SALISBURY, Md., Dec. 14, 2010 — Today Handy International announces the world’s first and only Certified Gluten-Free Crab Cake. The certification, issued by the independent auditing body Gluten-Free Certification Organization (http://www.gfco.org) comes on the heels of months of development effort centered on rethinking the crab cake. Handy was able to produce an alternative for gluten-free consumers that can pass a testing protocol far more stringent as the proposed USFDA standard.
In recent years millions of Americans have begun to adopt the gluten-free lifestyle as a growing body of scientific data is revealing the negative effects of gluten consumption to an ever-growing population of American consumers. Carol Haltaman, who heads up Handy’s research and development team, noted, “We’re particularly pleased that we created a cake that not only meets the stringent testing requirements, but is simply one of the best-tasting crab cakes we have ever produced. When you consider that nearly one in seven Americans is either gluten-intolerant or gluten-sensitive it was easy to see the need to bring top-quality products to this market.”
When asked why Handy went above and beyond the USFDA’s proposed standards, Haltaman responded, “We set a new standard in quality and consistency in crab meat and we really wanted to hold ourselves to the same gold standard with our gluten-free crab cake.”
The new gluten-free cakes are already available at a growing network of Costcos, Whole Foods Markets, and many other top retailers around the United States, but in an effort to reach the diverse and scattered population of consumers seeking gluten-free products Handy is offering the cakes directly to consumers via their new consumer targeted website: http://www.glutenfreecrabcake.com. In the words of Carol Haltaman, “The gluten-free community has strong ties to the web and we wanted to give them direct access to the product until a retailer close to them carries the product.”
About Gluten-Free Certification Organization
Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) provides an independent service to supervise gluten-free food production according to a consistent, defined, science-based standard that is confirmed by field inspections, in order to achieve heightened consumer confidence and safety. GFCO seeks to improve the health of those living on a gluten-free diet by providing a system that ensures standards, which are based on sound scientific research. GFCO provides a uniform system, using strict standards to certify a product gluten-free and enables people to easily identify GF foods with confidence. GFCO provides consumers and manufacturers confidence in knowing that products labeled with the GFCO certification mark meet the strictest standards for gluten-free. These voluntary standards go beyond the requirements of government laws and regulations in order to ensure public confidence. Find more at http://www.gfco.org.
About Handy International Inc.
Handy International has been a member of the Seafood Community since 1903 and has been a leader in bringing top-quality seafood products and pasteurized crab meat to market. Under the leadership of Terrence N. Conway, Handy has pioneered the industry’s most stringent quality standards and received Silliker’s gold certificate with an excellent rating of 97% – a level attained by less than 10% of the plants inspected by Silliker.
