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KNORR gluten-free gravy has donated £2,000 to Coeliac UK after a social media campaign drummed up the support of more than 1,000 chefs and foodservice professionals.

Supported by top industry names, the ‘Thunderclap’ kicked off KNORR gravy’s wider gluten-free campaign. Brian Turner, Mark Sargeant and Willie Pike all pledged their support during Coeliac UK Awareness Week to highlight the issue within the industry.

A thunderclap allows a single message to be mass-shared at one time so it rises above the noise of social networks. KNORR’s ‘support gluten-free’ message was blasted across Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr on 13 May, right in the middle of Coeliac UK Awareness Week.

Top chef and gluten-free expert Phil Vickery is also backing KNORR’s campaign. Throughout June and July the gluten-free champion is hosting a series of KNORR gluten-free masterclasses for operators.

Leon Mills, KNORR sauces category manager, said: “According to Coeliac UK, 1 in 100 people in the UK are living with coeliac disease, but our research shows over a quarter of operators don’t have gluten-free dishes on their menus. This represents a huge opportunity operators are missing out on.

“We’ve teamed up with Phil Vickery to create gluten-free guides for operators. We’re also hosting masterclasses to offer practical advice, demonstrate gluten-free recipes and answer questions from chefs.”

Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Coeliac UK said: “Eating out with confidence is really important for people with coeliac disease, as a strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment for people with the condition. We have worked alongside the catering industry for many years providing training and accreditation for the safe provision of gluten-free food.

The Thunderclap was an innovative way to spread the word about coeliac disease and the ‘is it coeliac disease’ campaign through KNORR’s extensive network and we appreciate their very generous donation to the charity.”