As you’re perusing the cookie tray at the office party this year, keep your eyes peeled for offerings that have the food industry screaming, “Fa-la-la!”
Gluten-free is now one of fastest-growing segments of the specialty-food market and the fastest-growing products in the global food-allergy and food-intolerance market. Its foods and beverage sales reached $2.6 billion last year, adding to the annual growth rate of 30 percent from 2006 to 2010. With sales predicted to exceed $5 billion by 2015, foods once only on the radar of those with Celiac Disease are now a major player. So what factors induced this brownie bonanza?
Growing Diagnosis of Need
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy reports that Celiac Disease affects approximately 1 in 133 people — about 2 million people in the United States. European diagnoses far outnumber those in the U.S., which only saw a recent surge. As awareness and diagnoses grow, industry sees a population with growth potential.
Celebrity Factor
One of the fastest ways to jump-start a bandwagon is to make it first-class. Tennis-star Novak Djokovic claims that part of his successful year, which included a number-one ranking and three Grand Slam titles, stemmed from his new gluten-free diet. Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who was actually diagnosed with Celiac Disease, chats about her gluten-free adventures on ABC’s “The View,” and Gwyneth Paltrow blogs about her conversion because the actress views it as healthier.
It Does Everything but Windows
A survey of those intentionally seeking gluten-free products revealed many channels of motivation, some supported by science, others still out for debate (placing it firmly in the news). Of those shoppers, 46 percent believed gluten-free products were healthier, 36 percent viewed it as a weight-loss aid, 24 percent associated gluten-free with quality, and 13 percent claimed benefits regarding hyperactivity/autism.
Why Not?
Amazingly, according to a study by Packaged Facts this year, only 15 percent of consumers intentionally bought a gluten-free product. More than half didn’t realize they were gluten-free. How’s that for a Pepsi challenge? You expand to your specialty market without the risk of alienating a larger crowd. In addition, foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as milk, honey and water, now often add the “gluten-free” mantra to packaging with no additional precautions or expense beyond labeling.
The FDA looks to regulate gluten-free labeling in the coming months as a response to this roaring trend. But for now, grab a gluten-free reindeer by the horns and chomp away. Everyone’s doing it.
