FacebookWhat began with a small health food company in Italy has blossomed into one of the largest gluten free brands in the world. A leader in celiac research and gluten free food innovation, Schär offers products in more than 80 countries around the globe and we pride ourselves in making safe, delicious, gluten free foods easily accessible to the Celiac community.
At Schär, we follow a traditional field to fork philosophy. Our master bakers use only the finest raw materials prepared with the highest level of expertise in the industry. Every recipe is rigorously tested for flavor and quality before being put into production and we employ strict quality control standards every step of the way.
From humble beginnings, Schär has grown into an international brand. Read on to learn more about our state-of-the-art facilities, our gluten free certification, and increased safety measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
State of the Art Gluten Free Facilities
Schär headquarters are located in Burgstall near Merano, Italy and for years our reach was confined to Europe. The Schär USA Inc. subsidiary was born in 2007 but it wasn’t until 2012 when we truly leapt forward into the United States market by investing over $12 million to build a new state-of-the-art facility dedicated gluten free facility in Swedesboro, NJ.
These facilities are dedicated to serving the North American market where, in the United States alone, an estimated 3.1 million people have celiac disease and another 31.1 million are gluten intolerant.
Our new 60,000 square-foot plant manufactures all of our classic products including the Artisan Baker line of sliced breads as well as sandwich rolls, hamburger buns, and baguettes. Since opening the facility, we’ve developed and put into production dozens of new products including snacks like our Chocolate Honeygrams and Cocoa Wafers as well as boxed pasta, puff pastry dough, and pizza crusts.
As a dedicated gluten free facility, we adhere strictly to global gluten free standards. We exercise extreme caution in selection our raw materials and comply with the 20 ppm or less maximum gluten content standard established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
More About Our Gluten Free Certification
Followers of the gluten free diet know how tough it can be to find safe foods on grocery store shelves and online. In August 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new rule regarding gluten free food labeling that made things a little easier. Under this ruling, food manufacturers must comply with the FDA’s definition of “gluten free” in order to label their products as such.
The FDA’s definition of gluten free requires a product to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. This is the lowest level that can reliably be detected in foods using scientifically validated methods.
The problem is there are no restrictions on what foods can carry the label and no requirement for foods to be labeled gluten free. Independent manufacturers may not even test the products themselves and may produce gluten free foods on shared equipment. The best way to ensure a product is actually gluten free is to check for a gluten free certification.
There are a number of gluten free certification organization which test gluten free foods. Both the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) and the Allergen Control Group require tested foods to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten. Only the Celiac Support Association (CSA) requires foods to contain less than 5 ppm of gluten and to be free from oats as well – even gluten free oats.
At Schär, our manufacturing facilities are solely dedicated to the production of gluten free foods. We work closely with our growers and oversee the production cycle from start to finish. We regularly test both our raw ingredients and finished products to ensure levels below 5 ppm of gluten.
Increased Safety Measures to Protect Against COVID-19
Schär is and always has been a brand committed to quality and integrity but, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve stepped up safety measures at our state-of-the-art facilities. Not only does Schär seek to become the U.S. market leader in gluten free foods and innovation, but we also want to keep our team members and consumers safe and healthy.
We’ve implemented the following safety measures:
- Enhanced cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting procedures
- Quarantine procedures following CDC guidelines
- Monitoring the health of plant employees
- Encouraging social distancing practices in all facilities
- Monitoring the health and risk status of direct delivery drivers
- Asking all corporate employees to work from home
- Suspending all non-essential business travel until further notice
In addition to implementing these safety measures, we hold a taskforce meeting every morning to address the ever-changing environment. The health and safety of our team and customers is always our top priority. We are following the guidelines set forth by the WHO and CDC as well as local, state, and federal governments on top of our already established food and personnel safety practices.
