Free-from foods are seen as the successor to the organics boom, driven by a younger generation of consumers
Although less than 1% of the population is diagnosed as having a food allergy, other, less severe reactions to foods are more widespread, affecting perhaps as many as one in five people, according to the Food Standards Agency.
Catering for real or perceived food intolerances has become big business, according to business sector analyst Reuters, which tips gluten and wheat-free products as hot newcomers for the next five years.
As Michael Bell, managing director of free-from bakery products supplier the Village Bakery explains: “The free-from revolution is currently replacing the organic boom of the 1990’s - whether it’s being driven by food allergy sufferers who view them as safe products or general consumers looking for a healthy option range.”
Swedish Glace, which markets a range of lactose, cholesterol and gluten-free non-dairy iced desserts and, from later this year, cheeses, yogurts and milk, is also hoping to cash in on this trend.
According to retail director Chris Swire, around half of 20-40 year-olds are now buying free-from foods, illustrating that younger consumers are becoming more aware of the food pitfalls. “Young people become vegetarian out of guilt, animal farming concerns or simply for a health kick. Increasingly they are making considerable changes to their diets simply to avoid a negative health repercussion.”
Sufferers of coeliac disease, a condition that affects the lining of the gut in as many as one in 100 people, have little choice but to seek out gluten-free products as the consequences of not following a strict gluten-free diet can be fatal. Not surprisingly, therefore, most gluten-free foods are supplied on prescription.
However, there is a limited range available through this channel. The NHS only supplies around 200 gluten-free foods, mostly staples such as bread, pasta, pizza bases and flour mixes, and doctors cannot prescribe items such as breakfast cereals. If a coeliac patient wants these, or other items, then they have to go private, or turn to the supermarket sector, which supplies 68% of the gluten-free foods consumed in the UK (Coeliac UK/ Nutricia survey, 2001). There, brands such as Trufree are among the approximately 11,000 products that are actually suitable for people on a gluten-free diet, according to Coeliac UK.
Catering for sufferers of diabetes may also be a niche for food manufacturers to further develop. Health experts are forecasting an explosion in the number of diabetics worldwide, warning of a 10-fold increase to 300 million by the end of this year, reflecting the ageing population, adoption of unhealthy diets, obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
While the Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK do not recommend special diabetic products, saying that foods that are labelled diabetic aren't necessarily healthier or more suitable for diabetics than other foods, an epidemic would focus attention on products’ sugar content. As Swedish Glace’s Chris Swire says: “Sugar will be the one to watch.”
Although less than 1% of the population is diagnosed as having a food allergy, other, less severe reactions to foods are more widespread, affecting perhaps as many as one in five people, according to the Food Standards Agency.
Catering for real or perceived food intolerances has become big business, according to business sector analyst Reuters, which tips gluten and wheat-free products as hot newcomers for the next five years.
As Michael Bell, managing director of free-from bakery products supplier the Village Bakery explains: “The free-from revolution is currently replacing the organic boom of the 1990’s - whether it’s being driven by food allergy sufferers who view them as safe products or general consumers looking for a healthy option range.”
Swedish Glace, which markets a range of lactose, cholesterol and gluten-free non-dairy iced desserts and, from later this year, cheeses, yogurts and milk, is also hoping to cash in on this trend.
According to retail director Chris Swire, around half of 20-40 year-olds are now buying free-from foods, illustrating that younger consumers are becoming more aware of the food pitfalls. “Young people become vegetarian out of guilt, animal farming concerns or simply for a health kick. Increasingly they are making considerable changes to their diets simply to avoid a negative health repercussion.”
Sufferers of coeliac disease, a condition that affects the lining of the gut in as many as one in 100 people, have little choice but to seek out gluten-free products as the consequences of not following a strict gluten-free diet can be fatal. Not surprisingly, therefore, most gluten-free foods are supplied on prescription.
However, there is a limited range available through this channel. The NHS only supplies around 200 gluten-free foods, mostly staples such as bread, pasta, pizza bases and flour mixes, and doctors cannot prescribe items such as breakfast cereals. If a coeliac patient wants these, or other items, then they have to go private, or turn to the supermarket sector, which supplies 68% of the gluten-free foods consumed in the UK (Coeliac UK/ Nutricia survey, 2001). There, brands such as Trufree are among the approximately 11,000 products that are actually suitable for people on a gluten-free diet, according to Coeliac UK.
Catering for sufferers of diabetes may also be a niche for food manufacturers to further develop. Health experts are forecasting an explosion in the number of diabetics worldwide, warning of a 10-fold increase to 300 million by the end of this year, reflecting the ageing population, adoption of unhealthy diets, obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
While the Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK do not recommend special diabetic products, saying that foods that are labelled diabetic aren't necessarily healthier or more suitable for diabetics than other foods, an epidemic would focus attention on products’ sugar content. As Swedish Glace’s Chris Swire says: “Sugar will be the one to watch.”
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