Nestlé gluten-free cornflakes hit Europe

19-Nov-2014 - Last updated on 19-Nov-2014 at 10:00 GMT

'We are responding to consumer demand for gluten-free versions of their favorite products,' says CPW nutrition manager

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) has developed Nestlé gluten-free cornflakes for select European countries to capture increasing interest from non-celiac dieters.

CPW - the joint venture business of Nestlé and General Mills – has launched the cornflakes in the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland following six months of product development, and will consider a wider roll-out according to demand. The cereal comes in two varieties: regular cornflakes and honey-flavored.

Jolene McMonagle, global manager of nutrition, scientific and regulatory affairs at CPW, said the product targeted celiacs but also stretched in appeal to non-celiacs following a gluten-free diet.

“We are responding to a consumer demand for gluten-free versions of their favorite products…A great tasting, good value, gluten-free cereal is likely to have broad appeal, we feel,” she told BakeryandSnacks.com.

The gluten-free challenge

McMonagle said CPW had worked hard to ensure the final product was gluten-free certified.

In the UK – the market Nestlé would launch the product in first – it was Kellogg Company that made the branded cornflakes cereal, but McMonagle said Nestlé had experience in making cornflakes in other markets.

“Using our skills, we adapted the recipe to remove the gluten-containing ingredients, which was a relatively simple process,” she said.

To achieve a gluten-free product, she said the team had simply switched out barley malt extract, which contained gluten, and replaced it with brown sugar.

“But, it’s not just about developing and testing the recipe, as all suppliers had to be certified gluten-free and we had to get the production areas certified as well,” she added.

More to come from Nestlé?

CPW said gluten-free was not a trend or fad but something that represented a change in consumer diet choice, so it would be developing more gluten-free cereals to target this shift.

“Until recently, gluten-free has primarily been limited to those requiring a special diet for the medical celiac disease, but that is changing. More people are looking to try a gluten-free diet, and so we (Nestlé Cereals) have quickly responded…We think the demand for a greater variety of foods and cereals which are gluten-free will increase,” it said.