In 2016 the gluten-free market was worth a staggering £2.6bn worldwide with sales taking one sizable - 12.6% or £323m - step up on the previous year (Euromonitor). This figure is all the more astonishing given that this expansion was three times that of the wider packaged foods market (4%). What's more, give it another three years and sales of gluten-free products are set to grow over a third (38%) as much again reaching a giddying £3.57bn (Euromonitor). As the market continues to blow up however, it does beg the question: why are so many consumers bidding adieu to gluten? What's more, how can you introduce a gluten-free offering? 

Labelling: Gluten & Where to Find It

First up, if you've got a bit hazy on the details, gluten is a family of proteins found in those grassy-related crops such as barley, rye and wheat. Where gluten is found however, well this is a little more murky. Anything containing barley, rye or wheat is a given, then you have all the varieties of wheat such as durum, farro, kamut and spelt plus things like bulgar semolina and triticale. Then you get to oats. Oats contain something called avenin which isn't gluten but does such a good impression of gluten that some people with an intolerance to gluten can be affected by oats too. And just to throw another spanner in the mill, many oats are processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains so there's a risk of contamination there as well.

When Gluten Attacks

Of course gluten is not necessarily a bad thing, it's what gives your typical baked goods their lovely shape and texture literally gluing (which is also where the word comes from) the whole thing together. If however, you're intolerant to the stuff, this tiny protein is bad news. And if you're coeliac - the most severe of gluten intolerances - gluten truly is the root of all evil. As sufferers of this nasty disease are subject to attack from their own body every time they come into contact with the protein, their immune wrongly identifying - and therefore making - it a threat. This wreaks havoc with the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing any of the good stuff (nutrients), it can be incredibly painful too with symptoms ranging from diarrhoea and rashes to weight loss and nerve damage. Cakewalk it is not.

So how many people are affected by a gluten intolerance? In 1990, the University of Nottingham published data stating just 0.005% of the population (that's 5 people in 100,000) were coeliac, by 2011 this had risen almost four-fold to 0.019% (BBC). The NHS states that around one in hundred people are are coeliac while leading coeliac charity Coeliac UK believes the disease is so frequently undiagnosed, that as many as one in four Brits may well be affected. Given the growing number of coeliacs year on year, our tolerance to the protein looks to be in decline. Whether this is an actual rise in the number of people with the disease or that we are getting better at diagnosing is very much up for debate. However the current market need for gluten-free products is proving undeniably strong.

The Free-From Lifestyle

Dietary need is inarguably significant however lifestyle too is increasingly playing a role. Half of us claim to have bought a free-from product in the past six months (Kantar) and over a quarter (27%) of us state that we or another member of our household avoids certain ingredients in keeping with a healthy lifestyle (Mintel).

You could argue that this all began with the Atkin's diet (and similar diets) which banished carbohydrates to the naughty step. While Atkins was first published in 1958, the popularity of this and equally bread-less diets peaked in the early Naughties. Embroiled in celebrity culture, the 'no carbs before Marb's' mentality put a lot of people off their food. And while gluten-free and carb-free are not the same thing, for many consumers the terms have become (incorrectly) interchangeable and there is a preconception that free-from translates to 'better for you'.

Furthermore, as gluten-free products have become more readily available, they've become more widely purchased too. This may sound obvious but the launch of dedicated ranges and free-from aisles has brought gluten-free to the masses yet further bolstering sales. And where the supermarket kingpins lead, the rest of the market follows.

Launching Your Own Gluten-Free Grab & Go

If you're looking to launch a gluten-free range, sandwiches may or may not be the best place to start. Now we're not about to knock gluten-free breads, they've got a tough job, but they are not known for their moistness or structural integrity. Traditionally made sourdough breads can be gluten-free and a whole lot tastier than some other loaves.

This said, you would 100% need to check the exact gluten content with the bread provider to ensure your products are correctly labelled. If you're feeling adventurous, you might want to try baking your own. There are all sorts of flours to be experimented with though our resident coeliac baker recommends flours of blended grains with a rice base. Meanwhile sweet potato dough works well for things like rolls, pizza bases and bakes.  

If gluten-free sandwiches sound like a nightmare in the making, salads and soups could be the way forward. Chucking some rice noodles into the mix will add bulk and help keep them street (i.e on trend). Gluten-free pastas are also available for an Italian twist.  

Whatever route you take, a word of warning: gluten can sneak into all sorts of things so always check the label of the ingredients you use:

• Condiments and Dressings - this includes malt and other types of vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, mustard and more
• Soups, Sauces and Marinades - chances are, something's been used somewhere along the way to help thicken that bad boy, use corn flour to keep the gluten out
• Deli Meat - surprisingly rife with gluten, used to coat, thicken and stuff - types of sausage, pate and ham are the most likely candidates 

Our Gluten Free Stickers

These zazzy little stickers were developed to support the fast-growth free-from market and perennially popular meal deal concepts. Designed to complement - without blending into - a wide variety of packaging and branding, these semi-gloss beauties pop without overpowering your presentation.

Combining sunny wheat sheaf imagery and 'Gluten Free' messaging in a simple yet eye-catching design, use our Gluten Free Sticker to highlight options for the footloose and gluten free. Alternatively, seal the deal with our Meal Deal Sticker. Sporting a unique rosette design in striking burnt orange, this little sticker helps identify the products in your meal deal offering, and it does so with style!  

Both stickers are supplied on a handy thousand-per-roll dispenser for easy application, give us a call if you'd like to see some samples!    

For further assistance with providing gluten-free and other information on pack, please Get in Touch to see how we can help.

References:

• Euromonitor
• BBC
• NHS
• Coeliac UK
• Kantar
• Mintel