Seeds of inspiration grow

Demand for hemp, pumpkin, linseed, sunflower and sesame seeds has hit an all-time high as manufacturers look to boost their health credentials by incorporating these so-called 'superfoods' into new and unusual products.

In recent months the seeds and natural products division of ingredients giant Fuerst Day Lawson (FDL) has been fielding inquiries from manufacturers of everything from smoothies and soft drinks to cheeses, salad dressings and meat seasonings, says director Frank Horan.

While growth has in part been driven by the popularity of the low-GI diet, says Horan, there is also strong interest in sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds because of their cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, and in linseed (flax) and hemp because they are rich in omega-3s.

While the strongest demand is coming from the bakery and snacks sector, with malted grainy and seeded bread growing at more than 30% year-on-year, FDL is increasingly working with firms in other sectors as well, says Horan.

Demand is such that FDL is considering building a development kitchen at its seed processing facility at Little Walden in a bid to work more closely with customers on product development, says Horan. "It's all part of our transition from being essentially a trader of commodity products to a fully-fledged ingredients supplier adding real value."

He adds: "Many of these products are still at conceptual stage, but things are moving very rapidly. Take hemp. We used to supply a few kilos of this to the market. Now, we're handling tonnes of it, for bread, snack bars, drinks and all kinds of other products. There is also growing demand for salted, coated and toasted seeds and we are installing new equipment to meet it."

FDL has pumped £3M into upgrading the 6,039m2 Little Walden site since acquiring it from Associated British Foods' subsidiary Westmill Foods in 2004. The site includes a new segregated sesame cleaning and blending facility; a new micro-seeds processing line to handle poppy and linseed; new packing lines; X-ray metal detectors; a sieve aspirator (to remove dust) and a new bulk intake system. It has space to store 4,000t of products.