K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following news is from the FoodManufacturing.com on January 15, 2015 and packagedfacts.com on January 1, 2015.

"In the retail sector, sales of gluten-free foods posted an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% over the five-year period ended in 2014, when market sales reached $973 million, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the recently released report Gluten-Free Foods in the U.S., 5th Edition." The data indicate that more than a third of consumers had looked for the gluten-free/wheat free claim on consumer packaging."
"Driving the increased sales of gluten-free products are an escalating prevalence of health problems associated with diet; more and better-quality gluten-free food products and their increasing availability in mainstream retail channels; and favorable rulings on the definition of “gluten free” by the FDA. There is a slight drag on sales among consumers who are disappointed in the benefits derived from a gluten-free diet, although such disappointments are typically the result of misconceptions about gluten-free foods."
Despite the increase in demand, the leadership arena for gluten-free foods is still largely populated by specialty marketers, the vast majority of which compete in the Salty Snacks category. The diversified, multi-national conglomerates that otherwise dominate the food industry at large have only a limited presence in the gluten-free market, although that presence is clearly on the rise.