The Aussie oat company fighting to label its products gluten-free

When Kylie Martin has a few moments to reflect on her journey, it still amazes her how far her business GF Oats has come. Originally started to source uncontaminated oats to feed her three porridge-loving but gluten intolerant children, GF Oats has grown into a market leader, providing high-quality oat products.

The challenges of COVID-19 threw the day to day operations out of whack and with tonnes of product sitting on docks in the US and packaging from China, with it unable to be transported to Australia. With product demand at an all-time high, Kylie had to get creative.

Forging a partnership with veteran’s families to support the charity Legacy, GF Oats created Anzac Biscuits to support this organisation, donating a $1 per 10 pack and raising over $5000. But despite this ingenious pivot, Kylie continues to fight to properly label her products as gluten-free.

Sadly Australia lags behind the rest of the world in terms of food labelling laws, which means GF Oats and others with similar products cannot label products as gluten-free and can only use ‘uncontaminated’ to describe the product.

For Kylie, this is a constant source of frustration. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. A multi-year Australian study into food labelling is in the final stages and Kylie is hopeful that before the year is out, she will be able to slap the ‘gluten free’ label on all her products.

“Imagine building a multi-million dollar business and not being able to label your products properly,” she said. “We are turning over two tonnes of oat products, and just launched our Aussie Oats product, and really want to be able to reach more people without having to explain what uncontaminated means.”

The study, conducted by Monash University and funded by Coeliac Australia, will see oat products able to use the gluten-free label bringing Australia in line with the rest of the world.

“When we are able to label gluten free, we are confident sales will quadruple, giving our customers confidence in our products,” Kylie said.

Not only will the change in labelling laws assist GF Oats to grow but the opportunities open to Australian farmers is exciting.

“Helping farmers understand the requirements for growing uncontaminated oats means they can dedicate land to grow this new crop, providing Aussie grown oats, instead of relying on imports,” Kylie said.

“With the ongoing impact of COVID, consumers are eagerly looking for Australian made and Australian grown products.”

Kylie has developed specifications for Australian farmers who want to tap into the ever growing gluten free market.

“We’ve lots of farmers interested in growing uncontaminated oats to meet our growing demand domestically and internationally, and it is a great opportunity to get a premium price for a product.”

For GF Oats, it has been a long journey amidst constant justification from government health authorities. However, working with the federal Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, the future looks gluten-free.

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