Are your Nut and Seed Butters still Gluten-free?
In re-branding our nut and seed butters we have labelled them
to be compliant with new EU labeling requirements including allergen labeling. Allergens are highlighted in bold in the ingredients list.
Where there is cross contamination risk from other allergens we have included a
statement “Packed on the same line as Nuts & Sesame.” Where there is
no allergen risk there is no reference to these allergens on the label which is
the case with gluten. There has been no change to the production with the re-branding and we can confirm there is still no cross contamination risk from
gluten. The products remain naturally gluten free.
All our Meridian nut and seed butters will continue to be
naturally gluten free despite the fact it will not be labelled as gluten free.
All allergen risks will be clearly included on the new branded labels. |
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Are your nuts roasted before they are ground? Is anything added to them during this process?
All our Nut Butters are free from gluten and starch. They are roasted in their plain skins without the addition of any starches, additives or anything else. |
I can't seem to find your Peanut Butter No Sugar No Salt. Have you changed its name?
Yes, we have changed its name, but it still has the same recipe.
Peanut Butter No Sugar No Salt is now just called 'Peanut Butter' as it is 100% peanuts. Nothing added.
Our Added Salt version is called 'Peanut Butter With a Pinch of Sea Salt' as it is 99% peanuts, 1% sea salt. |
Do you use Palm Oil in any of your products?
We are now proud to say that we do not use Palm Oil in any of our products.
We will shortly be launching a new Hazel Nut Butter without the addition of Palm Oil.
We have now stopped production of our Brazil Nut Butter (our last product which contains Palm Oil.) By June our stocks will have depleted and Meridian will be completely Palm Oil Free.
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Do you make an Almond Butter Without the addition of Salt?
Yes! We will shortly be launching a new jar of Almond Butter 100% which contains 100% nuts. No Salt. Nothing else added.
This is in addition to our present Almond Butter which will be renamed 'Almond Butter With a Pinch of Sea Salt' which contains 99% nuts 1 % Sea Salt. |
Can I use Meridian Organic Unrefined Oils on my skin?
While we cannot provide medical recommendations we can
confirm that our organic sunflower oil is a cold pressed, unrefined oil. The organic unrefined oil is obtained using only mechanical cold pressing and
filtration. We are aware that our
organic unrefined oils are widely used for massage purposes.
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What Country do the nuts used to make Meridian nut butters come from?
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Organic
Pumpkin Seeds
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China
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Organic
Peanut Kernels
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China
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Organic
Almonds
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Spain
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Organic
Cashews
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India/Ivory
Coast/Vietnam
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Peanut
Kernels
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Argentina,
USA
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Almond
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California,
Spain
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Cashew
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Brazil,
Vietnam
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Hazelnut
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Turkey
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Are there any issues with ingredients from Japan?
Following the tragic events in Japan, there was some concern over the import of Japanese food products due to the potential of radiation contamination. We would like to reassure MERIDIAN customers that there is no risk to the supply of MERIDIAN Teriyaki, Tamari and Shoyu soya sauces which contain soya sauce sourced from Japan.
There were adequate stocks of product in the UK which were supplied before the disaster struck and contingency plans were in place to maintain supplies. Checks are carried out by the Japanese authorities on food exported from Japan, where production could be affected by the nuclear accident. All product is tested to ensure it meets strict EU requirements and our UK supplier has a strict irradiation policy in place. There are now extra checks when the food arrives in the EU, in addition to the routine monitoring of imported food which takes place, to ensure that food from Japan is compliant with all Food Safety Laws & completely safe to consume.
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I can't seem to find Meridian Natural Pure Blackstrap Molasses? Have you changed its name?
We can confirm that Natural Molasses Blackstrap has changed its name
from Molasses Blackstrap to Molasses Pure Cane; the product however, has not
changed in itself. We were changing the label design and had to discuss
all label changes with Trading Standards. They suggested that the term
Blackstrap was misleading as it implied the Molasses was manufactured at origin
as part of the sugar refining process. Since our Molasses is the
biproduct of sugar refined in the UK then they did not feel the term Blackstrap
applied. We agree that this is confusing and slightly arbitrary as we can find
no legal definition of Blackstrap. We trust that you will continue to use
either our Organic Blackstrap Molasses or our Natural Pure Cane Molasses.
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Is there any alcohol in your Yeast Extract with added vitamin B12?
Our Yeast Extract is produced by a natural enzymatic fermentation process predominantly from brewer's yeast. As the cell walls break down the proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins can be extracted from inside the cells. The product is then vacuum-evaporated. Vacuum evaporation would remove any volatile materials such as alcohol. There are no remaining viable yeasts which could grow so there is no risk of alcohol production. |
Is there any hidden MSG in your Yeast Extract with added vitamin B12?
We can confirm that there are no hidden ingredients or additives in MERIDIAN Yeast Extract. |
What grade is your Meridian Maple Syrup?
Meridian Foods Organic Maple Syrup is European grade C, Canadian Amber grade and US grade B. |
How is Meridian Grapeseed Oil refined?
Meridian Grapeseed Oil is the only oil from our range that is refined. This is necessary because completely unrefined grapeseed oil is malodorous and unpalatable. All of the other oils in the MERIDIAN range are cold pressed, with no solvents used.
The Grapeseed Oil is part of our Natural range and is not from organic farming. It is prepared from grape seeds and a solvent is used to extract the oil. The oil is then filtered before being steam de-odourised. The temperature and vacuum conditions in the de-odourisation process guarantees the total absence of solvent in the finished product.
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Are products in the Meridian Foods range suitable for a Kosher diet?
Meridian products are not Kosher certified. Due the diversity of the range, different lines are produced at different manufacturing sites meaning that some products in the range are suitable for inclusion in a Kosher diet. At present these products include all Meridian nut and seed butters. |
Is the range of Meridian Oils cold pressed?
Meridian Organic Oils are unrefined and are manufactured by cold pressing to extract the oil (as opposed to solvent extraction of the oil). The oil is filtered and unrefined oil is then packed.
If the oil is then steam de-odourised or receives other heat treatment, it is classed as refined. Unrefined oils tend to be less stable at high temperatures so are more suited to use in dressings, salads and low temperature cooking. Refined oils are suitable for high temperature cooking such as deep frying.
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Why is my peanut butter too runny/firm?
We do sometimes experience variations in the amount of oil in our peanut butter and this is a result of natural variations in the nuts. As a totally natural product, peanuts can develop with higher or lower oil content due to growing conditions.
Sometimes the peanuts are low in oil and we would suggest adding a little sunflower oil or other similar oil to obtain the desired consistency. If the product is too oily we would recommend pouring a little away (try it in sauces and marinades).
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Is it best to store Meridian Peanut Butter in the fridge or the cupboard?
Under normal ambient storage conditions (cupboard) Meridian Peanut Butters will be fine to consume for the three months after opening as suggested on the label.
Due to its low water content, peanut butter will not allow microbial proliferation. However, if the product becomes inadvertently contaminated, for example by using a knife that may have been used to spread butter, the contaminant could cause an issue. Storing the peanut butter in the fridge may help combat any resulting microbial proliferation.
Storing in the fridge may also help to slow the process of oil separation in our range of nut butters. This will naturally occur over time as no stabilisers or other additives are used.
We recommend that our range of nut butters are kept free of contaminants and that they are stored in a cool, dry cupboard. As with many foods, the rancidity process for nut butters is accelerated at higher temperatures or when product is stored in sunlight.
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Do your nut butters contain trans fats as a result of processing?
No. All of our nut butters are free-from trans fats.
Unlike many mainstream nut butter brands, Meridian nut butters are produced using dry roasted, skin-on nuts. They are not roasted in hydrogenated vegetable oils which could introduce trans fats.
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Is Meridian Almond Butter made in a factory that handles peanuts?
Yes. Our nut butter factory handles a variety of nuts including peanut. We have been asked on numerous occasions to produce an almond butter that is totally free from traces of peanut but we do not have the facilities to segregate our products in this way. |
Does Meridian use high heat to make your nut butters?
Meridian nut butters are made from nuts which are roasted with their skins on, as stated on the labels. Without roasting we would simply be producing ground almonds or ground peanuts, etc. Roasting is critical to the safety of our nut butters ensuring any harmful micro-organisms are destroyed.
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What is the difference between your organic and natural molasses?
Our Organic Molasses are manufactured to international organic standards which recognise the close interrelationships between all parts of the production system from the soil to the consumer. The standards affect agricultural, environmental, food processing and social principles.
However, both the organic and natural molasses are high in beneficial trace elements. The flavour of the Natural Molasses tends to be slightly sweeter and less harsh.
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Is sulphur used in the production of your Organic Molasses?
No. Our Meridian Organic Molasses is a by-product of sugar production and comes from fully ripened sugar cane. It does not require sulphur to be used in the extraction process. |
Will pesticides cause your Organic Molasses to taste different?
Our Organic Molasses come from fully certified and tested organic supply chains which ensure that no unapproved pesticides are used. |
Will dissolving Meridian molasses in hot water reduce the nutritional benefits?
Dissolving Meridian Molasses in hot water will not reduce the nutritional benefits. The product has already been heated to a high temperature as part of the process to extract the molasses from sugar cane. |
Is copper present in Meridian Molasses Pure Cane?
Molasses are an excellent source of a number of minerals. We have chosen to highlight three of the minerals that are present in significant quantities in our molasses. However, other minerals are also present.
We have consulted UK Nutritional Databank (a reliable source of nutritional information) to learn more about the copper in molasses. We have been advised that our Meridian Molasses will typically present copper at a level of around 0.5mg/100g. Based on a RDA of 1mg, 100g would provide 50% of the RDA.
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