Gluten-free doughnuts introduced by frozen food distributor Central Foods

Leading frozen food distributor Central Foods has boosted its range of free-from products with the launch of a new gluten-free doughnut.

The KaterBake midi-sized gluten-free ring doughnut is suitable for vegetarians, as well as coeliacs, and is perfect for a range of foodservice uses.

It can be dressed up or down to achieve every price point, with serving ideas including topping with glazes or icing, decorating with sprinkles, fruit or popcorn, threading onto straws for eye-catching ‘freakshake’ milkshakes, or slicing in half and filling with a generous scoop of ice-cream for the ultimate ice-cream sandwich.

Figures show that the free-from market in the UK is continuing to grow, with more and more people requiring special dietary requirements, whether for medical, health, cultural or religious reasons.

“The free-from market really is huge - it’s worth more than £627 million a year and is set to reach £952 million by 2021 – and at Central Foods we have seen a large increase in demand for both sweet and savoury free-from products,” said Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods.

“We have been working with Coeliac UK since 2009 as part of our commitment to sourcing and supplying free-from foods, and have a comprehensive range of gluten-free items that we supply to wholesalers and foodservice caterers.

“We are delighted to have now introduced an updated version of the all-time classic, the ring doughnut, in a gluten-free format. The KaterBake gluten-free ring doughnut, which, at approximately 33g compared to 56g for a standard ring doughnut, is not too big or too small - making it the ideal quick and easy base for caterers to use in their own creations. Suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs means it also ticks a lot of boxes for customer requirements.”

Coeliac UK estimates that there are now over 1.3 million Britons or 3% of British adults following a gluten-free diet. Alongside that, 8.58 million, or 13%, are avoiding gluten in their diet. More than 90% of those on a gluten-free diet eat out at least once a month – and of course they often dine with others – so this represents huge opportunities for the foodservice sector. According to IPSOS Mori 2016, there are also 1.14 million vegetarians in the UK.

The KaterBake gluten-free ring doughnuts are supplied frozen in pack sizes of six by six.

Based in Northamptonshire, Central Foods is one of the UK’s leading frozen food distributors, supplying more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers, and foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, Central Foods sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.