Food - Drink
You Can Thank Schär Brand For The Rise Of Gluten-Free Bread
By CATHERINE RICKMAN
Even 30 years ago, the concept of tasty gluten-free bread seemed like wishful thinking, and people suffering from Celiac disease or allergies had limited options when it came to avoiding gluten. By the early 20th century, however, one man opened up an entire culinary field that made bread products available to the gluten intolerant.
In the 1920s, Dr. Anton Schär studied the effects of alternative diets on children with digestive issues. After he discovered that removing wheat from the diets of his subjects helped soothe some of their gastrointestinal discomfort, among other symptoms, he began experimentation with developing his own gluten-free products.
In the late 1970s, Austrian health food store scion Ulrich Ladurner took over the Schär brand and began producing gluten-free products like cereals, cookies, and flours. The Schär company later debuted its popular gluten-free bread, made with ingredients like chia seeds, buckwheat, sourdough, millet, quinoa, and flax seeds.
Schär remains the leading manufacturer of gluten-free foods in Europe, and its presence has been growing in the U.S. since it bought the gluten-free companies Glutafin and Trufree in 2007. The company continues research into gluten-free bread and has an international scientific committee where experts study Celiac disease.