free mayos before, of course, but the bonus USP which Saclà have brought to the table with their launch, is that the product is free of all 14 food allergens. Typically, competing options, such as Mayorice, Chippa, Granovita, Mr Organic and the unflavoured Plamil varieties, all contain mustard and some also include other allergens, such as soya. Achieving the thick gloopy emulsion of eggcontaining mayonnaise remains a challenge which free-from manufacturers still have to conquer, but the sauce itself is a perfectly decent approximation to its non-vegan counterpart. It works well as a general condiment, in coleslaw and in dips and, if the recipe section of the Saclà website (www.sacla.co.uk) is to be believed, in vegan chocolate cake too. Nutritionally speaking, although the saturated fat content between this and a comparable egg-containing mayo (Hellmann’s Real) is roughly the same, at just over 6% each, the total fat content is substantially lower (56% versus Hellmann’s 79%). Available from Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Co-op, at around £2.29. MINI BITES
Alpro’s first chilled coffees hit supermarket shelves last month: Caffè Coffee and Soya Caramel, and Caffè Coffee and Hazelnut. Both vegan and dairy free, the producers claim that the products contain ‘30% less sugar than the market reference in ready to drink caffè latte’, but that’s still 5g sugars per 100ml in this case. Best saved as an occasional pick-me-up, then. On the plus side, it’s fortified with riboflavin, B12 and vitamin D. RRP is £2.50 for 1 litre. More at www.alpro.co.uk. Although only presently available in their homeland of Australia, The Healthy Baker (www.healthybaker.com.au) has released a
world-first product onto the market: lowFODMAP plain wheat flour, which is made, according to its manufacturers, ‘by removing FODMAPs through an all-natural chemicalfree wet extraction process’. Whatever the finer details of the method, it appears to have worked well; the product is certified by Fodmap Friendly and contains only 0.13% fructans, and under 0.1% other FODMAPs, all of which is declared on its nutrition label. Notwithstanding its gluten-containing status, the product could still be a huge success with non-gluten-sensitive IBS consumers missing that comforting taste of wheat…and ‘real’ bread. Fingers crossed it makes it to these shores in due course. Scottish start-up Fodilicious (www. fodilicious.com) may not count as a world-first, but is claimed to be a nationwide one for the UK: a food-service provider offering around 20 lowFODMAP freshly prepared meal options, such as chilli con carne and chicken masala curry, using fresh high quality Scottish produce. Launched at the end of February and founded by IBS sufferer Lauren Leisk, the range will additionally be gluten free and dairy free and will include vegan options. Refrigerated van deliveries across parts of Scotland are planned, but courier service in refrigerated cool boxes across UK will be available too. Keep an eye on the website for further meal options. And, finally, a pretty impressive launch this month which ticks every ‘free-from’ box conceivable: pasta brand Ugo Thrive (formerly Evexia Thrive and distributed by dell’Ugo) has unveiled its new Pumpkin & Sage Raviolini, which is gluten free, vegan and free from all 14 EU food allergens. The product uses a corn and rice blend pasta, and coconut-based cheese alternatives in the filling. Available from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see it become a firm favourite for families dealing with multiple food allergies at home.
Looking for a particular type of low FODMAP product? Need a ‘free-from’ or allergy-safe recommendation for a patient? Contact Alex: info@alexgazzola.co.uk www.NHDmag.com March 2018 - Issue 132
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