The trend of moving towards more eco friendly alternatives to plastics and more sustainable products is continuing, helping the environment and reducing wastage. Larger chains like Disney, McDonalds, Starbucks, Pret a Manger and Wagamama have been either completely replacing plastic straws for paper – or at least offering them as an alternative.

But whilst the switch to paper straws has hit the headlines, there’s a whole host of eco friendly alternatives to various catering consumables we use every day.

One of the huge benefits of plastic is that it’s very versatile and can be used for so many different types of products, however the environmental impact it is having on our planet is worth considering.

What are the alternatives?

There’s various different designs and materials being used to replace plastic, and new ideas and materials are being designed and developed constantly.

• CPLA – Compostable Bioplastics: You may have used some of these without even realising it. CPLA is a type of plastic that is compostable. It can be made from almost any sugar, such as corn starch, sugar cane, or sugar beet. Just as versatile as your usual plastics, it can be used to make straws, cutlery, cups and various consumables.
• Birch Wood: Naturally grown and compostable, Birch Wood is used to create cutlery, bowls and plates – with a big benefit of adding a rustic look/feel to the customer experience.
• Bagasse: Created from a byproduct, Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane is processed and its juice extracted. This can be turned into pulp and used to manufacture a material suitable for bowls, plates and food containers.
• Bamboo: Completely renewable, this material offers a unique look, feel and texture. It’s used to create trays, food cones, chopsticks, skewers and tongs. Bamboo is strong and sturdy but also biodegradable.
• Paper: When produced with renewable and sustainably sourced paper, products can be created such as paper straws and paper plates. Paper is widely recycled and biodegrades quickly and safely.
• Palm Leaf: Products made with this material are highly sustainable and will biodegrade into the earth quickly and safely. They also provide a different finish every time – no two items look exactly the same.

Different materials have their own benefits and unique properties, some can provide both a ecological benefit as well as an improved look or feel.

Marketing and the Environment

As well as being better for the environment, making the switch to biodegradable consumables helps you make a statement.

It can show to your customers that you’re conscious of the environmental issues of operating a catering business. In today’s competitive climate, that can be a great selling point for choosing you – and helping reduce plastic waste at the same time.

You can add something new and keep customers curious and engaged with the wide variety of eco-friendly cutlery, crockery and drinkwares you can introduce. Often these products can also add a premium feel to your offerings, due to the textures and materials of wood and paper.

Across the world a large amount of our waste is plastic, and we can help reduce that when possible by switching over to these more environmentally friendly alternatives.

We offer a wide range of biodegradable cutlery, crockery and straws that allow you to serve your customers favourites in new and interesting ways. As an alternative to paper straws we also offer CPLA straws, which compost in under 12 weeks in commercial composting facilities.

These include bagasse bowls and plates, bamboo chopsticks, CPLA straws and even birch dipping pots. See if there’s something to suit your food and drink offerings.

See the full range of Eco Friendly Disposables

The post Making the switch: Paper Straws and other Eco-Friendly consumables appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

More than a quarter of our evening meals are Vegan in the UK. And with this diet becoming more popular than ever, the bigger brands have started to get involved. On all ends of the spectrum, from fast food, to bakeries and supermarket foods, companies want a slice of that meat-free market.

Going viral on social media, high street bakery Greggs has been getting attention from the masses, after they launched Vegan Sausage Rolls. These had a bit of a marmite moment, with some people loving them, and others absolutely hating them. Priced at only £1, they were originally only launched at selected locations, however this month they are now going to be available in all Greggs locations (over 1,600 of them!).

The interestingly-named “Bleeding Burger” has also being going viral across the world – essentially a vegan burger that’s made from mushrooms, coconut oil, plant-based protein and beetroot juice (which gives it the bleeding effect when bitten into). TGI Fridays, the American restaurant chain, has launched their version for 2019 – adding a meat-free and vegan friendly option to their menu.

What exactly does vegan mean, anyway? Everyone’s familiar with vegetarianism, but not everyone is certain on what a vegan can and can’t eat. Essentially, a Vegan diet excludes any animal products of any kind – such as meat, eggs, or dairy products. It also includes using animal products, such as leather.

It also accounts for various health and dietary benefits, however there’s often a lot of debate between vegan supporters and meat-eating supporters on the overall benefits versus drawbacks of a fully vegan diet.

And for dessert, there’s ice cream. Yes, you read that right – vegan ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. They launched their new flavour “Coconutterly Caramel’d” in the UK at the start of the year. It includes vegan Fairtrade ice cream, caramel, cookies and chocolate chunks.

With restaurants, cafes and food brands now adding various vegan and vegetarian food options to their offerings, with fast food giants McDonalds also adding various (uncertified) vegan and vegetarian options to its menus – it’s now a matter of time before it could become the leading diet in the UK.

Whether you’re a die-hard meat lover, curious about a meat-free diet or a long standing vegan advocate – the fact is that it’s a growing trend that all catering businesses should be keeping a close eye on!

The post Vegan Friendly and Viral appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Within the entire food industry, GM food has been tarred with a brush that just can’t be washed off.

There is a misconception about what GM means, but with education, the public perception and opinion is slowly changing.

The problem lies in what we perceive as genetic modification in our food production system.

We have an expectation that genetic modification involves the use of chemicals, radiation and other nasty experiments on our humble crops.

Whilst in some contained cases this is true, the actual methods are normally much more mundane and in fact we have managed to create many of our common crops via some for of genetic management and control.

A lot like breeding – but much much faster

Selective breeding of crops is essentially a form of genetic modification, our farmers pick only the crops that grow to be the most prominent or bear the most produce.

The old-fashioned method of this was cross-breeding of plants, but the general populace have a misconception of this, with most never even realising.

Over several crop seasons, the preferred or wanted traits will become more visible or evident. Unfortunately, this classic type of plant modification is a slow and somewhat limited process.

Newer and faster techniques take this old method a step further, such as gene editing – which involves making small insertions or deletions of plant DNA – are helping to make our plants much more hardy, resistant to major diseases and yield even more crops.

The adverse reaction from consumers to this method of improving crop yields and growth efficiency has been one of fear and misinformation.

GMOs are safe, we would not use them if we thought otherwise. Safe food is, and always has been, our number one priority. Global food and safety regulatory bodies including the FDA and the WHO have also verified their safety. For more facts please visit: https://t.co/dwt1KAxRTJ

— Betty Crocker (@BettyCrocker) May 17, 2018

Our supermarket shelves are lined with products that will have had some form of genetic modification if they have come from a crop, it’s that simple.

Only the cattle that produce the most meat or the most milk are then bred so that their positive traits are kept. The same goes for fruit and vegetables.

When raw science is introduced, then the general populace becomes confused or simply ignores the positive effects of this minor tinkering with our plants.

Imagine a crop that needs 1/10th the amount of water that it’s current counterpart requires, but that grows at just the same rate.

We could produce food in fractions of time with fractions of the resources required currently for fractions of the cost.

True investment into the work of scientists and farmers of GM crops could truly revolutionise our food production methods and bring a new era of food prosperity.

Well, luckily for us attitudes nationally and globally are changing for the better.

No evidence of danger

The World Health Organisation has addressed a whole host of the common complaints and questions regarding GM food, including allergens and toxicity, with no ‘real world’ evidence that genetically modified crops have any adverse effect on humans or the immediate environment.

A poor public perception and media furore often means public opinion is often swayed without hearing directly from the people that can explain the benefits.

By using these food production techniques we could reduce the risk of allergic reaction to specific foods – peanuts being a prime example – or increase the nutritional benefit, with the right implementation the possibilities are almost endless.

The post GM food is not the devil and it never was appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Sustainability is a key term being projected on to the entire catering and food industry and will continue to be as we, as a species, tackle the global climate issues.

If you were to ask experts, we have already gone past the point of no return and that we are simply delaying the inevitable demise of our planet.

But, even if that is the case, until we can blast off into the cosmos we need to figure out how to feed our increasing global population: That is where sustainable farming methods come in.

Alternative protein source pitfalls

We’ve discussed why changes such as increasing insect protein intake and vegetarian diets could be very simple ways to almost instantly decrease our reliance on meat, whilst simultaneously improving our own food production processes.

In an ideal world, we would all adopt a Vegan lifestyle until we have mastered truly efficient growing and animal rearing methods.

But, we know that this isn’t an ‘ideal’ world, so changes need to be made in our most prominent and environmentally problematic farming and cultivation methods.

Meat production is one of the biggest drains on our resources and therefore the natural resources.

Replicating the taste and texture of ‘real’ meat is slowly starting to prove successful despite British and American reluctance to try the meat substitutes.

Brits reluctant to embrace meat alternatives, @streetbees study finds. (£) https://t.co/qnoJL1VJ6q pic.twitter.com/FVHlWCxLGs

— The Grocer (@TheGrocer) 22 May 2018

We’re now seeing an influx of companies adopting technology to create food that simulates beef and chicken but in a plant-based form, with the actual end result improving with each iteration.

Anecdotally this comes at a time when as a global populace we’re choosing to cut down our meat consumption in droves.

Veganism is a growing movement, alternative diets are now becoming more commonplace and the net result is that we as a society are beginning to understand the social, health, financial and environmental costs of consuming large amounts of meat.

This isn’t to say that we have turned a corner, far from it, it’s that we are now all more aware of our impact.

That’s half the battle, but thing like attitudes to things like GM food are changing rapidly.

Genetic modification of crops and the introduction of automated processes brought about by things such as machine learning could render some of our old, inefficient farming methods redundant.

Our ingrained fear of these methods is slowly being chipped away as we allow more technology into our lives in other areas.

The internet and availability of information is also playing a part in this societal change, there are so many factors that we are slowly starting to consider when we choose our food.

Companies are also realising this, Danone even recently acquired a plant-milk company, showing that investment in these areas can reap potential profits for even companies reliant on the dairy industry.

Resource redistribution

At the moment we grow large volumes of grain to feed directly to livestock, the resources used – water, plant feed, fertiliser, man and machine-power – for this process is a massive drain on our farmers, economy and the planet itself.

In reality, we would be much better off utilising this production to feed the human population.

Livestock requires inordinate volumes of food and water to reach maturity, it’s estimated that it takes anywhere in the region of 40,000 to 75,000 litres of water to ‘make’ 500g of beef.

That figure comes from factoring a few key necessary essentials for livestock rearing.

Most of that water usage is in the grain growing process, wouldn’t it make much more sense to find a way to divert all that food onto our very own plates?

Not only would be a logical decision, it would make financial sense as without the same levels of livestock, the demand for grains and feed would be lowered.

Without the intense demand, the price of these grains would in all probability be naturally much lower than that of animal meat products.

Cleaner air, better health, all thanks to Tech

If technological advancements continue and see companies developing meat substitutes that can rival our traditional meaty meals, then we could potentially wipe out a huge proportion of our global greenhouse gas emissions.

This part of the food-supply chain is so integral to many parts of the world, and it’s clear that with some changes there are huge gains to be made for companies that invest in our potential plant-based future food networks.

We’re sure that meat eaters need not be too afraid, we’ll still have access to meat. In all likelihood, as our diets continue to evolve, we will have a much wider and healthier range of non-meat foods to sate our tastebuds.

With no fat, less environmental impact and potentially no difference in taste, the plant food revolution is set to shake up our world food production and therefore the entire catering industry.

There is already a growing number of businesses growing and thriving by putting vegetarian and Vegan food first.

And it’s clear to us that this could be a defining for our entire industry.

The post Why sustainability is so key to our future food industry appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Remember a time when, to get information about an eatery or restaurant you either had to ask someone who had been, read a review in the paper or simply bite the bullet and go try for yourself?

It’s easy to forget that today, the internet has made finding out about almost any business an effortless task, and particularly in the food industry one social media platform has quickly become the ‘go to’ place to check out what to expect.

Instagram is literally changing the way many food businesses are operating, jumping on the photogenic food bandwagon can be a sure-fire way to instantly get people gagging to get through your doors; all to get their own snaps of your good-looking dishes.

Being completely honest, we’re as guilty as the next person for taking the odd picture of our meals, be that a lunch or even a quick snack from a vending machine…

The thing is that many restaurants and businesses are reaping the rewards of appealing to the budding (or even big-time) Instagram foodie.

In fact, many are using the platform solely for self-promotion.

In fact, many are using the platform solely for self-promotion.

And the funny thing is; it actually works.

Dishes are genuinely being created for the platform in the hope that it will a) attract customer attention and b) potentially go viral in the hope that business will explode.

Instagram success = big food + bright colours

Bright colours and unusual dishes are all the craze, as are larger than life serving portions.

Take for example the Pizza Barn based in Yonkers, New York.

The pizzeria has capitalised on the platforms ability to capture the interest of even people from way beyond the ‘traditional’ borders of New York and therefore increase their potential clientele.

Larger than life slices of pizza are instantly appealing when in pictures, and with diners tagging themselves tackling the beastly slices, their reach grows further still.

A post shared by PizzaBarn (@pizzabarnyonkers) on Jul 31, 2017 at 6:16pm PDT

Whilst you might not feel the need to shape up, if you hadn’t already noticed an influx of diners taking pictures of your dishes, maybe take another look.

It seems crazy to judge a restaurant or dish solely after seeing a photo.

But the superficial web-based world we are all now living in can dictate success in a crowded marketplace.

It seems crazy to judge a restaurant or dish solely after seeing a photo.

Some caterers and restaurant owners have even decided to provide their customers with the means to take better quality images to help boost business.

Whilst some, such as Michel Roux, have a no phone policy altogether – and was even slammed by none other than Gordon Ramsay himself – Go on Gordon!

The crux of it is that diners are now more likely than ever to pre-research your business before ever setting foot in the door or reserving a table.

With the right lighting and right filter, your food does all the talking for you. Gain a loyal following and you could be set for a long time.

Instagram could provide that ‘first glimpse’ inside your business and how you operate without you ever knowing.

Some food though is ‘beautiful on the inside’, with an appearance that only someone with the most hardcore of hangovers could find appealing.

For these dishes, there is another side to Instagram.

That side of #notfoodporn is the world of cookingforbae – a collection of some of the sites ugly attempts at attractive dishes or cooking fails that are definitely food for thought!

A post shared by Cooking for Bae (@cookingforbae) on Feb 6, 2014 at 4:16pm PST

At least they tried…?

The post How Instagram is changing the way the catering industry operates appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

The East of England Co-op is one of the first supermarket chains to offer food past the listed ‘best before’ date at the low price of 10p.

125 of the chain’s stores will start offering customers the opportunity to buy a range of tinned foods such as beans, sauces alongside dried goods that includes crisps, tea, pasta and even chocolate.

A great way of making a small indentation into our estimated 7.3 million tonnes of yearly food waste, this is also a great way to access cheap ingredients for those who may be cash-strapped.

Whilst this is great for longer life foods such as the tinned goods, the new pricing structure and offer won’t apply to perishable foods that carry a ‘use by’ date.

Those items will still have to be disposed of, as this ‘use by’ date indicates when the food is safe to eat.

The East of England Co-op’s campaign: “Don’t be a Binner, have it for dinner” campaign follows a successful three-month trial in 14 stores.

Roger Grosvenor, East of England Co-op’s chief executive, told the BBC:

“The vast majority of our customers understand they are fine to eat and appreciate the opportunity to make a significant saving on some of their favourite products,” he said.

“This is not a money-making exercise, but a sensible move to reduce food waste and keep edible food in the food chain.”

Did you know apples can last up to 2 weeks longer if kept in the fridge? Simpler storage advice on-pack could see a dramatic reduction in household food waste #LabelBetterLessWaste #Courtauld2025 #foodwaste #foodwastefight @foodgov @DefraGovUK https://t.co/q1WqRlBd3s pic.twitter.com/wNekJFU5Yy

— WRAP (@WRAP_UK) November 29, 2017

Last week Wrap announced new government-backed plans to simplify confusing food labelling that can often go overlooked by the consumer and even retailers to help us all quickly find storage, use-by and best before dates on our foods.

New guidance for producers has been created with the support and help of the Food Standards Agency and Defra.

Environment Minister, Thérèse Coffey said: “We know that confusing labels can contribute to food waste by suggesting that edible items need to be thrown away sooner than is necessary.

“This new guidance will make packaging much clearer for consumers, saving them money and reducing waste.

“I encourage all food businesses, large and small, to use this guidance to help them put the right date mark on food and help to guide people on the refrigeration and freezing of products which are crucial to reducing the amount of edible food thrown away.”

Could this be the beginning of a new ‘best before’ food revolution?

Well, with no other major supermarket chains following or looking to follow suit, we could be in for a slightly longer wait before the rest of the country can help save both money and waste in future.

Although we do see one major flaw, what if we all didn’t buy things until they were available at 10p?

How would that have an effect?…Time will tell.

The post Supermarket to offer food past ‘best before’ for 10p to cut waste appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

The risk of ‘food fraud’ is becoming something that consumers are having to face up to with each and every visit to many of the countries diners, eateris and even supermarkets sometimes becoming a ‘trust exercise’ for many people.

NFU Mutual recently published a report showing that a staggering 72% of people do not fully trust the food supply network to be 100% truthful.

Instances such as the widely publicised 2013 horsemeat scandal are thought to be behind the change in public opinion, with the least trusted products being processed foods (35%), red meat (18%) and food supplements (15%).

Worse still is the confidence in overseas food supply chains, with almost nine out of 10 people saying they did not trust foreign food chains.

Conversely, confidence was high in the British food supply chain – possibly a sign of post-Brexit British bullish thinking?

British is best for conscious consumers

Whilst these findings might not come as a surprise, the foodservice industry in the United Kingdom could glean some invaluable information as to the opinions of their millions of potential customers.

Businesses that favour transparency and able to adapt to demands made by this more conscious consumer culture, can gain a competitive advantage and a serious foothold in this new landscape.

Approximately one-quarter of those surveyed said they placed more trust in short, local supply chains and therefore trusted small business much more than large corporations.

This information could prove invaluable for those looking for a competitive advantage, as it has been made relatively clear that a large subsection of the market is clamouring for locally produced, reared and sourced food, drink and materials instead of cheaper, globally-sourced alternatives.

Food labels prove key to consumers

Not only did the report find that consumers were more worried about where their food came from, but the ingredients list on products is helping them decide whether the food they are buying is legitimate or not.

Turn-offs when it comes to labels include far-fetched claims about a product’s benefits (40%), label text in a different language (40%), poor-quality packaging (34%), unknown brand (33%) and sparse labelling or text (28%).

This has lessons for farmers selling direct to the public as well as producers selling via retailers.

“Producers may find that they earn more consumer trust and reap the benefit in sales by investing in quality packaging with clear labelling – especially important if targeting young people under 24 years of age,” it says.

“Retailers may benefit from promoting supply chain inspections and selling products with quality labelling.”

Judge a dish by its cover

The importance of quality packaging cannot be overstated, with it playing a pivotal role in the ‘judge the book by its over’ nature of the modern-day food industry.

Not only do we understand that presentation is possibly one of the most, if not the most after taste, important attributes of a dish, we provide some of the best selections of presentation options for both dining and takeaway businesses on the web.

From labels to packaging, plates to presentation boards, if you need something to showcase your very best dishes – especially if it’s the ‘Best of British’ – then you have found the perfect place.

The post Food fraud risks grow creating more conscious consumers appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Tackling our literal mountains of food waste is becoming one of the biggest challenges that faces our food service industry, but innovative thinking and businesses are cropping up all the time to help tackle this major talking point.

Zero Waste Week is a UK-based scheme that hopes to increase the awareness of our rubbish-creating ways. But to put things into context, we’re some way behind our European neighbours in Norway.

The nation aims to cut food waste per capita by 50% before 2030, and taking that challenge head-on is one of the world’s first ‘food-waste supermarkets’.

This Norwegian ‘food waste supermarket’ offers food past its ‘best before’ dates but at major discounts.

Best Før supermarket in the Norwegian capital of Oslo is giving eagle-eyed bargain hunters the chance to make major savings but on food that other businesses have been unable to shift.

Whilst food safety procedures and protocols help protect customers and diners, some are enforced as a way of ensuring that produce (and therefore money) is not wasted buying the raw materials that would otherwise expire before they can be used in common recipes.

In 2015 the UN agreed to cut our per capita food waste in half by 2030, but Norway has pledged to be much more ambitious than that.

And if supermarkets are unwilling to buy products and produce that is within 10 days or so of expiry, then enterprises such as Best Før offer a unique business direction and great savings for cash-conscious consumers.

“Most supermarkets won’t buy products that are within 10 days or so of their expiry date – it often has to be wasted,” Best Før’s co-owner, Naeeh Ahmed explained to the Guardian.

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we make a place that has that kind of product, that will be beneficial to every party: the consumer, the supplier, and us. A win-win for everybody.”

Zero Waste Week 2017

With similar aims as Best Før, Zero Waste Week was started almost a decade ago in 2008 as a way of raising awareness of the environmental (as well as financial) impact that our current waste levels are having.

Almost exclusively online, the aim is to help reduce, reuse and recycle many of the common household items and food that we would otherwise send to landfill.

If the Norwegians can do it, then so can we!

By signing up to the Zero Waste newsletter you can get tips throughout the week on how to increase the lifespan of a plethora of commonly disposed items.

One of the most commonly discarded things in any home is food that has passed its ‘use-by’ date.

Often our food has been given this as a guide to the when the dish or food will taste it’s very best, but as long as we don’t leave things for months after this date, they are more than safe to eat.

So don’t chuck it away! Get it in the oven or used in a stew, it’ll save you money and even help save the planet.

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved, download the information pack for businesses right here!

Or alternatively visit: www.zerowasteweek.co.uk to learn more.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/17/how-norway-is-selling-out-of-date-food-to-help-tackle-waste

The post Zero Waste Week 2017: Norway leads the way in tackling food waste appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

We Britons have a bit of a barbecue obsession, but one aspect of our washed out, sizzling Summer past time is becoming a bit of a problem.

According to research by the supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s we Brits are set to throw away an eye-watering £428m worth of barbecue food in August alone.

The study found that we will brave whatever the elements may be to attempt an estimate 12 million barbecues, with people on average hosting or attending at least two of our favourite summertime gatherings.

The Most Wasted Foods

If you’ve ever been to a British barbecue, then you’ll know the most common issue that faces hosts and guests is working out how to cater for a sometimes unknown or approximate number of people — we’ve all got those friends who bring another mate along to enjoy the festivities!

According to the Sainsbury’s researchers, these are the most commonly wasted food items at British barbecues:

1. Salad leaves
2. Burger rolls
3. Hot dog buns
4. Coleslaw
5. Potato salad

All that waste on average amounts to £36.47 worth of food waste at each event, but, the total does not include drinks.

All that waste on average amounts to £36.47 worth of food waste at each event, but, the total does not include drinks.

Somewhat unsurprisingly bags of salad or salad were the most commonly dumped items, which contributes to the 178m that are thrown away annually in the UK according to recent figures by the government’s food waste advisory body Wrap.

Approximately 27% of people said they throw away uneaten salad if it’s been left uncovered outside, even for a short time, with 22% complaining that they believed “fussy eaters” accounted for some of their leftovers.

The rise of “no carb” diets was blamed by a further 15% of those surveyed, saying they ended up with a mass of leftover bread rolls, buns and fingers due to the dietary choices made by their guests.

Waste Less, Save More

As food prices rise, not only are we becoming more conscious as food industry professionals, consumers are aware of the environmental and cost effects of wasting food.

With no affiliation to the supermarket chain, we are strong advocates of this move by Sainsbury’s to increase awareness of common techniques to alleviate the burden on consumers conscious and wallets.

The foodservice industry can learn lessons from this, creating new avenues for enterprising catering companies, restaurants and takeaways that can lower the price of dishes and help the environment at the same time.

To learn more about the ways you can reduce your food waste and in turn save money please visit the dedicated Sainsbury’s Waste Less Save More site for guides and menu building information.

The post Brits will waste £428m of BBQ food in August appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Coeliac sufferers will tell you all about how gluten can cause discomfort, nausea and even much more serious illnesses, but luckily for those who must follow a gluten-free diet their choices has increased year-on-year.

Fortunately or unfortunately — depending on your viewpoint — the range of products now stocked on our supermarket and warehouse shelves that is certified gluten-free has increased due to the increase in people choosing to follow a gluten-free diet.

What used to be a prescription-only food has quickly become a global health fad, with celebs such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Miley Cyrus and Victoria Beckham swearing by a gluten-free diet. But for how much longer? Research published by Harvard University has found a link between gluten-free diets and an increased risk in developing type 2 diabetes.

For those that might not be aware, gluten is a protein found mainly in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley.

It’s actually quite a useful component of cereals that help make dough more elastic and provide a chewy texture associated with breads and such.

The problem for those who have a gluten intolerance is that many common foods contain wheat, rye and barley derivatives and therefore contain gluten.

You’ll find gluten in products such as soup, sauces (like BBQ sauce), salad dressings, beer and of course breads.

Gluten free diets are becoming much more trendy, fruit provides a solid and filling option for those suffering from gluten intolerances.

A gluten intolerance causes the immune system to treat the protein as if it were a threat, therefore causing the body to essentially attack itself which can lead to serious health problems. This is why it’s so important to label products and separate products that contain gluten within your kitchen.

Around 1 in 100 people are affected by the disease, the evidence of gluten-free diets have surged is that diagnosis of the condition has remained the same, but the volume of items sold and available has increased tenfold.

Without much evidence that gluten-free diets are healthier many non-coeliacs are cutting out the cereal protein as an alternative to a normal diet.

The research presented by Harvard University has shown that there could be an inverse association between gluten intake and type 2 diabetes risk. Basically, those who consume less gluten are at much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Relatively painless and quick, a diabetes test can be done in under an hour.

Almost 200,000 people took part in the study, with 15,947 cases of type 2 diabetes being found during the follow-up period of the study.

Those with the highest intake of gluten had an 80% lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest level of gluten consumption.

Funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the study had shown that the average daily intake of gluten was 5.8 grams in the initial study, and 6.8 grams in the second round and 7.1 in the third and final round of study.

All participants completed food-frequency questionnaires every two to four year, with over 30 years of research being collated and dissected to product the report.

“We wanted to determine if gluten consumption will affect health in people with no apparent medical reasons to avoid gluten,” said Dr Geng Zong, a Harvard research fellow.

“Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fibre and other micronutrients [such as vitamins and minerals], making them less nutritious and they also tend to cost more.

“People without coeliac disease may reconsider limiting their gluten intake for chronic disease prevention, especially for diabetes.

Diabetes causes the pancreas to not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin, and it is most commonly associated with obesity, rather than, as in the new study, potentially a lack of micronutrients, or presence of unhealthy ingredients to replace gluten.

If you know anyone avoiding the protein found in flour, then it might be time to give them some diet advice!

The post Could gluten-free diets cause type 2 diabetes? appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.