Chocolate for everyone to enjoy

The vegan diet is now clearly mainstream. Animal product-free options are available on the shelves of all grocery stores. Veganism is increasingly a diet, whether it’s animal welfare concerns or a belief that herbal products are healthier choice rather than a security requirement.

But what about those consumers whose food choices are restricted due to negative or potentially life-threatening consequences? For food allergy sufferers, the knowledge of what exactly is – and what is Not – in their food is vital. That was the motivation behind it SURNAME – a brand that has successfully developed chocolate options for a wide variety of allergy sufferers, from dairy products and eggs to tree nuts and peanuts. New food spoke to Jacqueline Tyrrell, Brand Manager at NOMO, to find out more.

„Where most other vegan brands use hazelnut paste or oat milk in their vegan chocolate recipes, NOMO uses rice powder instead of milk.” Referring to the mindset of everyone working on the brand, Jacqueline stated, “As a company, we take allergens very seriously and everyone who works at NOMO has this at the forefront of their thinking. We go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that our NOMO products are safe and free from major allergens: dairy products, gluten, eggs and nuts (tree nuts and peanuts).

These extreme lengths extend the entire length of their supply chain and the entire production process. “Starting with our suppliers, we make sure that all NOMO ingredients are free from dairy products, gluten, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts. Our factory in Norfolk, UK has a specially segregated part of the factory to make NOMO. The entire process is carefully managed by our operations and technical teams and backed up by detailed allergen management procedures. It is very important to us as a brand that we are not only vegan but also a safe option for people with allergies to dairy, gluten, eggs and nuts, ”she said.

Do allergy sufferers lose their taste?

But is the chocolate good? When asked if consumers have to make concessions in terms of texture and taste, Jacqueline confidently stated, “We don’t think so! We have gone to great lengths to ensure that NOMO tastes like milk chocolate. It’s about finding the best combination of ingredients and methods for making the chocolate to get a smooth, creamy taste and smooth texture. “And it seems that this level of precision cannot be rushed. “For example, it took us two years to develop our creamy chocolate recipe and our caramel-filled bar almost four years! We work very hard on all of our products to ensure that NOMO is uncompromisingly delicious.

When asked if she thinks there is adequate care in the market for allergy sufferers, Jacqueline naturally pointed to NOMO and announced that the NOMO brand not only offers a significant selection of candy bar flavors and seasonal products, but also a new option offers the not too distant horizon. „We want to expand our formats beyond impulses and sharing,” she said. “We have an exciting (but top-secret) product pipeline that will hit the market in 2021 that will give consumers even more choices.

Given the dynamism of the vegan trend New food asked if Jacqueline was expecting a similar event with chocolate-free water.

“In the last 10 years the number of people suffering from food allergies and intolerances in the UK has definitely increased. We know that almost a third of adults in the UK have an undiagnosed food allergy, ”she explained. “Developing NOMO takes a lot of time and effort, both from a development perspective (we need to make sure that all of our ingredients are free from dairy, gluten, eggs and nuts) and from a manufacturing perspective. This aspect makes it inadmissible for some brands to offer options freely. With that in mind, it’s easier to serve the vegan consumer only. However, for NOMO, our ethos is that as many people as possible enjoy delicious chocolate. Therefore, being brand free is just as important to us as a vegan brand.

Since the purchase of food is not only motivated by the ingredients themselves, but also by their origin, NOMO’s selection of cocoa beans also serves ethical consumers.

„NOMO buys Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ cocoa through the ‘mass balance’ production model.” Jacqueline explained. “This allows us to buy more cocoa from farms that are Rainforest Alliance certified. This means that farmers, the environment and the cocoa growing areas will benefit from our increased purchases. The Rainforest Alliance works with farmers, businesses, foresters, communities and consumers to empower farmers and forest communities, improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity and help people change climate change in a courageous and effective way Way to temper and adapt to him.