Why Gluten Free Isn’t Going Away

If you’re part of the gluten-free community, then you’ve noticed several articles telling you that the gluten free “trend” doesn’t have staying power. Journalists, who don’t need to commit to a gluten-free diet, write some of these articles. Food industry trend-watchers, like Dr. Elizabeth Sloan, are some of the other naysayers. Even if some people are adopting this diet as merely a passing phase in their lives, Sloan’s suggestion that the “gluten-free trend doesn’t have long-term legs” needs to be addressed, and who better to address it than a company that’s committed to making gluten-free products, like Soyummi, for the 1 in 133 Americans who NEED to follow this diet for the rest of their life.

Dr. Elizabeth Sloan is the president of Sloan Trends, and thus, has a reputation for being a food trend expert, so her words carry a lot of weight. In fact, her evidence is worth paying attention to when she explains that:

• Only 22% of consumers buying gluten free products intentionally
• The gluten free food market is larger than necessary for the proportion of American who require this diet

It’s also misleading.

Why? Research gathered for The University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research ( UMCCR ), the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness ( NFCA ), and the Gluten Intolerance Group ( GIG ) makes it clear — crystal clear — that gluten free isn ’ t going away. Medical experts currently estimate that 1 in 133 Americans, or 3 million people across all ages and races have celiac disease, but according to NFCA, 95 % of these people are currently undiagnosed. Similarly, UMCCR indicates that 18 million more Americans have gluten intolerance or sensitivity, but for every one diagnosed person, there are still 80 more who are living in the dark about their condition.

As more of these affected individuals become aware of their condition, the demand for gluten free products is going to increase significantly. The next logical question is, when do researchers expect that celiac sufferers will be diagnosed ? According to NFCA, the diagnosis rate is expected to increase from the current rate of 5% to between 50 to 60% by 2019. In other words, even with the increased awareness of celiac disease that we’d expect over the next several years, there would still be at least 30% (if not more) individuals with undiagnosed celiac disease by 2019, and that doesn’t even include the inevitable increase in awareness of non-celiac intolerance.

Despite the rumors flowing around the interwebs, once those as-of-yet-undiagnosed people begin to realize that the symptoms they’ve been experiencing are linked to gluten, they’ll be buying gluten-free foods, like our line of puddings. Even though the market growth isn’t likely to continue at the current rate, it WILL continue because for those who have a problem with gluten, eating gluten free is a lifelong commitment. Or at least that’s our opinion. What do you think? Are gluten free products here to stay?

Posted in: Gluten Free Food
Tags: gluten free 1 in 133 celiac disease

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