Q. How long has Warburtons been making gluten free bakery products and why did the company decide to begin manufacturing gluten free? 

Just over 13 years ago. As Britain’s leading baker, Warburtons wanted to help everyone following a gluten free diet by creating a range of gluten free options, especially after receiving numerous customer requests for this. Leveraging our conventional baking expertise, Warburtons started producing fresh, high quality gluten free products and have been doing so ever since. 

Q. Can you outline the Warburtons production process for gluten free bread from start to finish?  

The key to making good quality gluten free bread starts with sourcing the best gluten free ingredients. With gluten free baking specifically, we are looking to mimic the functional aspects of wheat – which is difficult – hence the reason there are so many different ingredients in gluten free items. Alongside this we must ensure all ingredients are gluten free through a rigorous due diligence process. 

Our bakery in Newburn, Newcastle is a dedicated gluten free site. Our staff are committed to producing our gluten free portfolio of products and are highly skilled and focussed on delivering the best quality products. 

The Warburtons gluten free production process: 

1. Once the ingredients have arrived on site, we have a blending team who focus on mixing up the correct blend, depending on which product is being baked.  
2. Once blended, the ingredients form a dough which is then shaped into a loaf, roll, wrap or pitta.  
3. The dough is proved. 
4. Once proved the product goes to the oven and is baked. 
5. The product is then cooled, sliced (if relevant) and packed. 
6. Once packed the finished product is placed in our bakery baskets ready for daily distribution to our supermarket customers. 

All Warburtons gluten free bakery products are baked fresh and delivered to supermarkets across the country daily, ready to be place in the Free From section of the store. 

At all stages the products are checked for quality, measured, and assessed before they leave the bakery. 

Q. What are the biggest challenges in making gluten free bread compared to gluten containing bread?  

Making gluten free bread presents several challenges compared to gluten containing bread. The biggest challenge is around variability of ingredients. Achieving consistent results can be harder due to this variability so when we receive a new batch of ingredients before they are released into the bakery we conduct “test bakes” to see if they perform to our standards. We have a dedicated gluten free quality technical team both at the bakery and in head office who are continually assessing and reviewing our gluten free ingredients. 

Q. How many staff work at the factory?  

We have in the region of a 100 staff working at our Newburn gluten free site along with our senior management team. Many of the loyal staff have been with Warburtons for many years. 

Q. What other gluten free products do you produce? How many different products are there within the Warburtons gluten free range? 

We produce the following gluten free products: 

• 400g bloomers  
• 300g sliced loaves 
• 2 types of 400g loaves specifically for prescription use 
• We also supply a range of soft sliced square rolls including white, brioche, seeded and fruited 
• Additionally, we bake white wraps and white soft pittas, along with gluten free crumpets 

Q. Are there any upcoming gluten free products or new developments that the gluten free community can look forward to?  
 
Recently we launched our new ‘Soft White Pittas’ into the market. These have proven to be incredibly popular and taste just like a gluten containing pitta. We are so proud of the quality and taste. 
 
Q. How do you see the gluten free market evolving in the next few years, and how is Warburtons preparing for those changes?  
 
We believe the gluten free market will continue to grow – this in part is driven by increased awareness of coeliac disease and diagnosis rates but also the commitment from supermarkets. We still feel the ‘food to go’ area in supermarkets is under served with gluten free options and this is an area which needs addressing. 

As a business, we are continually investing in our bakery to look at new baking processes with new equipment and alternative ingredients so that we can remain focussed on delivering the best tasting, quality gluten free bakery products in the UK. 
 
Q. How has Warburtons been impacted by the challenging economic environment? 
 
Like all businesses we have been impacted by economic factors – high energy costs and wildly fluctuating ingredient costs -especially when a number of these are sourced from the thousands of miles away which impacts on shipping costs. 
 
Q. Can you share any initiatives you’ve been involved in, if any, around addressing cost, access, and availability of staple gluten free products? 
 
We have a dedicated procurement team who are continually looking at new sources of ingredients which offer the same quality and safety but at a lower cost. Our quality technical team are working hard on new/modified recipes which could help reduce the cost price.  

Our principal customers are UK supermarkets, and we work hard with all supermarket ‘Free From’ teams to try and ensure our gluten free bakery products reach their shelves every day and are also placed online to make availability easier. We also offer an online home delivery service via our website at www.warburtonsglutenfree.com direct from the Newburn bakery to assist with availability. 
 
Q. What would you say to those that criticise the cost of gluten free staples? Why does it cost more? 

I would say firstly it’s important to understand what goes into gluten free baking, it's a very different and complex process compared with gluten containing baking. The ingredients used in gluten free products are often more complex and expensive to produce than wheat flour. These ingredients help replicate the texture and taste of traditional products without gluten. 

The cost of gluten free products is also representative of the various stages the manufacture or baking of a product goes through including rigorous testing and quality measures. These procedures are essential for people living gluten free but add to the production costs. 

We are aware that cost is a real challenge for the coeliac community, and we are doing our best to manage the cost of gluten free baking to ensure we produce consistently good quality, fresh gluten free loaves daily. The industry is continually evolving, and as demand grows, there is hope that advancements in production methods and increased competition will eventually help to reduce prices.

Thank you to Chris for giving us a glimpse into the world of Warburtons gluten free baking. You can find out more about how we are working with the food industry to make gluten free food more affordable and accessible here