No sign of gluten-free growth stalling

The UK gluten-free market, which was forecast to grow by 46% to £561M by 2017, has already seen double-digit growth since 2008, according to statistics presented at last year’s Food and Drink Innovation Network's free-from conference.

DS-gluten free, a subsidiary of Dr Schär UK, plans to extend its range and launch 15 new gluten-free products this year following its success in 2013, said md Bob Trice.

Commanding more shelf-space​

By pushing the boundaries in this rapidly growing market, retail listings had increased by 12%, he added. “Gluten-free foods are commanding more shelf-space and we are seeing an increasing number of convenience stores now stocking gluten free-foods.”​

Meanwhile, Mintel’s senior global food and drink analyst Chris Brockman said there was no sign of the sector’s growth slowing. “Our data shows there’s going to be quite strong growth; it’s not showing any signs of slowing down in 2014.​

“We’ve had 10% growth in the market in 2013 and, although that will slow slightly in the years to come, we are expecting similar levels of growth in the free-from market in general.”​

Get healthier in the future​

Brockman said market data suggested gluten-free products were likely to get healthier in the future. Those currently high in salts, sugars and fats would not appeal to consumer turning to gluten-free for health and diet reasons, he added.

Gluten-free in the foodservice sector is also set to grow. Until last year, there had been no gluten-free offers in foodservice, said Brockman.

“But that’s changed with many pizza companies switching to gluten-free,​” he added.