Warburtons new gluten and wheat free range

Warburtons new gluten and wheat free bread

I had a highly amusing time on Friday (Jan 21st 2010) at the Warburtons product launch of their new gluten and wheat free range http://www.warburtons.co.uk/ .  This was held in association with Phil Vickery Vickery.tv and the Coeliac UK Society http://www.coeliac.org.uk/  at a hotel in Covent Garden.

The first shock of the day was being presented with a tiered cake stand full of bacon sandwiches (Phil Vickery's own happy pigs), salmon twiddly things and a variety of other little savories.  I know I was at the launch of a gluten free range, but it still took a lot of courage to even approach this food as I have had to refuse anything from a mixed display of this sort for nearly three years.  This reaction wasn't what I expected, and is an interesting demonstration of how restricted my eating behaviours have become. Even when invited to a gf launch I still carried a stash of my own energy bars in my handbag.

The Warburtons range is made in a dedicated gluten and wheat free factory in Newcastle.  I have had an invitation to go and look around it, so sometime I'll combine it with a visit to my sister in Scotland (Newcastle is 250 miles away, which is a long drive for the UK even if a mere jaunt for the USA or Australia).

They have made white and brown sliced loaves, fruited teacakes, crumpets and sub rolls.  I did try several of these, and wrote a brief report for Foodstufffinds http://www.foodstufffinds.co.uk, who I was representing at the launch.  I made french toast with some of the bread and found that it soaked up the moisture well, gave a crisp edge and a succulent middle with no weird textures.

french toast made with Warburtons gluten free bread

I did intend to buy the nearest competitors breads, Genius and Marks & Spencer's, and do a full product comparison.  However, having eaten about four small slices of the bread and two small teacakes over a twenty four hour period I spent the next day maintaining close proximity to a toilet.

The major manufacturers all use xanthum / xanthan gum in their products to produce cohesion and elasticity in their gluten free ranges.  This is well known to be a laxative, but they say the doses are small enough not to be a problem (the 'they' includes the Coeliac Society).  I have never yet seen any studies which show that people with already compromised guts can tolerate the amount of this gum you would eat if you had a normal diet based on manufactured gf breads.  I have met enough people who are rigorously gluten free and still worry about travel, and have noticed an increasing trend in other people trying to manage their gf lives without these gums, to be sure that this isn't just me.

So, well done to Warburtons.  Their range should make it easier to cater for people with gluten and wheat intolerance, and, in particular, should make it easier for cafes and restaurants to be able to feed us something.  I am getting tired of being turned away from restaurants who say there is nothing on their menu that I can eat safely.  Being a wholely gluten free factory means you don't have to worry about product recalls for accidental contamination/ substitution (c M&S fruit cake a while ago gluten free blogger  food.gov) or even the low levels of possible contamination from the general environment.  I don't buy things  which say 'made in a factory which also handles wheat', as I react to even minuscule amounts of gluten)

If you are less sensitive to xanthum gum than I am then rejoice.  The bread may be a long way away from the artisan breads and homemade sourdough I used to eat, but the fact that a major baker has put this amount of effort into a gf range is great news for people with food intolerances in general.  It will raise awareness, increase convenience, and remove excuses.

Xanthum gum /xanthan gum and why I don't use it

When I first started baking gluten-free foods I did what I was told and bought xanthum gum and included it in my cooking.  I also bought gf baked goods that had it in.  However, I rapidly noticed that I had gut problems when I ate anything with the gum in and stopped using it.  The times I ate xanthum gum were reduced to those occasions where kind friends bought things for me to eat that had it in and I ate a little.

I did some research when I first suspected that it was a problem and found that it is used as a laxative.  That was good enough for me - I stopped using it completely.  I note that the discussions around whether xanthum gum has unwanted effects are increasing - to start with I seemed to be the only person saying be careful, especially to coeliacs who still find their bowel urgency makes travelling difficult but who are eating all the prescription foods with xanthum gum in.

This article gives a clear description of the sources, benefits, uses, and possible side effects of xanthum gum.  I have not traced back their sources to original research in peer reviewed journals, but I think it is a good start if you want to know more about the issue.  I particularly found this statement interesting




"Xanthan gum may be derived from a variety of source products that are themselves common allergens, such as corn, wheat, or soy. As such, persons with known sensitivities or allergies to food products are advised to avoid foods including generic xanthan gum or first determine the source for the xanthan gum before consuming the food.

Specifically, an allergic response may be triggered in people sensitive to the growth medium, usually corn, soy, or wheat. For example, residual wheat gluten has been detected on xanthan gum made using wheat. This may trigger a response in people highly sensitive to gluten. Some consider this to be a separate allergy to xanthan gum with similar symptoms to gluten allergy. Xanthan gum is a "highly efficient laxative", according to a study that fed 15g/day for 10 days to 18 normal volunteers. Some people react to much smaller amounts of xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal bloating and diarrhea."


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   accessed Dec 29 2010 19:13