- Consumers are turning their backs on food they believe is making them sick
- Sales of foods ‘free from’ have grown by 50 per cent in just two years
- Tesco is even launching a range of nutless peanut butter due to demand
18:36 EST, 2 June 2014
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01:15 EST, 3 June 2014
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Sales are soaring of foods free from ingredients such as nuts and wheat that are said to cause allergies and other illnesses.
Increasing intolerance to wheat, dairy and nuts means they are being removed from breads, biscuits, milk and other foods on our shelves.
Latest figures show that despite the premium price tag for these items, the ‘free from’ food market has grown by 50 per cent in just two years.
Consumers are abandoning foods containing wheat and nuts such as bread over allergy fears
Data from market research firm Kantar shows the market is worth £360?million, up from £240?million in 2012.
Tesco, which is launching a range of products including a nutless peanut butter to capitalise on the growing appetite, says the boom is being driven in particular by products free of wheat and its protein gluten.
The products, which can cost up to eight times as much as standard versions, include breads, cereals and cakes in which wheat-based flour is replaced with gluten-free flour from rice, corn or other sources.
Other foods are being sought out by those intolerant to lactose or whose children are allergic to peanuts.
Retail giant Tesco has even started selling nutless peanut butter because of the demand for allergy conscious products
But while many are being bought by people with a genuine medical problem, it is feared the bulk of the rise is being fuelled by the ‘worried well’.
Portsmouth University researchers found that nine in ten Britons who believe they have a food allergy or intolerance are perfectly healthy.
The researchers concluded that although 20 per cent of adults – about 10?million – claim they are unable to eat foods from milk to mustard, fewer than 2 per cent actually have a problem. They blamed internet searches, self-testing kits and celebrity food fads for the epidemic of make-believe allergies and intolerances.
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Liz,
Cambridge,
8 minutes ago
I have coeliac disease, which is an autoimmune condition triggered by the consumption of gluten containing products. Unlike what James said, I would not magically forget about it if I was left on an island with only bread to eat. However as someone else said, someone with coeliac or gluten intolerance doesn’t need to consume very large quantities of specialist gluten free products, they are not necessary for a healthy diet and contain a large amount of fat and sugar. However, I believe that the increased availability of gluten free products in supermarkets has made it easier for those who are genuinely gluten intolerant/coeliac and therefore I welcome the increased supply. People should be able to eat what they want, if they feel they don’t get on well with a certain allergen then it’s up to them to cut it out of their diet if they wish to. It’s a shame this article makes no mention of coeliac disease, which is already an underdiagnosed condition.
Nixieknox,
London,
9 minutes ago
There is a new lactose-free brand that only really became available around the time I realised I was lactose intolerant. It was a godsend for me. I love drinking milk, I love soft cheese – so for years I kept on imbibing even though I knew it was making me sick. Now I’m so careful that I can have the occasional nibble of real cheddar and it doesn’t affect me! For some of us, food intolerances are genuine. Also lactose free milk last longer, which is handy when you live alone!
TrueBrit,
Plymouth, United Kingdom,
11 minutes ago
what a load of nonsense.
gormenghastly,
Caledon, Canada,
18 minutes ago
Last time I suggested many people with “allergies†were “the worried wellâ€, I got red arrowed like crazy. I guess scientific evidence won’t change their PsOV either, but they’re making millions for cynical companies who exploit them. Still, it’s their money [unless they’re on benefits, that is]. Up next, a “gluten intolerance allowanceâ€? I’m sure Labour is already investigating “the allergic voteâ€.
Christopher,
London,
27 minutes ago
Look at all the other additives. Most processed food makes ICI look small scale. We were never meant to eat all those chemicals and additives. A loaf of bread can contain 20 or more ingredients. It should only contain flour, eggs, yeast butter and some salt and sugar and as little of those as possible just to make the yeast work. The rest is to make it last longer etc. we are not chemical processing plants!
Moggie,
Ipswich,
27 minutes ago
I wouldn’t touch GF food with a barge pole as they are full of all sorts of nasty additives and colourings. A lot are also made of Corn starch which is, not only GM, but is bad for blood sugar levels.
If you want or need to go GF the best way to do this is to go back to basic’s and start cooking your own food from scratch – that way you know exactly what’s in it and, more importantly, what’s not.
Adelie Manchot,
Houston,
42 minutes ago
Jimmy Kimmel did a segment on his show where he asked people who are ‘gluten intolerant’ what gluten is and the vast majority of them didn’t even know what it was. That is all you need to know about them.
ABCD,
London, United Kingdom,
33 minutes ago
JamesPeterson,
Kent, United Kingdom,
51 minutes ago
I suspect if these people were put on an island with only bread and nuts, their imaginary make believe allergies and fantasies would disappear overnight and they would stop attention seeking.
ABCD,
London, United Kingdom,
32 minutes ago
Moggie,
Ipswich,
moments ago
Governator,
Rochester,
56 minutes ago
The expansion of this market probably has far less to do with food intolerance and far more to do with fad diets, where you are told to cut out dairy or wheat, for example.
wolfgang,
Milan, Germany,
1 hour ago
What some people may not realise is that wheat is now just about 100% GM with obesity, bowel and gastro problems on the rise. Im beginning a new ‘me’ and removing all wheat from my diet.
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