VANCOUVER, BC. — Nepra Foods, Inc., a manufacturer of allergen-free food and plant-based food ingredients and consumer products, has partnered with a national bread company to produce the first products to contain Nepra’s proprietary allergen-free and vegan egg replacement. According to Nepra, the product represents the first shelf-stable gluten-free bread with a non-refrigerated shelf life of 28 days.

The name of Nepra’s partner bread company has not been disclosed, but Nepra did say the company’s products initially will be distributed through Kroger, Publix and Meijer.

Nepra’s initial formulation will be used in white and multigrain bread, the company said, adding that the formulation eventually will expand to other gluten-free product offerings. Nepra will provide the ingredients and formulation for the products while the baking company will retain ownership of the proprietary formulation, which gives it the ability to license or partner with other baking companies.

“This product not only allows for the removal of an allergen and animal product from an ingredient list, it is also topical given the five-fold increase in egg prices last year,” said Chadwick White, chief executive officer of Nepra Foods. “It not only offers a superior replacement to conventional eggs, it’s also more cost competitive with less inherent price volatility, and the supply of the product is significantly more stable. Products developed with our egg replacement also have superior characteristics for gluten-free applications, presenting a product that is shelf-stable in ambient conditions, with many of the structural characteristics of conventional gluten-rich bread but also maintaining superior product quality for over 28 days. There is literally no application we cannot make a formulation specific for — it truly has the ability to revolutionize the baking and ingredient business as we know it.”