‘Food paranoia’ is gripping the nation with more than four in ten people saying they eat a specialised diet.
Most often people are imposing strict rules for reasons of health and wellbeing, although concerns about allergies and ethics also feature.
The figures come from retail analysts Nielsen who say there is a trend towards ‘real’ food, which can be traced from farm to fork rather than being processed or the result of a lab experiment.
Four in ten people say they now eat a specialised diet as ‘food paranoia’ grips the nation. Many say they have made the choice to help prevent conditions including diabetes and obesity
One in five say their dietary choice is specifically designed to help prevent conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension.
The ingredients feeling the result of the backlash are sugar, salt, grains, eggs and dairy.
In terms of the impact on supermarket shelves, sales of sugar are down by 8.1per cent in a year, according to retail analysts Nielsen.
Sales of cans and cartons of soup are down by 10.7per cent, largely because they tend to be very high in salt, which is linked to hypertension or high blood pressure.
The medical condition that leaves women with ever bigger…
Sorry, the beef wellington and bake Alaska are off! How…
Eat to beat diabetes: Delicious dinners that are just 500…
How to lose weight – the scrumptious way: From roast chicken…
Nielsen said: ‘Forty-two percent report eating a diet that excludes or limits consumption of some foods or ingredients.
‘Antibiotics/hormones are the most common ingredients avoided (49%), followed by artificial additives, such as flavours, preservatives and sweeteners (45%) and then sugar (42%).
‘Genetically-modified foods (41%) follow next, narrowly ahead of products provided in packaging made with the chemical BPA (40%), which some campaign groups claim is linked to cancer.’
The use of antibiotics in farm animals such as chickens and pigs has become high profile because of its association with the development of superbug versions of common food poisoning bacteria like campylobacter.
Around one in 100 people have coeliac disease, an auto-immune condition which can make sufferers seriously ill if they eat gluten
The use of hormones in dairy cattle in the USA to boost milk production is controversial on the other side of the Atlantic. It seems many people in the UK may be rejecting dairy because they are unaware that these hormone injections are not permitted in this country.
Some artificial additives have been linked to hyperactivity in children and allergies. These concerns have led food producers here to remove them from most products targeted at children.
Mike Watkins, Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight, said: ‘People are adopting a more back-to-basics mind-set, focusing on simple ingredients and fewer processed foods.
‘They’re also taking a more active role in their own health care, which includes better nutrition, itself a reflection of the rising trend in chronic-disease rates.
‘Finally, consumers are increasingly educated due to the internet providing access to more health information than could ever have been dreamed of in the past.’
Nielsen said that one in five households report at least one person who suffers from a food allergy or intolerance.
Endorsement: Victoria Beckham is among a number of celebrities fuelling the trend for ‘free from’ foods
This is a controversial area for the numbers of people claiming to have some sort of allergy is much higher than official figures from medical experts.
Around one in 100 people have coeliac disease, an auto-immune condition which can make sufferers seriously ill if they eat gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.
But going gluten-free has also become a trendy dietary preference for many more Britons – with around 13 per cent of the population avoiding the protein.
A trend among the ‘worried well’ to view certain normal foods as harmful or even toxic has seen a remarkable rise in the sale of ‘Free From’ products.
Sales of these products have risen 19per cent in the UK over the last year to £754m and Nielsen believes the market will top £1billion within two years, putting it on a par with mineral water sales.
Celebrity endorsement from the likes of Victoria Beckham, Miley Cyrus ad Jessica Alba has helped fuel the trend, even among people who have no food allergies or intolerance.
In theory going gluten free means a radical change in the diet, removing staples like bread, pasta, breakfast cereal, pizza, pies and biscuits. It is here that food manufacturers have stepped in to create – often expensive – alternatives.
However, researchers have warned that people who go gluten free without good medical reason risk missing out on important vitamins and fibre.