When the gluten-free movement widely began about 15 years ago, products targeted people suffering from gluten intolerance and offered alternatives to traditional wheat pasta and bread mixes. This product worked in that it was gluten free. However, quality was not guaranteed. Pasta may fall apart or become sticky while cooking. Bread may contain lead. Flavors often failed because they were too unpleasant, too bold, or too bland. And the health benefits aren’t always stellar. White rice flour and tapioca flour don’t exactly represent nutritionally superior paragons.
But that was in 2010. From gluten-free pancakes to baguettes, pizza and rigatoni, many products now shine after more than a decade of intense research and development. In some cases, people who do not have gluten issues may prefer certain products for their overall superiority, such as flavor, texture, or nutrition.
New Hope staff sampled dozens of gluten-free entries for the NEXTY Award and demonstrated dramatic improvements in products that replaced gluten ingredients with other ingredients. Expo West itself was no different, with brands in almost every aisle showcasing new and great gluten-free products.
Gluten-free has evolved from a category only for those suffering from medical conditions to a product that works for everyone, and retail buyers can’t afford to miss out. Among them, gluten-free no longer occupies a small niche. Now it’s important throughout the store.
“We have at least two or three people on our staff who don’t eat gluten, and I don’t eat gluten either. We’re always sampling products to see if they pass our review. ” said Emily Cantor, CEO and co-owner of Cambridge Naturals in Massachusetts. “There’s no reason to bring in a low-quality product just because it might check a box. Today’s products are available to all gluten-free brands, including those where gluten-free was the only game in the game for many years. Now they have to do research and development to compete with these new products.”
When Lumo Pasta, which has been making wheat pasta in Italy’s Campania region for more than 150 years, decided to consider developing a gluten-free product, president Antonio Rummo said management asked, “What do we need? “?” he said. Texture is required. Elastic. thickness. When I started on this path in 2015, the pasta was too thin. And I needed something that didn’t taste bad. A lot of the gluten free pasta tasted like cardboard. ”
After 18 months of intense research and development, Rummo has created the first gluten-free product using Italian brown and white rice, and both yellow and white corn. Currently, Rummo makes 10 varieties of his gluten-free pastas (half of which are available in the U.S.), from rigatoni to spaghetti. The new rigatoni is NEXTY Award Finalist. The company plans to further promote gluten-free craftsmanship, and its products have a cult following.
But gluten-free pasta is not easy to make and is “much” more difficult to produce, Lumo said. Compressed dough can be difficult to produce because the materials do not stick together easily. Rather than simply using liquid water in the dough, Rummo began introducing steam. This resulted in an excellent product.
“Over the past three years, we have seen tremendous growth in gluten-free in the United States,” Lumo said. “Two of the top five items we sell are always gluten-free. There’s incredible demand everywhere.”
Italians are used to incorporating a variety of grains into their diets, such as corn and rice grown by farmers in the north of the country, he said. Most of the wheat production comes from the south. Therefore, the idea of consuming pasta made from different grains will not be a big obstacle for every Italian.
The product was such a hit that Rummo now manufactures it at a dedicated manufacturing site. This product is not only popular in Italy. Lumo said many retailers in the U.S. carry them, including Whole Foods Market and Kroger stores.
Utilizing 13 years of experience in manufacturing gluten-free products, Denver-based Cappello’s We have established ourselves as industry veterans. Pizza, cookies, and pasta have long received praise from gluten rejecters. And now, the biscuits are getting even more attention. Won the NEXTY Award at EXPO WEST This year we’re introducing a new gluten-free buttermilk biscuit.
Co-founder Ben Froelichstein said the transition of people without gluten sensitivities to gluten-free products is real and has increased particularly markedly over the past five years. However, the demand for new biscuits is very high.
“This is the fastest growing item in our history. It’s crushing it,” he said. “It’s an incredible number in the South. For us, Biscuit Blitz is the focus of the brand right now.”
The quality is so high that even the NEXTY Award judges were impressed. nutrition business journalBill Giebler said after taking one bite, “This is the best biscuit I’ve ever tasted.”
Many of Capello’s customers follow a gluten-free diet. But as quality improves, the brand’s appeal to others increases, said sales manager Michelle Rishnewski.
“People just want clean products,” she says. “We encourage people to look behind the pack. Our products use simple ingredients. If you have the ingredients, you can make them at home. That’s what consumers want. It’s about being there.”
Jason Murrell, Fresh Produce Buyer Jimbo’s Naturally A Southern California store called some of the new gluten-free products in stores “amazing.”
The rise of gluten-free seed crackers, full of alternative flours and other whole ingredients, is a particular passion, he said.
“They’re ridiculously delicious and unlike anything I’ve tried,” Murrell said. “And they’re very appealing even to customers who aren’t sensitive at all.”
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