Free-from products continue to soar in popularity at Waitrose, with the whole category seeing 17% sales growth year on year in January.

The retailer has also reported that gluten-free flour sales are up 30% year on year and the supermarket now sells more dairy and sugar free ice creams than ever before.

With the free-from market showing no signs of reaching its peak yet, Waitrose said it plans to expand its free-from Easter egg range this year to cope with ever-increasing demand.

“Free-from, as a category, is increasing in popularity all the time,” said Waitrose free from buyer Chloe Graves.

“It’s now the case that free-from products aren’t just for those shoppers with allergies. They are part of a lifestyle trend, led by the likes of DeliciouslyElla and Hemsley& Hemsley, who are encouraging people to try alternatives to gluten, dairy and sugar as part of their everyday diets.”

This follows on from the retailer reporting that free-from products were the surprise hit this Christmas, with sales of dairy-free advent calendars up 72% compared to the previous year.

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