London: Just a year ago, you would only have found chia seeds in health food stores, but the tiny, super-healthy seeds have gone mainstream — and can now be found in virtually every supermarket.Retail analysts Mintel say the use of chia seeds as an ingredient in products has seen a ten-fold increase globally in the past five years.The Chia Co, which produces 60 per cent of the world’s chia seeds on farms in Australia,
Kenya, Nicaragua and Tanzania, has enjoyed 100 per cent year-on-year growth in turnover since 2003.The seeds can be sprinkled on breakfast cereal, yoghurt, salads or cous cous,
are high in protein and contain a wealth of health-promoting minerals and antioxidants. Their nutritional qualities have made the seeds popular with athletes but they are low in calories, too, so are attractive to dieters.
Earlier this year, Tesco began selling five chia products and will be selling three more next month. Wholefoods buyer Rosie Goodson said: ‘Chia has had an incredible rise to mainstream prominence….
