Canadian Celiac Association Newsletter

Canadian Celiac Association
June/July 2010 Volume 19 Issue 3

PORTOFINO BAKERY RISES TO THE OCCASION

News of a locally produced line of gluten-free baking has spread like wildfire throughout Victoria’s celiac
community. While the products are labeled “Gluten-Free,” they also carry the proviso that they are produced in a facility that also handles wheat; a red flag for any celiac. I checked Gluten-Free Diet, A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, (2008 edition) for her perspective on the safety for celiacs of gluten-free bread produced in a “mixed” facility. Under Regular Commercial Bakeries on page 209, Shelley writes: “Some bakeries make gluten-free products in addition to regular gluten-containing bakery items. Be aware of the strong possibility of cross-contamination. Ask the bakery what procedures they use to reduce the risk of cross-contamination (e.g. cleaning of the area and equipment, baking gluten-free products in a separate area and in separate pans and/or on specific days when no gluten containing items are produced).” I contacted owner Jaap Verbeke and ran him through my
GF grillers. Here are the results of our discussions:

Interest, Market Research,Product Development

Jaap was trained as a baker in Holland and was the former owner of Broadmead Bakery before setting out to establish Portofino Wholesale Bakery. In 6 years, it has grown a 10,000 sq ft state of the art production facility at 834 Devonshire Road, supplying retailers and restaurants with high quality European bread and baking. A family member’s serious peanut allergy sensitized him to celiacs’ need for gluten-free baking. With his expertise as an artisan baker and a very candid panel of non-celiac taste testers, he developed the line of great tasting gluten-free breads and baking that we are seeing on retailer shelves.

Allergens

Portofino has a Company Allergen Strategy whereby the top nine priority food allergens and all gluten-free ingredients are stored separately within a dedicated ingredients storage area. Every new Portofino employee undergoes Allergen Awareness Training on the absolute necessity for strict and proper handling procedures.

Cross Contamination

Jaap made it very clear to me that Portofino is NOT a wheat-free bakery dedicated to producing wheat free products. However, potential points of cross-contamination have been identified and practices put into place to reduce or prevent those possibilities. Here are the measures that have been established:

•At the end of every baking day, all equipment and surfaces are soaked and then vigorously scrubbed with sanitizer, then rinsed.
•Before GF baking begins 8 hours later and just prior to GF preparation, any shared equipment and preparation area surfaces are again wiped down to remove any gluten flours that may have settled in the interim.
•A specialized team of GF bakers dons fresh uniforms and uses fresh linens at the start of each shift, as do all staff.
•Once the dough has been mixed in the twice cleaned mixer, it is dropped into clean stainless steel bowls, portioned into dedicated pans with dedicated utensils and baked with only GF products. This oven is also used to bake regular baking.
•Once out of the oven, the baking is transported to a separate cooling area with a fan system that pulls the warm air from this clean area towards the production area.
•Here the products are cooled, sliced, bagged and labeled before being placed on dedicated trays and readied for delivery.
•Portofino has purchased a dedicated slicer that is only used to slice gluten-free bread.
•Gluten-free baking is transported to retailers and restaurants on scrubbed, dedicated trays.
**All gluten-free baking is prepared, baked, cooled, sliced and bagged before the day’s production of gluten-baking begins.**

Sourcing of Ingredients

Portofino faces the same challenges that celiacs do in finding ingredients that have been sourced, processed, packaged and transported in ways that keep them free from gluten contamination. As a result of our discussions, Portofino now requests that before an ingredient is shipped, suppliers and distributors must provide written documentation that the product has been tested for gluten and scores below 20 ppm or that the product is processed in a facility that does not handle any gluten containing ingredients.

Conclusions

While there is a strong possibility of cross-contamination whenever gluten-free baking is produced in a facility that also produces gluten-containing products, Portofino Wholesale Bakery has actively undertaken to identify potential sources of contamination and established procedures to minimize or prevent them. Jaap Verbeke has been inordinately accepting of any and all suggestions we have made and short of establishing a dedicated production area or instituting a system of scheduled post-production gluten testing, celiacs should feel free to make their own decision on whether it is “safe for them” to partake of their baking. It is delicious!

Product List

Jaap and Production Manager Richard Wilson are developing a GF pizza crust and hope to have GF hamburger buns perfected in time for BBQ season. They are exploring recipes for breads that incorporate alternative flours for those keen to maximize their nutrition and fiber and I admit to being a very willing guinea pig for the most divine Coconut Lemon Pound Cake that I have ever tasted, filled with slivers of real lemon rind and shards of coconut.

Currently on Offer

Brown Bread
Seeded Brown Bread
Cheese & Onion Bread
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coconut Lemon Pound Cake
Available at the following retailers:
Red Barn Markets (Mattick’s, West Saanich Rd,
Vanalman)
Peppers (Cadboro Bay)
Deep Cove Market
Niagara Grocery (James Bay)

Portofino Wholesale Bakery
250-475-6099
info@portofinobakery.ca

Report by Ellen Bayens. For those interested in reading the entire article: Canadian Celiac Association Newsletter.