Frequently asked questions... Why do your breads suitable for a gluten free diet say: 'may contain gluten'?
We make every effort to keep our gluten-free breads free from gluten, including a separate area with dedicated mill, mixing bowls, baking tins, containers, utensils, but we also make bread with gluten in the same bakery. Our risk assessment concluded that we cannot guarantee that every loaf will be 100% gluten free. We have many satisfied customers for our gluten free bread, including coeliacs and those with gluten intolerance - see 'What people say'.
Please don't be disappointed - our bread is the best (naturally) gluten free bread you can buy. We don't want to be shouted at for following the law but we are about making REALLY TASTY and HEALTHY bread because it is the only bread we would eat ourselves.
We are following the legally prescribed way to label our products. All labels have been passed by Trading Standards. There are a lot of producers out there who do not label their products correctly but are probably easier to understand. On the other hand it is irresponsible to label products wrongly.
By law a producer has to do a risk assessment, and the words 'may contain gluten' are legally prescribed if contamination is found to be a possible risk in the risk assessment. You will see lots of 'may contain' labels on the shelves. The ingredients have to be listed first - then you have to repeat known allergens by saying contains: .... and then you have to say 'may contain' if there is a risk. It does not mean you put it there.
Once upon a time a producer was allowed to use common sense to describe the production. On old labels it used to say things like 'made in a bakery where gluten is used' or 'we also make non-gluten bread' or 'nuts are used in this factory' etc. etc. None of these phrases are allowed any more.
May contain is the only legally allowed phrase if there is the slightest risk.
We say 'naturally' gluten free - Why?
Gluten is a protein present is many grains, such as wheat, rye, spelt, barley. These grains are not gluten-free unless the gluten has been removed by a special process. That is why it is possible to get gluten-free bread containing wheat flour, usually available on prescription for coeliacs. Artisan bread only uses naturally gluten-free grains such as rice, quinoa, buckwheat and millet. These gluten-free grains are also wheat-free because they do not contain wheat.
I can't have wheat or dairy, what do I put on my sandwiches?
See our sandwich recipes.
My children can't eat wheat or dairy...
Try organic almond butter on RS (Rye and Spelt) bread with grated carrot - sweet, nutritious and no bits - they usually love it.
What is the best before date?
Please see our storage instructions. Personal note from the director of Artisan Bread: I lead a vegan lifestyle - I have a problem with factory farming and will do anything to promote vegan food (as long as it is not full of gums and rubbish).
This question comes up once a week and we have experimented with ferments based on dried fruits as ferments - unfortunately it is too dangerous as these ferments may introduce false fermentations and unwanted bacteria - ok for home use - but not for commercial baking. On the plus side the baking ferment makes bread easy to digest and allows us to make 'unbeakables' like quinoa bread and all the gluten free breads. We are experimenting with home grown gluten free organic cereals and pulses ...watch this space.
Help the bees! Right now we think this is the healthiest way to make bread and a good way to help bees. We even believe that organic and in particular biodynamic bee keeping is helping to save bees as they are given herbal preparations to strengthen their immune system - without bees we have no life.
The militant vegan view 'no honey whatever the reason' is not helping the animals but something tells me we will never win that argument - in the meantime we just make the best bread ever!
I would suggest that any bread you buy which is made with baker's yeast is not vegan either - as the yeasts may be grown on whey or the production of the yeast or the bread involves enzymes - which may be grown on animal by products. There are some 5000 enzymes used in the baking industry and I don't think anyone knows where they come from and how they are made. Only a handful of companies world wide make enzymes and I don't think they need to tell anyone how these enzymes are produced. Enzymes are a processing aid and do not have to be listed on the label. Support the 'Real Bread Campaign' if you don't like this either.
I am going on holiday - where can I buy artisan bread original abroad?
Unless you are going to Ireland, we recommend you take some SP5 snack packs and Essene bread - these have all been heat-sterilised for a longer shelf life and make great travel packs. Send us a photo of you eating your Artisan Bread and the most exotic locations will be published online...
Where can I buy artisan bread original?
This bread is only sold in specialist stores, never in supermarkets. See our stockist list, some of whom have a mail order service. Also available from this web shop.
Isn't spelt a wheat?
Please read the information on spelt. Do you ship to Texas?
Sorry, this bread is currently only available in the UK and Ireland, but we are working on it... Why don't you do sliced bread?
Our snack packs contain 5 slices. The bread in the freezer tubs for common wheat free diets are sliced. If you haven't got a decent bread knife treat yourself to one of our beautiful hand made bread knifes. We have seen a person with arthritis in her hands cutting beautiful slices with our knife. It is featherlight and very sharp. Why is the E (Essene bread) suitable for all blood groups?
Blood groups are defined by the difference in the type of carbohydrate on red blood cells and also in bodily secretions (except in non-secretors).
All grains contain lectins, a type of protein which bind specific carbohydrates in the body. Sprouting destroys these lectins and makes these breads suitable for individuals of all blood groups, except in the case of allergies. References:
1. "The wheat lectin stands head and shoulders above all others, it binds to almost everything in the human body. Wheat is one of the commonest foods responsible for intolerance/allergy". (Freed DJ "Dietary Lectins and Disease" Ch. 34 in "Food Allergy and Intolerance" W.B. Saunders Co, p. 479)
2. "The sprouting of beans and grains causes the lectins to disappear over the course of a few days" (ibid. p. 482).
3. Eat Right 4 Your Type (http://www.dadamo.com/)
How can I find out my blood group?
1. Give blood.
2. Check your maternity records.
3. Buy a blood test kit from our website.
How can I find out my GenoType?
1. Buy the book The GenoType Diet by Dr. Peter D'Adamo
2. Buy our ABO and Lewis blood grouping test kits from this website
3. Look up your GenoType in the GenoType calculator tables printed in the GenoType book.
I feel bloated and tired after eating bread - why is that? (See below) Why don't you label your bread VEGAN?
Please read 'What's wrong with yeast'. What is a 'non-secretor'?
Please read the information on blood groups and secretor status.Can I freeze the bread?
Yes you can, but please use a proper freezer bag or freezer box. We don't recommend freezing for our biodynamic breads as freezing destroys the special vitality of biodynamic food. We don't recommend freezing E (Essene) as this is a) biodynamic and b) 100% sprouted and keeps well anyway. Please see our storage instructions.
Is 'wheat-free' the same as 'gluten-free'?
Because you can buy a wheat bread which is gluten free. The gluten has been removed from the wheat in a technical process that we are not familiar with - probably highly processed. The starch is called 'Codex' starch. Codex Standards promote mass production of food - we feel we can provide a natural alternative to breads 'glued' together with Xanthan gum (which was invented for the oil drilling industry to glue together drilling waste - no idea how it got into gluten free foods), egg powder (probably from factory farming) and potato flour. These breads are not naturally gluten free. The grains we use have by NATURE no gluten - BIG DIFFERENCE.
You can buy Coeliac-approved bread in chemists and Supermarkets which is so horrible that you might as well eat a bowl of rice - much nicer. It may be gluten free but it is also full of additives and stabilisers - and tastes chemical. Or you can buy bread which is made in a gluten free environment from oxidised flour and with gums added to hold it together. We see no health giving-property in that and certainly no pleasure in eating it. The choice is yours. Recent research by Harvard University highlights the poor nutrition these foods provide for Coeliacs.
One day we will have a separate premises for our gluten-free products, then we will apply for the Coeliac symbol. We could technically apply for the crossed grain coeliac symbol on our products now, as other producers have a similar setup to ours, and yet their products do carry the crossed grain symbol. However we don't feel that is adequate protection for the consumer, that is why we keep campaigning for stricter licensing laws, for example: we have campaigned over many years for the use of only organic yeast in organic products rather than allowing genetically modified yeast. See News
Our bread is not just for people with a food intolerance, allergy or coeliac disease: Our aim is to make bread that tastes good for everyone and is as healthy as possible too. If you like our bread, then please tell all your friends about us. Please let us know what you think if you are going to buy the bread! Enjoy. |
