Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023 - 28

Bakery
Gluten-free
By Jennifer Barnett Fox
THE ONGOING LONGEVITY OF THE GLUTEN-FREE
MARKET still probably comes as a bit of a surprise to some.
In fact, the category is not only doing well; it's thriving.
This is despite long being dismissed as something
necessary for only a small minority of consumers. Statista.
com even goes as far as to describe the global market for
gluten-free foods as " rocketing. " By 2023, the global glutenfree
market is projected to be valued at $14 billion, more
than double the 2022 market value with North America
being the largest market for gluten-free bakery products.
This is a timely development as the one-size-fits-all
strategy for health and wellness continues to fall away in
favor of tailored " better for me " approaches.
It's also given rise to the growing popularity of
alternative and emerging grains. Ardent Mills, Denver, offers
grains such as chickpea, quinoa, spelt, millet, sorghum,
amaranth, buckwheat and teff to meet this demand. With
2023 as the International Year of Millets, the company
expects increasing interest in millet and sorghum. These
alternative and emerging grains provide not only variety
but also help provide the taste, texture and satisfaction
of hallmark bakery items without gluten, according to
Matthew Schueller, director of marketing insights and
analytics, Ardent Mills.
Growth within the category is fueled by a number
of factors including broader health and wellness trends
coming out of COVID and a growing number of consumers
with celiac disease, according to Courtney LeDrew, senior
marketing manager, Cargill, Minneapolis.
Incidence of the inherited autoimmune disorder,
which affects the digestive process, has increased in the
overall population in many Western countries among
both children and adults, according to the Celiac Disease
Foundation, Woodland Hills, Calif. The disease affects at
least 3 million Americans with 97% remaining undiagnosed,
according to the University of Chicago Medicine Celiac
Disease Center.
Up to an additional 18 million Americans may also have
gluten sensitivity, which could require a gluten-free diet
to avoid the negative side effects from eating gluten. This
is coupled with more people looking for products made
with ingredients found in nature. Today, consumers are
rejecting dyes, added sugars and chemicals in favor of clean,
recognizable ingredients found in the pantry, according to
Culinary Tides, an Oakland Park, Fla.-based think tank.
28 - MARCH 2023
Continuing improvements
Proprietary consumer research from Cargill's most recent
IngredienTracker found 9% of survey respondents say they
follow a gluten-free diet. This is up two points from the
previous year.
Because of heightened awareness around food allergies
and sensitives in general, more consumers are seeking
out allergen-free choices, including gluten-free options.
A portion of the consumers who avoid gluten and other
allergens do so because they view them as less healthy,
or they simply have a negative perception of them. But
whatever their reasoning, this growing allergen-free
market may spark additional sales in the gluten-free bakery
segment, according to LeDrew.
This is in part because gluten-free products are often
viewed by consumers as " healthier " than their traditional
gluten-containing alternatives even if those consumers
have no gluten sensitives. These consumers are largely
driving the continued growth in the gluten-free space.
Cargill is also seeing this reflected in the other claims most
often paired with gluten-free products, which include high
protein, vegan/plant-based and clean label.
Increased health and wellness concerns have driven
huge growth in Abe's gluten-free bakery products.
supermarketperimeter.com
Dawn, Abe's Vegan Muffins
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023

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