WCBS-TV Covers Gluten-Free Diet

Reporting on the gluten-free diet, Kirstin Cole of WCBS-TV notes that "1 out of every 100 Americans is estimated to be allergic [sic] to wheat gluten" but doesn't point out that the vast majority of them are still in need of diagnosis and treatment. That is an urgent health message that needs to be disseminated.

Instead, her story "Consumer Watch: Gluten-Free ... Fact Or Fiction?" (December 1, 2008) mainly asserts that masses of consumers—she doesn't offer estimates of how many—are fueling a gluten-free marketing boom even though they don't understand what a gluten-free diet can and can't do. Interesting and provocative, sure, but not "news" (as it's been reported elsewhere) and not especially helpful to the sick, undiagnosed millions estimated to be living in the United States.

Gluten-Free Recession?

For months the typical marketing story on gluten-free products described (and predicted an additional) boom in the market, due to people on medical diets as well as trend or fad followers.

But might the recent shakiness of the economy lessen the extent of the boom? That might be the case if the cost of gluten-free products remains relatively high. Consider the articles "Gluten-Free Diet: A Cure for Some, a Fad for Most" (U.S. News and World Report, October 31, 2008) and "Budgets Squeezed, Some Families Bypass Organics" (The New York Times, November 1, 2008).

THE BOOMING GLUTEN-FREE FOOD MARKET

Journalists and food marketing gurus continue to tout the booming gluten-free market, as evidenced by the Annys Shin's Washington Post cover "Food Allergies Trigger Multibillion-Dollar Specialty Market", which comes complete with a photo including gluten-free Rice Chex and Mi-Del Arrowroot Cookies.

Some article highlights:

The market for food-allergy and intolerance products is projected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is expected to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel....


"Rice Chex . . . was truly our effort to meet the needs of these consumers," said Kevin Farnum, director of sanitation, quality and regulatory operations for General Mills. "We know there is a great demand among consumers to have free-from labeling."

Other major food manufacturers such as Kellogg's and Campbell Soup also sell products safe for people with food allergies and celiac, but they have been more cautious about embracing the free-from claim. Unlike with organic products, there are no government standards for what "free-from" means.

The steps General Mills took to insure that Rice Chex was gluten-free also illustrate how hard it can be for a large manufacturer to do so. In addition to tweaking the recipe, the company had to review its production process, from the time the rice is harvested to when the cereal is packaged, to be certain that gluten would not get into the product....


The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade [NASFT], a New York trade group, estimates that 300 of its 2,800 members offer more than 7,000 no-allergenic products, compared with five years ago, when about 50 members did, spokesman Ron Tanner said.

Increasingly, their customers don't necessarily have food allergies or celiac. They just think they do. "As much as 28 percent of U.S. citizens believe they are intolerant to some foods," said Mintel spokeswoman Joanna Peot. "This trend towards self-diagnosis has widened the 'free from' market from those who have to avoid certain foods to those who make a lifestyle choice for whatever reason."

GLUTEN-FREE MARKETING TRENDS

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)—a nonprofit scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government—continues to recognize gluten-free food products as increasingly significant factors in food marketing in the United States.

In a recent news release (see here for a previous example), the IFT advances the notion that the perceived need for certain foods—including gluten-free foods—based on sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies is disproportionate to the medical need. But in generalizing that more people believe they are food sensitive/intolerant/allergic than medicine would say would have such problems, the release does not acknowledge the recognized finding that the opposite holds true for people with celiac disease. As the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) puts it: "Celiac affects 2.2 million people -- one in 133 Americans. An overwhelming 97% of the affected population are currently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed." To put it yet another way: In the United States alone, about 2 million people who should be gluten-free diets do not perceive that they need to be on such diets.

The occasion for the news release is the publication of "The Top 10 Functional Food Trends" [PDF], an article by Liz Sloan in the April 2008 issue of the IFT publication Food Techonology. IFT describes Sloan as the Contributing Editor and President of Sloan Trends and Solutions, a trending and market predictions firm focusing on the food industry.

The term "functional foods" refers to foods that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. The article, which describes the most promising trends in terms of food marketing, forecasts growth in the gluten-free market, notes significant shopper interest in gluten-free products, and notes that "gluten-free" is among the top 10 health claims found in U.S. menus.

References to the gluten-free food market come up under Trend 8: Sensitivity Training, a discussion of consumer concerns about food sensitivities. The discussion begins with an overview:

The number of adults who perceive that they, or their children, suffer from food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities continues to grow, creating lucrative markets, disproportionate to their true medical base. One in five (20%) of U.S. adults say they have a food "sensitivity;" 28% of parents report their child is afflicted (Mintel, 2007d).

With 70 million Americans suffering from digestive ailments, sensitive tummies represent an enormous functional food opportunity (NIDDK, 2007). Over one-third (37%) of consumers are very/extremely concerned about gastrointestinal (GI) issues, up 6% in the last two years (HealthFocus, 2007)....

Sloan goes on to portray gluten-free products as a growth industry and a significant concern among shoppers.

Gluten-free products are projected to grow from $870 million to $1.7 billion by 1010 (Packaged Facts, 2007b). In 2007, 16% of shoppers checked the label for gluten (FMI, 2007). Hain Celestial Group's new gluten-free line of frozen meals is fortified with the nutrients commonly deficient in gluten-free diets and has a prebiotic [sic] to aid digestion. Allergy Friend Foods LLC's Allergaroo entrees—free of all of the eight major allergens—come in shelf-stable microwaveable pouches in spaghetti, chili mac, and other flavors."

Regarding the menus, Sloan notes that "Vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, low-fat, gluten-free, light, organic, trans fat-free, natural, healthy, and low-calorie are the top 10 health claims on menus (Mintel Menu Insights, 2008)." As far as I can tell, that reflects a huge change over the past 5-10 years.

Also of interest: The article also states that "With almost 12 million men having low bone mass and 2 million with osteoporosis, a male bone-health market is fast approaching...." (Osteoporosis is common among men with undiagnosed celiac disease.)

And "Energy was the top reason consumers made a dietary change last year (Roper GfK, 2007)." (Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms among people with undiagnosed celiac disease.)