EHL Ingredients Spices Up Allergen-Free Foods

Due to the rise in the number of food allergy sufferers in the UK and more stringent regulations within the food industry, demand for these unique blends have increased by 35% and 30% respectively within the last year.

22 Jun 2012 --- EHL Ingredients, a leading importer, blender and packer of food ingredients from around the world, has recorded a sharp increase in sales of its allergen-free ingredients, particularly curry powder and Italian seasoning.
 
Due to the rise in the number of food allergy sufferers in the UK and more stringent regulations within the food industry, demand for these unique blends have increased by 35% and 30% respectively within the last year.
 
With 45% of the UK population estimated to be suffering from food intolerances there is a clear need in the market for allergen-free food products that are safe for sufferers to eat, as well as appealing, tasty and filling. EHL Ingredients stocks approximately 21 allergen-free herb and spice blends in conventional and organic formats, including mustard- and celery-free curry powder and sesame-free Italian seasoning. In addition it supplies allergen-free Cajun, BBQ, Thai and Piri Piri seasonings, as well as Herbs de Provence, Chinese Five Spice, Garam Masala, Ras El Hanout, Tandoori Masala and a Shawarma LambMix.

As part of its organic allergen-free range it offers Curry Powder, Garam Masala, Herbs de Provence, Mixed herbs and Mixed Spice.

EHL’s products are aimed at food manufacturers and processors supplying ready meals to retailers, as well as wholesalers, chefs and caterers – all sectors that are having to adapt recipes, formulas and production lines to cater for allergy sufferers. The challenge for the food industry is to create interesting allergen-free foods to suit today’s varied palates and diets, to meet consumer demand.
 
Tasneem Backhouse, sales director at EHL Ingredients says: “Many companies have now started producing allergen-free foods for both children and adults to enjoy and our allergen-free ingredients are ideally suited to a wide variety of dishes from around the world. This has resulted in a significant increase in sales of our conventional and organic allergen-free spice blends and we are expecting sales to grow even further by the end of the year.
 
“Our blends are produced on a specialist line, adhering to the strictest quality and safety controls so customers can be reassured that the product is completely allergen-free. We implement a strict system of controls to ensure that allergen and non-allergen products are not cross-contaminated. All our products are put through a stringent allergen procedure and have to meet our policy,which includes separate storage areas, strict controls on hand washing, sanitation and changes of protective clothing, colour coded equipment, utensils and containers, thorough cleaning of production lines, written procedures for dealing with spillages, documented training scheme for all staff and recorded cleaning schedules.
 
“In addition, to comply with the Allergen Labelling Implications of the Food Labelling regulations 2004 (amendment no 2) we also closely monitor all our suppliers and require them to declare the presence of fourteen named allergen categories.
 
“We take allergens very seriously and work closely with food manufacturers and processors to ensure our ingredients meet their standards, allowing them to create innovative international foods to suit all tastes, from flavoursome Italian foods, through to curries, tagines, BBQ foods and popular Piri Piri dishes.”
 
Tasneem adds: “We developed our allergen-free ingredient blends following demand from customers in the food manufacturingsector and in the last year sales have been phenomenal. What’s more, our products are expertly blended with top of the range ingredients that will produce great tasting dishes for allergy sufferers to enjoy.”
 
EHL Ingredients has been sourcing the finest natural and organic ingredients from around the world for over 16 years in order to produce quality blends for the food manufacturing industry. The company has also achieved a grade A certification in its BRC accreditation following a rigorous audit process. Customers can rest assured that EHL Ingredients adheres to the most stringent quality and safety management processes.
 
EHL Ingredients allergen-free products are available in various packaging formats and quantities from 1 to 25kgs and in poly pots of 250 and 500g.