The global gluten-free market is set to grow by $1.2bn (£800m) over the next five years to be worth over $4.3bn (£2.96bn), according to independent market analyst Datamonitor.
Research has revealed that the UK’s gluten-free market will be worth the most in Europe at $374.2m (£250m) – growing at one of the highest rates, second only to Germany.
Mark Whalley, consumer analyst at Datamonitor, said: “There is a wider audience for a gluten-free diet, greatly outnumbering those suffering from celiac disease. Combined with this, the numerous symptoms associated with celiac disease has increased concern among non-celiac sufferers, therefore further increasing the available market for gluten-free products.
“In the UK, particularly, celebrities have also helped to make gluten-free high profile. A growing number of people in the public eye, including Victoria Beckham, Liz Hurley and Carol Vorderman, have been linked to gluten or wheat free diets and the publicity generated has been responsible for aiding growth over the last few years.”
However, Datamonitor believes there is a risk that the gluten-free market will suffer in the same way that low/no-carb products did over the second half of the last decade.
With a number of consumers also wrongly self-diagnosing themselves as celiacs, as well as gluten-free being somewhat of a ‘vogue diet’ – therefore susceptible to a rapid decline in popularity among non-celiacs – it is possible that long-term growth will be negatively impacted.
Whalley said: “There are already signs that the gluten-free market may plateau in the future, as the growth we predict over the next five years is somewhat less than what we’ve seen for the last five years.
“One hurdle brands face is making sure the taste of gluten-free products is appealing. Manufactures need to adopt a more holistic approach ensuring they communicate the wider benefits of gluten-free foods rather than relying on what is excluded from the products.
“Therefore brands should focus on appealing to a broader audience to strengthen the long-term prospects of gluten-free food. However, they cannot lose sight of the fact that core consumers of the products will always be celiacs, so relying on consumers outside of this demographic in the long-term will prove to be a very risky strategy.”
Source: Datamonitor
