Interest in free-from foods continues to rise globally, led by the growing availability of gluten-free lines in particular, according to a report by Innova Market Insights.
Products positioned on a gluten-free platform accounted for 10 per cent of total global food and drinks launches recorded by Innova Market Insights in the 12 months to the end of April 2015, rising to over 18 per cent in the US.
Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, said the rise is partly due to improved labelling regulations, but also to rising awareness of gluten intolerance in the diet and the development of more mainstream, good-tasting gluten-free products across a whole range of food and drinks sectors.
Key areas for activity in recent years have been in bakery and cereal products and snack foods, largely because of rising demand for alternatives to the relatively high number of gluten-containing lines in these sectors or because of the availability of alternative gluten-free ingredients.
The cereal products market, encompassing breakfast cereals and cereal bars, is relatively well set up to cater to the gluten-free trend, with numerous non-gluten cereal options already available. As a result of this and the relatively concentrated nature of the market, it’s no surprise that the share of gluten-free launches in the cereals market is much higher than the average of the food and drinks market as a whole.
Despite being one of the product categories most strongly associated with wheat (and thereby gluten), the bakery products sector has a slightly lower than average share of gluten-free launches recorded, at nine per cent.
“With more labelling of gluten-free foods and the growing availability of a range of high quality products with a good sensory profile, the sector seems set to take further advantage of the huge potential market for this type of product,” Williams said.
