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The Finnish food product of 2007 is tasty, healthy and
innovative. Demand for the whole oatmeal bread launched a
year ago by the Ehon Leipomo bakery has already exceeded supply.
The jury in the Finnish Food Product of the Year competition,
which was arranged by the Finnish Food and Drink Industries'
Federation, predicted good prospects for the winner, Kaura100,
in May, thanks to the healthy properties and tastiness of
the bread. The bakery had noticed the good prospects earlier.
Bread legend created
Talk about creating Kaura100 started in the autumn of 2004,
when Finnish consumers began to call for a bread containing
as much Finnish oat as possible to go alongside the traditional
Finnish ryebread.
Eho began development work, the most important starting points
being the taste and structure of the bread. It had to have
as much wholemeal oat, fibre and oat's betaglucan as possible.
Betaglucan affects health by reducing cholesterol and strengthening
the defence mechanism of the human system.
The development work was successful and a new Finnish bread
legend was launched onto the market. "When Kaura100 was
brought onto the market in September 2006, it immediately
became one of our best-selling light breads," says Minna
Kaansalo, the head of development at Eho Oy.
Expanding by licensing
In its sales area, the Helsinki Metropolitan District, the
bread has so many true friends that the shop-shelves become
empty. The biggest friends travel a long way to shop for it.
Thanks to its great popularity, Eho is now considering production
of the bread under licence. "In this way the product
would get a wider sales network than at present, and maybe
the company a new product for export," Kaansalo ponders.
The aim of the Finnish Food Product of the Year competition
is to make known product innovations in the food industry
that have the potential for commercialisation on a wide scale.
The competition strengthens competitiveness in the sector
and encourages product development by companies.
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Oat is a Finnish, fibre-containing basic
grain that has been found to help in weight
control and the prevention of many standard-of-living
illnesses.
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Most of the oat's fibre is betaglucan,
which reduces blood cholesterol, increases
the system's resistance to infections and
balances the blood sugar content.
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Oat has been found to help prevent heart
diseases and reduce cancer of the colon.
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Oat has fewer carbohydrates than rye or
wheat, but 10-15 per cent more proteins
than other crops.
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There is no glutein in oat so it is suitable
for celiacs.
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Oat contains health fatty acids and plenty
of antioxidants.
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