Europe Gluten-Free

The U.S. market for gluten-free foods and beverages has continued to grow even faster than anticipated, reaching $4.2 billion in 2012, for a compound annual growth rate of 28% over the 2008-2012 period. Within this diverse market, snacks and granola bars are the leading category, at 15% of mass-market sales.

A consumer survey shows that 18% of adults are buying or consuming foods products tagged as gluten-free, up from 15% in October 2010. Moreover, the share of gluten-free consumers who are buying more of these foods has skyrocketed, and the share of total shoppers who are buying more gluten-free foods has doubled. The conviction that gluten-free products are generally healthier is the top motivation for consumers of these products. Increasing diagnoses of celiac disease and food allergies; growing awareness of these ailments among patients, healthcare practitioners, and the general public; the availability of more products, and better ones, across a range of product categories; and a trend that has friends and family members eating gluten-free to support loved ones are among the factors stimulating continuing expansion in this market.

MarketResearch.com’s catalog of reports covering the gluten-free market covers not only the U.S. but examines the market from an international perspective. Markets such as Canada are of importance to food and beverage marketers for a variety of reasons. Notably, whereas the term “gluten-free” still carries connotations of being an unnecessary and overhyped media-driven fad in the minds of a select group of Americans, a higher percentage of gluten-free product users in Canada claim they purchase gluten-free products specifically because someone in their household has celiac disease or a gluten or wheat allergy or intolerance.