Cooperative Purchasers is proud to announce a new exclusive distribution partnership with La Vista International for the sales and distribution of La Vista's excellent rice flour line.

A fast growing and popular staple, rice flour has been traditionally used in many dishes and desserts from Asia. However, as more and more Americans adopt a gluten free diet, rice flour has become the most popular wheat-substitute to date.

This is because rice flour is more easily adapted to recipes, doesn't alter taste or texture as much as others do, and retains moisture for a comparable amount of time in food preparation, which is especially important to food manfacturers.

Rice flour is also easy to digest, and doesn't aggravate gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity.

Rice flour is also a major additive in baby foods, integrated again due to its easy digestibility as well as its vitamin and mineral content.

Needless to say, we're very excited about this distribution partnership!

See our page on La Vista Rice Flour for ordering information.

Five years ago the FDA received a petition that called for new food nutrition labels redesigned to clarify for parents what kinds of sweeteners are in the foods they often buy for their children.

So far the Food and Drug Administration has been silent on the petition, but according to the Huffington Post, the healthy food market has resulted in surprising purchasing trends, revealing that parents are more likely to buy products for their kids that contain sugar.

Yes, that's right, plain old table sugar has become more popular with parents than artificial sweeteners.

While this might come as a surprise to many, particularly in light of the current obesity epidemic, it's a trend that falls right in line with a movement away from products that contain artificial products and towards the "natural" or "organic" foods that are currently so popular.

Sodas, baked treats, and other traditionally sugary foods that can boast "real sugar" on the label have been flying off the shelves, even when those foods are aimed at children.

What does this mean for food manufacturers and food distributors? Mainly that it's okay to use sugar, which is good news since recent crop projections out of India are suggesting the market should be flooded with good old fashioned sugar fairly soon.

Food manufacturers that cater specifically to dieters, diabetics, or other consumers who rely on sweeteners can rest assured that their market isn't going anywhere. However, if you're interested in launching a "natural" sugar line, or if sugar might cost less and have a beneficial impact on your bottom line, now could be a great time to make that move.