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Tuesday 8 June 2010
Gluten free food and Allergy show
19:21 | 
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Just a few facts to get you started.
New Zealand has over 90,000 sufferers of food allergies and it is growing by the day.
In America it is the 5th leading chronic disease amongst all ages and in the UK 30% of the population has an food allergy that will effect them at some point in their lives.
The most common allergies,the ones that make up to 90% of the allergic reactions come from the proteins in cows milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shell fish and tree nuts.
As a caterer it is vital to be aware of these allergies and be able to still provide a meals that people can enjoy, regardless and the food industry is got so much better at providing alternatives.
I went along to find out more.
The Gluten free and Allergy show 2010 was held in Auckland 29-30th May at the ASB showgrounds and is going around the country with 2 more shows.
The Gluten free and Allergy show 2010 was held in Auckland 29-30th May at the ASB showgrounds and is going around the country with 2 more shows.
It's a great way to showcase products old and new and to learn a little bit more about the alternatives available to me as a caterer.
The show had a fantastic array of information and foods with over 70 stands ranging from dairy free cheeses, organic foods, gluten free beer and wine and Ultra pet food......pets suffer too you know! It was very busy with most stalls giving away samples to try and seminars on allergies, diets and contribution's from leading people in the industry.
I liked the fact it was mostly Kiwi companies, pushing the envelope, and having the great ideas. The Gluten free plain and raising flour were of interest ,something that is always useful. The dairy free and egg free marshmallow mix and meringues being the most surprising. They were very good a lot softer than ordinary meringues but will use them in the future if necessary.
The beer I must admit I didn't like but did enjoy the wines from Moana Park.
Other products of note were the sea vegetable company Pacific Harvest with a range of edible seaweeds and natural sea salt products great for using on fish, seafood, game meats and for sauces and dips.
The fantastic 95% fat free gourmet probiotic yogurts from the Collective dairy company is worth a mention, their range of yogurts and flavours are so good and there Haloumi is squeaky just like it should be with great flavours, just like I used to get in the Mediterranean. The Chili and Lemon Haloumi had a great kick. We bought the Strawberry yogurt and the Olive Haloumi and made a Mediterranean style pan fried Haloumi, baby spinach and balsamic salad, with the yogurt for dessert......we ate the lot!!
I picked up lots of information on a huge range of products from different companies, and have a number of recipes, including some of the products I found, so if you need to find out more or cant find some products for you or your family, get in contact and I will be glad to help. 
There is plenty of information out there with lots of websites offering advice but for information on Allergies go to http://www.allergy.org.nz/
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