Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find the answers to many of the detailed questions about the Silly Yaks range of 100% wheat free, gluten free products and how they relate to a variety of issues, medical conditions and health or dietary requirements.  If you cannot find the answer to your specific question here, please contact us and we will do our best to provide the information you're after.

Do You Sell Direct to the Public?

Yes we do!

In October 2008, Silly Yak Foods sold the Silly Yaks Cafe in order to concentrate on what we believe we are best at - the development, manufacture and distribution of the highest quality 100% gluten free, 100% wheat free food products in Australia.  However, since that time we have been deluged with feedback telling us that you want to be able to purchase our products directly from us.

In response to this overwhelming feedback we have opened the Silly Yaks Factory Outlet Store.  The store is very much a work in progress, and has very limited hours of opening at present, but will be further developed throughout 2010.  Full details can be found here.

Are Your Products GM-Free?

Silly Yak Foods does not knowingly use genetically modified ingredients.  We have obtained GM-free declarations from all of our major suppliers.

Are Your Products Additive-Free?

Silly Yak Foods does not add artificial colours, flavours or preservatives to any product that we manufacture.  Some of our ingredients may contain small quantities of preservatives (see the entry on Added Sulphites below).  In all cases the proportion of preservative in the final product is well below the amount that must be declared on the label under Australian law.

Do Your Products Contain "Hidden" Ingredients?

Silly Yak Foods' stated policy is to include all ingredients in the ingredients list on the product label even when the quantity of that ingredient is sufficiently small that we are not required by Australian law to include it in the list.  We believe that our customers have a right to know all of the ingredients of our products so that they are able to make an informed decision about whether or not a particular product is right for their needs.  Where there is any question of whether or not to declare an ingredient on the label, we will always err on the side of declaration.

What Antioxidant is Used in Your Canola Oil?

We purchase a premium brand of bulk canola oil specifically because it is guaranteed free of genetically modified organisms and because the only antioxidant added to the oil is natural Vitamin E.

Do Your Products Contain Added Sulphites?

Silly Yak Foods does not add sulphites to any of our products (see the question about Additives, above).

From an ingredients perspective, the main issues are potato starch (which often has sulphite preservatives added) and tapioca starch (once again, sulphites are often used as a preservative or processing aid).  Other inputs, such as bacon and sundried tomatoes, contain sulphite preservatives.  However, the quantity of sulphites in the final product is extremely low.

Our potato starch contains no added sulphites.

Sodium Metabisulfite is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of our tapioca starch.  This is standard for almost all tapioca starches, in fact we are unaware of any tapioca starch available on the Australian market in commercial quantities for which this is not the case.  However, our tapioca starch is very low in sulphites.  The product specification sheet states that the total level of sulphites present in the tapioca starch is not greater than ten parts per million.  As the proportion of tapioca (dry weight, excluding water added) in our bread dough is less than twelve percent, the concentration of sulphites in a loaf of our bread would not be expected to exceed 1.2 parts per million.  This is a very low concentration indeed!

What does "Fructose Friendly™" Mean?

"Fructose Friendly™" is the term used by Silly Yak Foods to denote those products in our range which are safe for people with fructose malabsorption allergies.

How Can You Label a Product "Fructose Friendly™" When it Contains Onion Stock?

The fructose in an onion is contained within the flesh of the onion, not within its juices.  If you make a stock from onions where 100% of the onion flesh is removed, that stock will be "Fructose Friendly™", in that it does not contain fructans or an unbalanced fructose/glucose load and, as such, will not produce an allergic reaction in a person who suffers from a fructose malabsorption allergy.

How Can an Apple or an Apricot Tart be "Fructose Friendly™"?

In making the fillings for our Apple Tarts and our Apricot Tarts we stew the fruit with dextrose monohydrate (commonly called glucose).  During the cooking process the excess fructose in the fruit bonds with the dextrose monohydrate, creating a sugar molecule (sucrose) which still tastes sweet but which will not provoke an allergic reaction in a person who suffers from a fructose malabsorption allergy.  Hence the Apple Tart and the Apricot Tart are "Fructose Friendly™".

Please note that we do not employ this technique in manufacturing the Apple & Plum Crumble Tart and this product is definitely not safe for consumption by people who suffer from fructose malabsorption allergies.

Do you add Inulin to Your Products?

No, we do not add Inulins to any of our products.

Inulins are a group of naturally occurring (plant-derived) polysaccharides.  They are found in many groups of plants, including chicory, leeks, asparagus, onions, garlic and artichokes.  Inulins are not digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract and are classified as soluble dietary fibre.  Due to their value as dietary fibre, as well as to a variety of claimed health benefits in respect of their role in nourishing good bacteria in the large bowel, inulins are increasingly being added to processed foods.  They are also touted as an excellent way of increasing the dietary fibre and health benefits of gluten free products, including bread.  Under a 2001 ruling by ANZFA (the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority), it is not necessary to declare the presence of Inulins specifically in processed foods - they may be declared generically as "dietary fibre".

Despite their claimed health benefits, however, Inulins are fructans - long chain fructose molecules.  As such, they cause adverse reactions in people suffering from fructose malabsorption allergies.  Additionally, there is much anecdotal information available which suggests that consumption of inulins may also nourish less desirable gut bacteria and may encourage overgrowth of Candida Albicans (commonly known as a "yeast infection").

Where possible, we ensure that our products are safe for people with fructose malabsorption allergies.  For this reason we do not add inulins to any of our products.