Kettle Cuisine, Chelsea, Mass., said it is the first foodservice soup processor-supplier to receive GIG® certification from The Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). The certification includes 10 Kettle Cuisine gluten-free soups.

"Both Kettle Cuisine and the GFCO seek to improve the health of people on a gluten-free diet by providing safe, high-quality food options," said Jerry Shafir, Kettle Cuisine president & CEO. "With Americans consuming more than 10 billion bowls of soup each year, and one out of every 133 American suffering from Celiac Disease, its no surprise that Kettle Cuisine is excited to bridge this gap by offering foodservice operators the ability to safely serve a line of soups with no gluten and no compromise in taste."

Shafir said GFCO inspected Kettle Cuisine’s cooking facilities and audited their storage, preparation and cooking practices against a highly stringent set of standards before granting the official certification to the ten varieties. These certified varieties, which are a part of a line of over 50 soups, stews, chilis and chowders are intended to help foodservice operators reach a growing population of guests that prefer or require a gluten-free diet.

The new gluten-free line includes such varieties as Organic Roasted Eggplant & Tomato, featuring eggplant, sautéed onions, garlic, red ripe tomatoes and olive oil; and Organic Cream of Mushroom & Potato with savory mushrooms, garlic, thyme and fresh light cream.