Dorset Cereals honest, tasty and real

What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is a certification mark that appears on a wide variety of products. It is a guarantee that farmers in developing countries have been paid a fair and sustainable price as well as a Fairtrade premium for investment in development projects.

Which Dorset Cereals products carry the FAIRTRADE Mark?
Chocolate Granola and Chocolate & Macadamia Nut recipes. Find out more about them here. The chocolate and sugar in our recipes are Fairtrade and as they form more than 20% they can carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. The Fairtrade Foundation are helping us source Fairtrade desiccated coconut and our Macadamia nut grower in South Africa is looking to become Fairtrade certified so that they meet the required Fairtrade standards.

Where does our Fairtrade chocolate and sugar come from?
Our sugar is sourced from Community Foods who work with Kasinthula, sugar cane growers in Southern Malawi from which 99.9% of Fairtrade sugar from Malawi is sourced. Click here to find out more.
Our chocolate comes to us from Barry Callebaut, click here to find out more about them.

Why aren't all our recipes Fairtrade?
1. We source all our ingredients as ethically as possible.
2. Many of the growing regions around the world that we source our ingredients from are in countries that are already developed with established welfare systems. For example, all our oat and cereal flakes come from inside the EU with the majority being grown here at home in the UK.
3. Where there is an opportunity to bring in Fairtrade ingredients this is something that we are committed to investigating. 

How many tonnes of Fairtrade products are Dorset Cereals expecting to use this year?
We are expecting to use nearly eight tonnes of Fairtrade dark chocolate for the year and just over ten tonnes of Fairtrade sugar. This translates as annual Fairtrade premiums of $960 going back to cocoa producers and $816 going to sugar producers.

Why is it important to buy Fairtrade chocolate and sugar?
Cocoa and sugar are important world commodities. Fluctuation in their market prices pose real obstacles to earning a decent livelihood for the millions of farmers working on small family farms in equatorial regions. Most live in villages without access to clean water and healthcare and struggle to support their families. Fairtrade guarantees farmers a minimum price for their produce, and the additional Fairtrade premium helps give them the opportunity to invest in tackling the issues they and their communities face.

MORE ABOUT FAIRTRADE & DORSET CEREALS
Dorset Cereals are excited to be working with The Fairtrade Foundation as we share many of the same values. We're committed to sourcing ethically and The Fairtrade Foundation provides a framework for us to develop this further.
In time for Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd February – 7th March) Dorset Cereals has launched two brand new chocolate granola recipes - ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Chocolate & Macadamia Nuts’. Both carry the FAIRTRADE Mark.
Dorset Cereals will continue to work closely with The Fairtrade Foundation over a broad range of ingredients and are delighted to be involved in continuing their great work and benefiting from their experience and expertise.

For further information on Dorset Cereals please talk to Kerry Fuller on 01305 751000 or email kerryfuller@dorsetcereals.co.uk

For further information on The Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade Fortnight, please talk to Faith Mall at The Fairtrade Foundation. Tel: 020 7440 8597 Email faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk

For this year's Fairtrade Fortnight, The Fairtrade Foundation are asking the nation to join in The Big Swap. For two whole weeks they'll be asking you to swap your usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff. Your usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, your usual cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, and your usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa. Whenever you pop to the shops, you can use your wallet to make a stand. Find out more here

We no longer use any Palm oil in our recipes. We have worked hard with our suppliers to remove any trace of Palm oil from our ingredients.

Currently our packaging for Berries and Cherries still says we have a small amount of Palm oil in the ingredients list. This is old packaging and because we are keen to minimize waste we are continuing to use this even though we have no trace of Palm oil in the product.

Our new packaging will illustrate that palm oil has been removed.

As our customers know, our premium cereal recipes are packed full of dried fruit, nuts and seeds – and these are the ingredients that make our cereals taste great.

When fruit is dried to preserve it, the naturally occurring sugars are concentrated into each little raisin, cranberry or blueberry and these tasty fruits then add sweetness to a recipe - it really is as simple as that.

A small number of our ingredients have a minute amount of sugar added to either preserve the fruit or bring out the flavour of the ingredient. This sugar is only found in our recipes in very small amounts and we avoid using ingredients with added sugar wherever possible. Many of our recipes are completely free from any added sugar whatsoever, such as Super High Fibre, Organic Fruit, Nuts and Seeds, Simply Delicious and Really Nutty.

With all of our recipes we make sure they taste great and keep salt to a minimum. However, some of our toasted flakes taste better with just a tiny bit of salt added. We think that breakfast should be enjoyed not endured, so we use just enough salt to achieve this. We monitor the amount used very carefully to make sure that we do not make a significant contribution to the total amount of salt allowed for the day. For example a 65g serving of Tasty Toasted Spelt with 125ml of milk (milk also contains salt) contains 0.8g of salt or 13% of your recommended daily amount.

Our products are not complicated. We mix fruit and flakes together and we would never try to hide anything. All our packs carry full nutritional and ingredient details. Further information including full GDA figures are available on each individual recipe page on the website. To make the figures as accurate as possible we have included milk in our calculations. The figures shown are for exactly what you would have in the bowl. In addition if you have any specific nutritional questions, please do contact our nutritional team at the following address: nutrition@dorsetcereals.co.uk

Yes, our Naturally Light Flakes contain less than 2% fat – and taste delicious! Click here to read more about Naturally Light Flakes. Anything under 3% is classed as Low Fat and under 1.5% Saturated Fat is claimed as Low in Saturated Fat.

The fat in our recipes is “good” fat from the delicious nuts and seeds we pack into our recipes. Nuts and seeds are high in fibre, rich in a wide range of vitamins and minerals and a good source of protein. They are also an excellent source of monounsaturated fat, which is thought to help reduce cholesterol in the blood. Some of the wholegrain cereals we use – for example, oats and barley – also contain naturally occurring fats and sugars.

Calories are the fuel for the body. They come from the carbohydrates, fats and proteins in foods. By their very nature, energy-dense ingredients such as nuts are high in fuel or calories. Products we have which are lower in calories are our Naturally Light Flake range, which is produced with calorie-light flakes and freeze-dried fruits.

As part of a nutritionally balanced diet, all our products will contribute to a healthy diet plan.
 

We cannot categorically claim that a serving of our muesli can count towards a portion of your 5-a-day. According to the Food Standards agency, 1 portion = 80g. In the case of dried fruit, this equates to 1 heaped tablespoon. The added issue is that it should be a single ingredient. This would mean a tablespoon of sultanas / raisins, or a tablespoon of apricots in a serving. (Nuts and seeds don't count.)
If you would like to find out more information about 5-a-day, have a look at the Food Standards website www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fruitandveg or the NHS 5-a-day website, www.5aday.nhs.uk/topTips
You could, however, use orange juice instead of milk on your cereal. 125ml of juice is one of your 5-a-day.
 

Diabetics should follow a nutritionally balanced diet according to the type and severity of their diabetes. Unfortunately we cannot recommend our products for specific diets, and you should consult with your Practice Nurse / Dietician for specific food advice.

Our products which do not have added sugar in are: Organic Fruits, Nuts & Seeds; Really Nutty; Super High Fibre; Simply Delicious; Perfectly Porridge; Apple & Raisin Porridge. The sugars declared on these products are all intrinsic, eg fruit sugars.

Yes, except for Honey Granola (honey), both Chocolate Granolas (milk), Fruit, Nuts & Seeds bar (butter) and Berries & Cherries Bar (butter).

All our products are registered with the Vegetarian Society.

Yes, they all carry the Kosher symbol and are approved by the London Beth Din.

Yes, our Tasty, Toasted Spelt, Barley & Oat Flakes recipe makes a great alternative to modern wheat. Spelt's fragile gluten structure makes it more water soluble and therefore easier to digest than modern wheat – though please note that spelt is still a source of gluten!

No, we don't make any products which are totally gluten-free. Our Tasty Toasted Spelt has a gentle gluten structure which some people with gluten sensitivities might find easier to digest.

Yes, we do – our Organic Fruit, Nuts & Seeds. This is a tasty blend of organically grown raisins, sultanas, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts and multi-grain flakes.

No, we can't guarantee that our muesli has not been near any nuts. We use a huge amount of nuts and store them within our warehouse. Although we take every possible precaution – with separate storage, full clean-downs and staff vigilance – we're not able to guarantee a nut-free environment.

“May contain XXX”, means that we cannot guarantee that the product is totally free from XXX, despite all reasonable precautions. An example would be “May contain nuts”. Due to the allergenic nature of nuts, we cannot say that a product is nut-free as it is manufactured in an environment where nuts are used. All precautions are in place, such as separate storage and full clean-down between products, but there is still a very small risk of cross-contamination.

Dorset Cereals has always had the interests of the environment as part of its key brand values. However we take a pragmatic approach and work within our manufacturing process to make it greener, rather than adding to or deviating from the process. We don’t generate our own electricity but make sure that we buy green electricity.

All our cardboard is made from recycled packaging and is fully recyclable.

The film we use in the boxes is unfortunately not recyclable at the moment. However, we are always reviewing this, and we will look to change as soon as a compostable film is made available that we can guarantee is not made using GM ingredients.

All our packaging is manufactured here in the UK.
 

We are uncompromising in our dedication to finding the highest quality; the ingredients we use are sourced from the four corners of the world. For example, the recipes don't just use raisins, they use jumbo-size Chilean flame raisins, which are believed to be the most flavoursome and have become Dorset Cereals' signature ingredient.

Quality is paramount at Dorset Cereals and starts with our suppliers. We provide each of our carefully selected suppliers with a strict and detailed quality specification for each ingredient. This covers size, texture, colour, moisture content, microbiological analysis, packaging type and transport requirements. All dried fruit undergoes a thorough washing, sorting, inspection and scanning process. Similarly, nut ingredients are processed by grading, shell detection, scanning and visual inspections.