SAVING TIME AND MONEY WITH READY-TO-USE PASTA AND PULSES

As consumers demand transparency about the nutritional value of food in supermarkets and restaurants, it’s never been more vital to ensure ingredients are top quality. And food suppliers and restaurants must meet the demand for these foods in the quickest and most cost effective way.

Place UK, one of the premier food growers and producers in the country, specialises in making life easier for suppliers further down the chain. The company is constantly evolving to meet demand and can produce over 40 tonnes of ready-to-use pasta and pulses for the food manufacturing and food service industry daily. Set up by John Place in 1954 to grow and process soft fruit, Place UK has expanded to process a wide range of products including pasta and pulses in an IQF state. The addition of a brand new High Care facility in 2010 meant Place’s UK’s processing capabilities expanded even further.

Place UK works with pasta from numerous suppliers, from local producers to suppliers from Italy. The company’s High Care facility can process pasta in many shapes and sizes – from Penne to Macaroni and more, and an even greater variety of pulses including Red Kidney Beans, Cannellini, Pinto, Butter Beans and Chick Peas. Chris Oaten, sales and marketing manager at Place UK, said: “We take pride in the fact that we save both time and money by removing one or more steps in the processing of pasta and pulses. Our specialised facilities, including the High Care unit, reduce the work for food manufacturers which may already have multiple other processes taking place.

“The products offer convenience for end users too. For example a restaurant can take the required amount of pasta from the box without having to waste remaining product – if a recipe calls for 8kg of pasta, 2kg of remaining pasta can easily be put back into cold storage to be used when needed.”

Place UK’s facilities can also be used as support should another producer find themselves with broken down pasta processing machinery, or need to hold additional frozen stock to help others smooth out excessive promotional demand from customers.

Chris continued: “The products we produce are to the highest standard and we’re confident that the investment in High Care processing facilities enables Place UK to supply the very best pulses and pasta products.

“There’s more demand now than ever for healthy and vegetarian food options, for which pulses are ideal. Pulses are naturally low GI, low in salt and low in fat. And, when prepared properly, they can be a world away from the bad memories of overcooked beans found in the school lunches of our youth!”

Place UK can process 20 to 40 tonnes of pulses per day and/or 20 to 40 tonnes of pasta and noodles, which need no further processing prior to consumption due to the High Care process employed. High Care products are those that have been prepared in strictly controlled conditions that virtually eliminate the risk of microbial contamination.

For more information about Place UK, visit www.placeuk.com