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SWEETS & TREATS SHOW EXTRA www.gourmetnews.com n MAY 2018 n GOURMET NEWS S T 2 8 NutriVsta Offers Coconut Water NutriVsta coconut water has more benefits than drinking sports drinks, sodas and fruit juices. It is also a good source of nu- trients, has antioxidant properties and is a deli- cious source of hydration. NutriVsta coconut water is 100 percent natu- ral, never made from con- centrate, and has no added sugar, flavors or additives. It is also gluten and cho- lesterol free. In fact, there are approximately two co- conuts worth of juice in every 33.8-ounce bottle of NutriVsta Pink Coconut Water. NutriVsta's coconuts are grown only in the renowned Amphawa region of Thailand, a magical land virtu- ally untouched by commercialization or pollution. It is a shelf stable product with a 15 month shelf life. For more information, go to www.nutrivsta.com. Gluten-Free Products from Western Foods The gluten-free trend is here and here to stay. The gluten-free "trend" was worth about $14+ billion in 2017 and is expected to continue to grow in 2018 and beyond. However, the interesting thing and common misconception is that "gluten-free," in truth, is not a trend, and it never will be. Sure, consumers today are going gluten-free to avoid heavy, over refined wheat based flours. Many have redirected their interests towards rice, legume and ancient grain flours which provide much more nutritional value, texture and flavor. The increased use of these ingredients is certainly what sparked the idea of a "gluten-free trend." However, for the three million Americans with Celiac disease, an autoimmune disor- der where gluten causes the immune system to destroy healthy intestinal tissue, "gluten- free" is a necessity, not a trend. According to the Gluten-Free Agency, Celiac disease is the most common autoimmune disorder in the world. In America, diagnosis rates have quadrupled since the 1950s. The rea- sons are unclear, but the disease is no fabri- cation. That being said, individuals with Celiac disease could not be more grateful and ex- cited about this trend known as "gluten-free." New technology allows producers to puff, pop, roast and toast different ancient grains resulting in a variety of different flavors, textures and aromas. The major challenge for food pro- ducers now is to make these ingredients and end products more accessible, continue to in- form consumers of the nutritional benefits of a gluten-free diet and utilize today's technol- ogy to consistently develop innovative ingre- dients and products. Western Foods (WF) is located in Wood- land, California, which is in the heart of the California rice growing district, renowned for its high quality non-GMO medium grain japonica rice. WF is a dedicated gluten-free rice and ancient grain mill. Its parent com- pany, Western Milling, based in Goshen, Cali- fornia, is one of the largest privately held feed companies in the world with multiple facilities throughout the Western United States. WF started business in 2010 and has grown exponentially, riding the wave of the gluten-free trend. Its dedicated gluten-free rice and ancient grain mill and blending fa- cility have all the necessary quality certifi- cations in order to provide safe products with less than 10 parts per million of gluten. WF's dedicated gluten-free facility con- forms to the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and WF is proud to an- nounce it has recently attained SQF Level 2 and Halal certifications. In addition, WF is a member of the Whole Grains Council and a member of Non-GMO Project Verified. WF is dedicated to milling hypo-allergenic rice flours, long, medium and sweet, to- gether with ancient grains focusing, but not all-encompassing, sorghum, millet, quinoa, amaranth and teff, creating turn-key custom ready formulations in the gluten-free snacks and baked goods arena. Its latest product of- ferings are reduced micro flours, lowering micro counts on both rice and ancient grain flours together with pre-gelatinized (which is pre-cooked rice flour). In addition, WF is now offering puffed, popped, flaked, toasted, roasted and coated rice and ancient grain products. WF has the necessary equip- ment to offer retailers both branded or pri- vate label flexible package options for gluten-free bakery mixes and other related products. For more information, go to www.western foodsco.com.

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