Frequently Asked Questions - Ingredients
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa) Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a native "grain" or seed of a Andes pig weed that has been widely used for food in Peru. It is high in protein, calcium, and iron. It is not technically a grain, it is generally thought of as one. Quinoa grains range in colour from ivory to pinks, browns to red or almost black depending on the variety.
Where do we get our ingredients?
The ingredients are sourced in New Zealand whenever possible but not everything is available locally that meets our specifications and volume requirements. Where we are sourcing outside of New Zealand our approved supplier programme ensures that the quality of the products are of the highest standards.
Why are there additives or preservatives in the cereals?
Additives or preservatives are used when there is a genuine technical function which is not offered by natural ingredients.
Preservative 220 or sulphur dioxide is added to the dried fruits by our suppliers to prevent it from going brown. Without preservative the dried fruit would not maintain its quality long enough to be of use or acceptability to customers.
Emulsifier 471 is a plant derivative and is used to stop the rice, corn and wheat from sticking when cooked.
Food acids are used to improve food flavours.
Humectant (glycerol) is used by our raw materials suppliers in raisins and sultanas to stop them from hardening.
There is a threshold for declaration of preservatives if they are considered as allergens. The threshold is 10 ppm (parts per million). If we are close to this we always declare to ensure that allergen sufferers have as much information as possible.
Where do we source our palm oil?
Palm oil is from renewable sources and is farmed only in non-rainforest areas.
Why do the cereals contain sugar?
The sugar in our cereals comes from several sources:
- Fruit - freeze dried fruit and dried fruit. Dried fruit is fruit without the water and as fresh fruit is largely water, removing the water effectively concentrates the fruit sugars, so dried fruit is actually high in sugar, albeit largely fruit sugar - fructose
- Added sugars - white sugar, brown sugar, invert syrup
- Honey
Added sugars are necessary for many products as:
- Toasted muesli products need to be coated with a sugar/oil syrup to aid in the toasting process (the maillard reaction). Dry toasting of cereals is not really an option as a much higher temperature and longer baking time would be required this in turn would lead to accelerated oxidative rancidity of the product which would impact the shelf life and the eating experience.
- Natural muesli products need to have a small amount of syrup added to aid in their packing.
- Flavour - sugar syrups are used to help carry flavours onto our coated products. Thank Goodness Original contains rice pops which do not have any sugar or malt extract which means they are quite bland. In contrast, regular rice pops have a small amount added, which significantly improves the flavour.
- Sugar syrups are also used in extruded products to help bind the product together and mask some of the bitterness inherent in many grains.
If you take into consideration the high level of fruit in many of our cereals, combined with the added sugar which is essential in many cases.
Why are the fruits so hard?
Hubbards has been famous for flavour and the introduction of fruit to various different cereal segments. As part of this process, Hubbards chose in a great deal of instances to use natural rather than processed fruit pieces. As a result of this, there may be moisture imbalances between the cereal and the fruit over time with the impact of fruit hardening at various different levels.
The dried fruit has a higher moisture content than the oat or flake component of the cereal. Over time, the moisture of the fruit migrates to the cereal and it may tend to get harder and chewier over time.
Do Hubbards cereals contain any GMO?
Our cereals do not contain any genetically modified ingredients.
Why do we not add certain vitamins or minerals such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D or Selenium to our breakfast cereals?
Under the Food Standards Code, we are only permitted to add the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A (carotene forms)
- Thiamine
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Folate
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
Of these, we do currently add the vitamins and minerals that are in bold. Each country has their own set of food regulations and many countries permit other nutrients to be added that are not permitted in New Zealand such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.
What are the RDI's = Recommended Dietary Intakes?
This is the level of nutrient, which has been recommended to be consumed on a daily basis. It has been determined based on research.
These RDI's were taken from the Food Standards Code and they are an average. There are various versions available which differ slightly depending whether they are for an adult or a child, male, or female, or whether the female is pregnant or lactating.
RDI
Vitamin A 800ug
Thiamine 1.1mg
Riboflavin 1.72mg
Niacin 10mg
Vitamin B6 1.6mg
Vitamin C 40mg
Vitamin E 10mg
Folate 200mcg
Calcium 800mg
Iron 12mg
Magnesium 320mg
Zinc 12mg
For the majority of these nutrients, we are unable to exceed 25% of the RDI per serving, with the exception of folate and thiamin, which are allowed up to 50% of the RDI and zinc for which only 15% of the RDI is allowed.
If none of these answer your query - please contact us on email@hubbards.co.nz.