An exciting opportunity for Restaurants & Food Service as Venice Bakery ‘Free From’ food launches in the UK!
Venice Bakery, the home of America’s best ‘Free From’ pizza, launch their thin and crispy ‘Free From’ pizza bases & flatbreads at The Restaurant Show (at Earls Court 2 in London: 7-9 October 2013 – stand: C70), under the name Venice Bakery UK.
What sets their pizza bases apart from others already on the market is that they tick even more ‘Free From’ boxes as they are free from gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, corn, nuts and egg.
The launch of Venice Bakery UK in Britain provides a great opportunity for restaurants to attract more diners and comply with new EU Food Information Regulations (FIR) 1169 / 2011 which come into force on 13 December 2014. The new legislation covers allergen labelling and provision across all stages of the food supply chain. Currently when consumers dine at local restaurants and large chains they often encounter problems when they ask for details of whether some foods contains allergens or not as items are bought in bulk and are not labelled in detail as they are for food products in supermarkets. The new legislation will change all that and restaurants will need to be prepared to comply with the law which includes being able to provide allergy information to all customers upon request. There are 14 common food allergens which will need to be clearly identified on menus and packaging under the new law. Or alternatively staff will need to be able to provide verbal information on the allergen contents of each food dish that is served to a customer. Venice Bakery UK helps make adapting to this change simpler as their products are already free of the common allergens that many diners need to avoid; their products do not contain: wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, corn or nuts.
Founder of the Food Allergy Training (FATC) Consultancy, Caroline Benjamin adds,
“I am absolutely delighted that companies like Venice Bakery UK provide a choice for diners with allergies, intolerances or Coeliac Disease, and also help food service businesses to comply with the forthcoming FIR regulations that will mean that restaurants need to clearly explain all the ingredients in their food. Providing quality ‘Free From’ foods for these diners will help drive footfall & comply with the legislation. Venice Bakery UK will be showcasing their Gluten Free and Vegan pizza’s at our event, ‘Are you aware that EU law has changed for allergen food labelling in the Food Service Industry?’, on Tuesday 22 October at the Novotel Hotel, Southampton. The new legislation will mean significant changes for all food businesses, both large and small, and our work aims to showcase the best practice techniques, and the common mistakes to avoid.”
Venice Bakery UK has already received a warm reception from consumers and ‘Free From’ bloggers at the consumer trade show ‘Allergy Show London’ earlier in the year. Their pizzas were a hit as they’re suitable for Vegans and Coeliacs. Venice Bakery UK is committed to offering people with Coeliac Disease (an auto-immune disease) more choice.
People with Coeliac Disease have to follow a strict life-long gluten free diet to stay healthy, as there is currently no cure for Coeliac Disease. Eating at home for Coeliacs can be managed well but eating away from home can be challenging as many rail companies, restaurants and hotels do not provide any gluten free options for diners. Of the small number of places that do offer some gluten free choices many are unaware of the need to ensure that their designated gluten free options are free from cross contamination with gluten. For example Coeliacs cannot eat food cooked in the same dishes, water or oil as food with gluten in. For many small restaurants that has posed a challenge and instead the larger Pizza restaurant chains have begun to create Gluten Free specific menus and food handling processes so that they can capture the lucrative ‘Free From’ market which is set to grow each year.
Perfect for restaurants and food service companies
One of the benefits of Venice Bakery UK’s pizza bases & flatbreads is that they are made in a dedicated gluten free facility, which fully complies with EU regulations regarding gluten free products. Venice Bakery UK has accreditation for their bases from Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with disease Coeliac Disease, as they are committed to offering their Coeliac and gluten intolerant customers peace of mind. They are also accredited by the Vegetarian Society.
Products
The pizza bases are available as plain or herb seasoned in sizes 5” to 12”. And the flatbreads are available as 9” bases in either plain or herb seasoned flavours. The products are supplied bulk frozen for Restaurants and Food Service and offer a good frozen and chilled shelf life or 6 months and 21 days respectively.
The advantage with Venice Bakery UK products is that they are versatile for a variety of consumers and provide many benefits for companies:
• Provide an opportunity to compete with larger restaurant chains in the ‘Free From’ offer
• No wastage
• Crispier & crunchier than other pizza bases & breads currently in the ‘Free From’ market
• Products are appealing for mainstream consumers
• Cookable straight from the freezer to the oven
• Free delivery offers are available for restaurants at the trade website http://www.venicebakeryuk.com/
The products are perfect for restaurants looking to capitalise on the growth of the ‘Free From’ market which Mintel predicts will rise from £303m a year to £519m in retail sales by 2016.
Adam Martyn, the Managing Director of Venice Bakery UK says,
“We’re delighted to launch Venice Bakery Gluten Free & Dairy Free pizza bases in the UK at The Restaurant Show. An estimated 21 million adults in the UK suffer from at least one allergy, yet many food businesses have little knowledge or expertise in this area. And we know that many restaurants, bars and hotels are keen to cater for people with intolerances & allergies but often struggle to find quality products that taste as good as mainstream items. Our pizzas & flatbreads took seven years to develop and have been praised by Vegan & Coeliac bloggers in the USA and UK. Our products provide an opportunity for food service companies to drive more footfall into their companies and at the same time help them comply with the new EU food labelling legislation. We’re delighted to bring extra freedom and choice to the ‘Free From’ community and help make life simpler for Food Service companies. ”
This launch will help to remove the isolation that many people with dietary requirements feel when dining together in social occasion as they’re often excluded from eating mainstream foods that the rest of their family and friends can.
Sample tasting sessions for the ‘Free From’ Pizza bases will be held at the Restaurant show in London where Venice Bakery UK will be available on Stand C70.
