Miam! launch takes off in UK

The company behind miam!, the UK brand of the traditional Spanish drink horchata, said that the product has seen a strong take-up since its recent launch and is now widely available throughout the UK.

Miam!​ was launched by The Tree of Life, one of the largest health food distributors in the UK, on 1 September and the company said there has been a particularly high take-up by stores in the South-West region of the UK and Wales.

The product is based on the traditional Spanish drink horchata de chufa made from tigernuts (also known as chufas), which are actually tubers found on the roots of a sedge plant in southern Spain.

Miam can be used as a milk substitute as it is dairy-free and also free of wheat, gluten, soya, rice and nut products. Made from chufa juice, fruit sugar and xanthan gum, the product contains no artificial flavourings, colourings or preservatives.

It also contains traces of many minerals - potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, iron and zinc - and provides energy over a sustained period as fructose is released slowly into the body. More than 70 per cent of the fat content in the chufa juice is oleic acid (one of the essential fatty acids), which is thought to protect against heart disease and high cholesterol levels, claimed the company.

The product is also available over the Internet and by mail order.