Paula Gledhill, marketing manager at milling business Sharpham Park, told FoodManufacture.co.uk that resurgence in interest in the grain among health conscious consumers and those with digestion problems had led to many firms no longer being able to supply it.
“Spelt has grown in popularity because of its health benefits and taste,” she said. “There has been a huge surge in demand [from food manufacturers] because of more interest from consumers interested in ancient grains and growing amount of people that have gluten intolerances.”
The combination of a fragile, soluble gluten content and high fibre made it much easier to digest than modern wheat, which can aid people suffering from digestive issues, especially irritable bowel syndrome, the firm added.
Cancer
High in soluble fibre, it is proven to lower cholesterol and could help to prevent diseases such as bowel cancer, Gledhill claimed.
It is high in both simple and complex carbohydrates, which are an important factor in stimulating the body’s immune system, and in preventing blood clotting.
Two years of poor harvest had also led to people looking at alternative grains, such as spelt, Gledhill added.
Although Sharpham Park has enough spelt to supply its current client base – which includes Waitrose, Sainsbury, a number of bakers and farm shops – if popularity continues to grow it would have to refuse to take on new customers looking to benefit from manufacturing the popular grain, Gledhill warned.
The price of organic spelt has gone up from £800t to £2,000t in the last 12 months and from £500t to £1,600t for conventional spelt on the world market.
“Prices will stay high if there is a good harvest,” Gledhill claimed. “It will become more popular as more people learn about it – it isn’t processed as much as many grains so people will like that.”
Sharpham Park produces between 500t and 1,000t of spelt grain depending on the harvest.
Higher yield
Global demand for spelt meant the firm was looking to produce a higher yield this year, the precise volume of grain would depend on the quality of the harvest, Gledhill said.
The firm has sowed an extra 250 acres of spelt seed this year to meet demand.
Taste was another driver for consumers choosing spelt products, Gledhill said, but if businesses imported non-organic spelt it would lack the “popular nutty taste”.
“People want to buy organic, but they don’t want to eat something that tastes awful just because it’s good for them,” she added. “We need to grow more; we grow organically under very strict conditions. Research shows it is not as nutritious if it is imported because other markets do not manufacture it organically.”
Sharpham Park mills its spelt in a “traditional” stone milling way. Imported grains were not grown organically and were pressed four or six times, impacting the taste, Gledhill claimed.