The free-from category has experienced phenomenal growth across the European grocery market in recent times. In the UK, sales of free-from foods are forecast to grow 13 per cent to reach £531 million in 2016 – up from an estimated £470 million last year, Mintel research revealed.
Consumers on special diets – often as a healthy lifestyle choice rather than because of diagnosed food intolerances - are driving demand for free-from food and drinks products and producers are responding with new and innovative free-from brands.
In the European supermarkets and online food and drinks stores, new product ranges are being launched in the categories of gluten-free, dairy-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, chemical-free, vegan and kosher. Sales of gluten- and dairy-free ranges are ahead of other free-from offerings on the shelves and in freezers while demand for vegan and kosher is rising. Lactose-free is also a growing area, particularly in the Nordic markets.
Feel Free for Gluten Free produces both frozen and ambient ranges. Their savoury items include Italian ready meals such as penne and cannelloni pasta dishes, pies, quiches and pasties, spring rolls, samosas, a corn pasta range, and breaded fish. There is also a breakfast range, a sweet bakery range, including frozen donuts and mini donuts, and a home-baking range.
The free-from food brand recently secured a listing for its award-winning gluten- and wheat-free donuts in British supermarket Morrisons, together with seven other frozen lines, in the supermarket’s dedicated free-from section within its frozen aisles.
“Morrisons has already shown that it’s committed to expanding its free from offering this year with the growth of its ambient free from aisle. These latest frozen listings reinforce that,” said Sally Allister, MD of Feel Free For Gluten Free.
“We believe that following a gluten-free diet shouldn’t mean you have to miss out on great tasting food.”
Celebrity chef Phil Vickery has worked with Coeliac UK as its Food Ambassador for the past few years to help raise awareness of the condition and for the need for more catering establishments to offer gluten-free menu options.
"I’m passionate about improving knowledge in the food industry and the necessity for more gluten-free cooking as more and more people are diagnosed," he says.
In association with the Charity he published a bestselling cookbook, Seriously Good Gluten-Free Cooking, which has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.
"For many years now we have been very interested in the gluten-free and wheat-free market, primarily because it was a challenge to make great recipes everyone can enjoy," he said.
"I teamed up with Bea Harling and Squires Kitchen to see if we could research, experiment with and cook seriously good gluten-free food."
The Phil Vicery Seriously Good! gluten-free range of cake mixes, in association with Squires Kitchen, were recently expanded to include the Extremely Chocolaty Loaf Cake Mix and the Natural Vanilla Sponge Cake Mix.
Other cake mixes include the Vanilla and Raspberry Fondant Cup Cake mix, the Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, the Very Lemony Cupcake Mix and the Double Chocolate Cupcake Mix.
As consumers on special diets continue to drive demand for free-from food and drinks products, we can expect to see many more new and innovative lines - gluten-free, dairy-free, lactose-free, sugar-free etc. - from leading manufacturers in 2016 and beyond.
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