Rude health is claiming a UK first with the launch of organic sprouted flours and porridge oats.

The range is made from raw grains that have been allowed to sprout, which is said to increase the nutrient content. They are then slow-dried at a low temperature, unlike unsprouted grains which are cooked and milled into jumbo flakes or flour. According to Rude Health founder Nick Barnard, in addition to retaining nutrients and the wholegrain, this method enabled efficient digestion as the grains germinated into young plants, and were easier for the body to tolerate as they were digested as a vegetable rather than a starch.

“Quite rightly, sprouting has been getting attention in the US for years, so it’s about time people here who care about what they eat get a piece of the action,” Barnard told The Grocer this week. “The organic sprouted flours and oats are raw - not steamed, toasted or invasively treated in any way.”

The Rude Health range, comprising Sprouted Organic Porridge Oats (rsp: £4.49/500g), Sprouted Organic Whole Wheat Flour (rsp: £3.99/500g), Sprouted Organic Whole Spelt Flour (rsp: £4.49/500g) and Sprouted Organic Buckwheat Flour (rsp: £4.99/500g), will be sold in Whole Foods Market and on Ocado next month. The gluten-free sprouted porridge oats are due to be listed in Waitrose in early 2015.

Nutritionist Vicki Edgson added: “Sprout-ing is set to be one of the biggest new trends in foods, as we come to recognise the importance of ‘living foods’.”

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