The UK's free-from market is set to reach £540 million by 2018, according to research by Mintel. The market is now worth £355 million - up from £135 million five years ago - and growing at 19.9 per cent year-on-year in the UK.
Food shoppers are choosing to buy free-from products more frequently, pushing up volume per purchaser, according to Kantar Worldpanel, possibly reflecting increased ranges and innovation.
Consumers are now demanding a gluten-free version for items such as such as bread, cakes sausages.
According to Coeliac UK, it is estimated that one in 100 people in the UK has Coeliac Disease, but only a quarter of those are diagnosed and follow a gluten-free diet. Yet statistics reveal that over 12 million people in the UK – 80 times the number of diagnosed Coeliacs - are following a gluten-free lifestyle from choice.
The Black Farmer, producer of the gluten-free sausage brand, has announced it is sponsoring a new research project at Lancaster University Management School to discover the motivations behind this lifestyle choice.
“It is exciting to be working with Lancaster University on this project," said Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones from The Black Farmer. "They are as enthusiastic as I am to find out more."
He continued, “I think it is a staggering statistic that many millions of people are following a gluten-free diet as a lifestyle choice. But we don't really understand the reason why. Is it for health benefits? To lose weight? Or simply that if one member of the family needs to follow a gluten-free diet, then the rest of the family follows suit. And is it these people who are fueling the massive growth in the Free-From grocery market which has more than doubled in value in the last five years.”
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