Free-from bakery Genius has launched pain au chocolats and croissants - two of the hardest products to make gluten-free.

The company will be rolling out the new lines to 800 Tesco stores next week, in packs of two croissants for £2.10 and two pain au chocolates for £2.70, taking the number of lines in the Genius range to 22.

“To make a regular croissant you need very fine wheat flour and there is no direct substitute for this, so it is not an easy thing to do,” said Free-From Food Awards organiser Michelle Berriedale Johnson.

News of the croissant launch came as Tesco delisted Genius’s frozen products, replacing them with lines from rival supplier DS-Gluten Free.

“We are incredibly proud to have secured the primary frozen gluten-free positioning in Tesco,” said DS-Gluten Free retail brand manager Emma Herring.

It is yet another blow for Genius, which has felt increasing pressure from branded and own-label rivals, particularly on its fresh bread lines.

This week it was announced that John Dunsmore, former CEO of Scottish & Newcastle and C&C Group, had joined the Genius board as non-executive director.

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