Demand for gluten-free foods will ‘rise dramatically’ in the coming years, according to a report from The Canadian Celiac Association (CCA) and the Allergen Control Group (ACG).
Around 1% of Americans are thought to be gluten-intolerant – or coeliac – but most remain undiagnosed. The CCA and ACG expect methods of accurate diagnosis to increase, which, when combined with increasing awareness of gluten-free foods, will create ‘new avenues of growth’ for the category.
Separate research – also published today – has shown that the number of gluten-free products in the UK has risen by 27% during the last year.
Increased demand for gluten-free food has been bolstered by lifestyle changes among many consumers, according to gluten-free brand Too Good To Be Gluten Free.
There is also a growing consumer demand to see more gluten free products with one in three UK consumers who buy gluten-free food wanting to see wider ranges and more choice brought to supermarket shelves.
“The growing gluten-free market is demanding free-from choices but with a heavy focus on the taste and quality of the product. We’ve seen an incredible response to the products in the last year and high levels of sales that surpassed expectation. Supermarkets have responded to consumers by expanding their gluten free ranges to the point that we now see around 80% of all gluten-free products in the market, stocked by major supermarket brands.”
The CCA and ACG also found that consumers are generally distrusting of food labels, and that shoppers were willing to pay more for gluten-free foods. But there remains strong pressure to lower the cost burden to consumers, creating a challenge for both producers and processors, their research said.
CCA president Anne Wraggett said: “Updates to labelling regulations and food production techniques have significantly improved the variety of food available for someone with a medical need for gluten-free food, but there are still too many products where the gluten status is not clear. Manufacturers need better tools and cleaner source grains in order to produce these safe foods, and we are pleased to work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Allergen Control Group to fill the knowledge gaps.”
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