GLUTEN-FREE BOOST

The advanced controlled production facility, created in response to surging demand for gluten-free products domestically, will increase the site’s annual $60m exports, and the company says robust quality assurance systems will mean unlocked new potential of offerings. New Zealand’s chief executive Veronique Cremades says the international research and development programme will now allow Nestle to create high-quality gluten-free products that taste great and maintain texture. “Careful product development means a wide range of products will be made gluten-free, including a selection of Maggi products sold in supermarkets for at-home use, and a wide range of Maggi flavour boosters, recipe bases, gravies, sauces, soups and Nestlé Docello dessert mixtures used in professional food service,” she says. For the one in 100 New Zealanders diagnosed with coeliac disease, a strict lifelong gluten-free diet is essential, and Nestlé professional country manager Eleni Gonzalez says gluten-free products are also increasingly sought after in the hospitality sector. “Given the need for some people to eliminate particular foods or ingredients, together with an increase in other dietary preferences, food service and dining out-of-home has become more complex,” she says. “The chefs who are our customers tell us that a wider gluten-free range will remove the need for special menu items, saving money and time. While we have been increasing our gluten-free range for some years, capacity constraints have limited the range. This new facility gives us significant additional capacity, with room to grow.” Nestlé’s Cambria Park site has seen 55 years of innovation since it opened in 1962. Now the regional hub for Maggi, the factory produces Maggi and Nestlé Docello culinary products for home and food service, as well as a number of confectionery products.