WATERLOO, ONTARIO – Piller's Fine Foods has expanded its successful allergen-free Simply Free line of deli meats to help parents of kids with food allergies, and their classmates, stay safe in the lunchroom this school year.
Four-out-of-five accidental exposures occur away from home, according to the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative, with about 7 per cent of the Canadian population (or 2.4 million people) now dealing with this heightened health issue, cites Health Canada. And about 300,000 Canadian children have food allergies, according to Anaphylaxis Canada. Further to this, about one in every 100 Canadians has celiac disease and must avoid gluten.
Great for lunches, the expanded Piller's Simply Free line is free of gluten and all other major food allergens, including milk, peanuts, tree nuts, mustard, sesame, egg, fish, soy and sulphites, without compromising on great taste. The expansion includes more sliced meats like Pastrami and Capicola, meat snacks, sausage, ham and fully cooked breakfast options such as cornmeal back bacon and breakfast sausage rounds.
"After our successful launch of Simply Free allergen-free deli meats last year, we received many letters from parents thanking us for providing delicious products that the whole family can enjoy with peace of mind that their kids can eat safely," says Rita Weigel, the director of marketing at Piller's. "One mother of two children with threatening food allergies wrote to thank us, and another called our products a 'miracle'. Responses like these provided encouragement to further expand the line."
The new Piller's Simply Free line is available at grocery stores across Canada, Weigel adds. More information, plus allergen free recipe ideas, is available at pillers.com/simplyfree.
About Piller's Fine Foods
Piller's Fine Foods is one of Canada's leading manufacturers of specialty European deli meats with more than 600 employees. Its corporate headquarters, production plant and distribution centre are located in Waterloo, Ontario, with operations in Brantford, Toronto and Arthur, ON.
It was founded in 1957 in Waterloo by Wilhelm Huber using family recipes, quality ingredients, and traditional European sausage-making methods. From those humble beginnings, Piller's has become one of North America's largest producers of European sausages and deli meats, famous for award-winning products such as Black Forest ham and air-dried salamis. To this day, after five generations of sausage makers, Piller's still uses the same natural aging, curing, and smoking process that had customers lining up outside Wilhelm Huber's butcher shop more than 50 years ago.
The company was acquired by Premium Brands Holdings Corporation in 2011.
Source: Piller's Fine Foods
