These days there is a wide choice of gluten free products available on the shelf - pasta, bread, muffins, shortbread, muesli bars, pizza and cookies. When my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease 13 years ago there was very little ready-made gluten free products available. So I started a café which specialised in gluten free products.
At that time, manufacturers were reluctant to use "gluten free" on the label because it made the product seem like it was a medicine. Now it is seen as value-adding. And it's not just for medical reasons. There are many people who are eating gluten free foods because it is the latest fad to do so.
A gluten free diet is the sole form of treatment for anyone who has celiac disease or a skin condition called dermatitis herpetiformis. But they have to follow it diligently for life, not just when they feel like it. But many people find that gluten can trigger bloating and tiredness. These people need to see their doctor to get a proper diagnosis. But for the rest of us, it's a waste of time and money. Not to mention constipating!
Certainly there are folks who need gluten free products and do appreciate the variety of foods they never had in years past. When my daughter was first diagnosed, the range of gluten free products was woeful and a torture to eat – the bread tasted like paper, crumbly and bleached white in looks. Gluten free pasta didn't exist and the only cakes and biscuits were the ones we baked ourselves.
But manufacturers have responded to the fact that gluten free products have become increasingly popular in recent years, and many have gone into full-scale production. The result is that the gluten free market is now huge.
· The retail market in the USA was estimated to be $4.2 billion in 2012, according to Packaged Facts, a marketing research firm.
· Another marketing research firm Mintel estimated sales in the gluten-free food and beverage market will be as high as $15.6 billion in 2016.
· In the UK, the Celiac Society estimates that people who require a gluten free diet, together with their family and friends who eat with them, are worth a potential £100 million to the hospitality industry.
· The Australian market for gluten-free is set to hit more than $100 million in the next year.
Slide showing some 2013 figures
Products pitched as ''gluten free'' are often more than twice expensive, even compared with their gluten free counterparts that have not cashed in by marketing themselves as such. So most cafes and restaurants charge a lot more for the gluten free meals on their menus.
The number of people diagnosed with celiac disease is on the rise. So it is becoming more frequent in our community for people to ask for a gluten free menu. The reason for the increase in diagnosis is because more people are now aware of the disease and the diagnosis is better.
The number of people who need to eat gluten free food is extensive. It is estimated that:
- It affects around 1 in 70 or just over 1-2% of Australians. The sad thing is that around 80% of these have not yet been diagnosed. Meaning that over 330,000 Australians have celiac disease but do not yet know it
- Similarly, there are around 3 million Americans with celiac disease, and that equates to a little less than 1% of the American population
- In the UK celiac disease affects about 1 in 100 people and it is thought that about 25% are not yet diagnosed
- Globally it is estimated that celiac disease affects between 1 in 100 and 1 in 170 people. Different regions of the world have different rates ranging from about 1 in 300 in some countries to as many as 1 in 40 in others
A recent survey from the NPD Group, a market research firm which tracks eating trends reported that 11% of U.S. households follow a gluten free diet but only 25% of those living in a gluten free home indicate that celiac disease or gluten sensitivity is the reason for the gluten free diet.
Slide showing some 2013 figures
Most customers are prepared to pay more for gluten free options. They understand that it costs more for restaurants to provide gluten free alternatives. This may be owing to purchasing separate equipment for gluten free food preparation or increased costs of the gluten free ingredients from their supplier.
So it is no wonder the sale of gluten free products is booming. And it is likely to get bigger and better as time goes on.
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