Holista Partners with Wing’s to Develop Healthy Low-GI Noodles

21 Oct 2016 --- Holista CollTech Limited have announced that its US subsidiary, Holista Foods Inc., based in Buffalo, New York, will conduct joint research with Wing’s Food Products – a major North American noodle manufacturer – to develop the world’s first low-GI noodles, a staple food for countries such as China and Indonesia.

Wing’s has signed a Research and Development collaboration with Holista, which announced last January that its PANATURA GI had achieved the world’s lowest clean-label GI reading for white bread. Based in Ontario and Alberta, Canada, Wing’s has supplied noodles to the North American market since 1953.

Wing’s will test Holista’s low-GI ingredient for use in noodles and Holista will provide expertise on the application of its formula. The product will then be independently tested at GI-Labs, a nutrition research organization in Toronto, Canada. Once validated, Wing’s and Holista Foods will enter a commercial agreement to manufacture and distribute the low-GI noodles in North America.

According to market research group Statista, almost 50% of the world’s wheat is consumed as noodles, led by China and Indonesia, respectively. In comparison, only a quarter of the world’s wheat is consumed as bread. In the United States alone, the noodle market is worth US$270 million. In 2015 the global demand for instant noodles amounted to 103.58 billion servings.

PANATURA GI, which Holista developed together with Veripan AG of Switzerland, is a breakthrough natural formula which, when added to white flour, dramatically reduces blood sugar levels without changing the taste or texture of the final product. It recorded a GI reading of 53 in tests at a leading university in Sydney, the lowest-ever recorded for a “clean-label” white bread.

Holista also achieved a GI reading of 48 for muffins – the lowest-ever clean-label reading for this product category – at GI Labs. The same low-GI formula will be used as the base for the proposed low-GI noodles.

The partnership with Wing’s is the first major collaboration for Holista Foods, a joint-venture company set-up between Holista and Nadja Foods LLC, since it was incorporated on 1 July 2016. Holista Foods is headed by CEO, Nadja Piatka, a former guest on the Oprah Winfrey show and baked goods supplier to major food chains such as McDonald’s and Subway.

Nadja Piatka, CEO of Holista Foods, said: “To tackle the global pandemic of obesity and diabetes, we need to hit the major refined carbohydrates in our modern diets. In terms of wheat consumption, individuals are eating more noodles, especially the instant variety. We are committed to working with Wing’s to provide a healthier alternative to empower consumers with better choices.”

Neal Lee, CEO of Wing’s, said: “We are excited with the possibility to develop the world’s first low-GI noodle with a company that is at the cutting edge of the low-GI movement, Holista Foods. North American consumers are becoming more accustomed to Asian tastes and the noodle business is growing steadily from year to year. There is strong demand for a low-GI noodle product and we believe it will have a meaningful impact on consumers here.”

Dato’ Dr. Rajen Manicka, Chairman and CEO of Holista, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, said: “We were excited to have made our first breakthrough with the development of the world’s first low-GI clean label white bread. Using our experience in the lowGI market, we are confident that we can crack the next frontier – noodles.”

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