Abstract
The world of food allergies and intolerance is largely shrouded in mystery, with reporting agencies claiming different numbers of sufferers. Many consumers are affected but don' t understand the cause. As a result, manufacturers and retailers do not know how to best approach the market.
This report provides an in-depth understanding of what is needed to most effectively participate in the “free-from” market, including:
- Recognizing where the most growth potential lies, both by type of condition and relevant food categories
- How to better educate consumers on what constitutes a food allergy versus an intolerance, including how to properly read labels in accordance with their needs
- The need to better train foodservice, retail and manufacturing employees to understand allergies, and how best to provide a healthy environment for those who suffer
Included are straightforward descriptions of the primary allergens and the differences between allergies and intolerance. Extensive data from Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), along with relevant highlights from related Mintel reports, shows the broad range of opportunity that exists in the free-from market. An exclusive consumer survey reveals that respondents of all ages are receptive to these products, and highlights the needs of specific races/ethnicities that are more profoundly affected by allergies and intolerance.
According to the FDA, 6 to 7 million people in the U.S. suffer from food allergies (2% to 2.4% of the population), while the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) puts this number at 11 million (3.7% of the population). Approximately 8% of children have food allergies.
Though estimates also vary widely for food intolerance, a condition in which the body is unable to produce enough of the natural digestive chemicals to break down a particular type of food, the FDA estimates that approximately 28% of Americans suffer from some form of this condition. The effects range from mildly inconvenient to life threatening, and the two most common culprits are lactose (found in milk-based products) and gluten (found in wheat-based products).
Also included in this report is celiac disease, which is an extreme form of intolerance that makes it impossible to digest gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats. Again, numbers vary, but the most prominent estimate (from The University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore) is that one in 133 individuals suffer from it (0.8% of the population, or 2.2 million people).
More than 170 foods have been identified as allergens, including fruits, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, mollusks, peas, lentils, and beans other than green beans. Four foods account for 90% of food allergies in adults-peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish-while six foods account for 90% of food allergies in children-milk, egg, peanuts, wheat, soy and tree nuts.
This report primarily examines the U.S. consumers' attitudes towards food allergies and free-from products, and secondarily on the retail market for foods that are manufactured and targeted specifically at consumers who suffer from food allergies, food intolerance, and who are following avoidance diets. Foods that have been specially manufactured (e.g., pasta) to cater for a gluten-free diet, for instance, are included within this definition.
As the market for free-from foods develops, there is a growing trend to flag mainstream products as free-from. In other words, some mainstream foods flagged gluten-free, for example, do not naturally contain gluten and have not been modified. These products are not specifically covered in this report.
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Executive Summary
- Allergies and intolerance--the big picturePerception, awareness and causes
- The free-from marketplace
- The free-from players
- Limited and concentrated promotional efforts
- The consumers--aware of their condition, and living with it...... but some suffer more than othersLooking ahead--growth likely in the near termMarket Drivers
- Understanding the variations; allergies and intolerance
- Celiac disease
- Lactose intolerance
- The primary culprits
- Figure 1: Rates of risk of reactions to other foods, 2001
- Egg
- Fish/shellfish
- Milk
- Peanut
- Soy
- Tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.)
- Wheat
- Allergies in kids
- Figure 2: Attributes deemed "very important" when choosing food/drinks for child under 3, July 2006Government regulation
- Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA)
- Gluten-free label claim
- 2006 state government action
- Causes of allergies
- Races and ethnicities
- Figure 3: Interest in diet trends, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Increasing awareness
- More mainstream products go "allergy-proof"The high cost of having an allergyDining out--consumer risks and industry challengesFood recalls
- Beyond allergies and intolerances--the free-from allureMarket Sales,
Segments and Trends
- Figure 4: sales of selected free-from segments in the U.S., 2004 and 2006
- Segments
- Figure 5: Number of new products introductions with low/no/reduced allergen claims, 2001-06
- Figure 6: Number of new products introductions with low/no/reduced allergen claim, by category, 2001-06
- Figure 7: New product introductions with no/low/reduced allergen claim, by category, 2004 and 2006
- Figure 8: Sales of healthy snacks*, segmented by type, 2004 and 2006
- Gluten-free
- Figure 9: New product releases with a gluten-free claim, 2001-06
- Figure 10: New gluten-free product introductions, by category, 2001-06
- Dairy- and lactose-free
- Figure 11: Dairy-free product introductions, 2001-06
- Figure 12: Dairy and dairy-free product introductions, 2001-06
- Figure 13: Lactose-free product introductions 2001-06
- Figure 14: Dairy-free and lactose-free product introductions 2001-06, by category
- Nuts
- Figure 15: Nut-free product introductions, 2001-06
- Pan-allergenic free-from foods
- Supply Structure
- Figure 16: Gluten-free new product introductions, by company, 2001-06
- Figure 17: Lactose-free new product introductions, by company, 2001-06
- Figure 18: Dairy-free new product introductions, by company, 2001-06
- Company profiles
- Dean Foods
- Amy' s KitchenHain Celestial
- Glutino
- Eden Foods
- 8th Continent LLC
- Galaxy Nutritional Foods
- Nature' s PathLundberg Family Farms
- Pamela' s Products, Inc.
- Enjoy Life Natural Brands LLC
- Advertising and Promotion
- Retail Snapshot
- Figure 19: How grocers address shoppers' health concerns, 2006
- The Consumer
- Introduction
- Summary of consumer survey highlights
- Incidence of allergies or intolerance to food or beverages
- Figure 20: Incidence of allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, February 2007
- Figure 21: Incidence of allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, by age, February 2007
- Figure 22: Incidence of allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Figure 23: Incidence of allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, by income, February 2007
- Others in household with allergies or intolerances
- Figure 24: Others in the household that have allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, February 2007
- Figure 25: Others in the household that have allergies or intolerance to any food or beverages, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Purchase of specific free-from foods and beverages
- Figure 26: Purchase of specific free-from food or beverages, February 2007
- Figure 27: Purchase of specific free-from food or beverages, January 2005
- Figure 28: Purchase of specific free-from food or beverages, by age, February 2007
- Figure 29: Purchase of specific free-from food or beverages, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Degree of sensitivity to a wide range of foods--and actions takenFigure
30: Degree of sensitivity to certain food or beverages--and actions taken,
February 2007Figure 31: Degree of sensitivity to certain food or
beverages--and actions taken, January 2005Figure 32: Degree of sensitivity to
milk, eggs, soy, or gluten, by gender and age, February 2007
- Figure 33: Degree of sensitivity to milk, eggs, soy, or gluten, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Figure 34: Degree of sensitivity to shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, or fish, by gender and age, February 2007
- Figure 35: Degree of sensitivity to shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, or fish, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Symptoms resulting from eating the wrong foods
- Figure 36: Symptoms resulting from eating or exposure to foods you are allergic or sensitive to, February 2007
- Incidence of doctor-diagnosed allergy or intolerance
- Figure 37: Incidence of doctor-diagnosed allergy or intolerance, February 2007
- Notice taken of new FDA-required labeling
- Figure 38: Notice taken of new FDA-required labeling, February 2007
- Attitudes that affect shopping behavior
- Figure 39: Various attitudes that affect shopping behavior, by gender and age, February 2007
- Attitudes towards what the industry could do to help
- Figure 40: Attitudes towards what the industry could do to help, by gender and age, February 2007
- Other types of allergies
- Figure 41: Other types of allergies, February 2007
- View on whether there is an adequate selection of free-from products
- Figure 42: Is there an adequate selection of these free-from products, by age, February 2007
- Figure 43: Do you feel there is an adequate selection of these free-from products, January 2005
- Figure 44: Is there an adequate selection of these free-from products, by race/ethnicity, February 2007
- Taste of free-from products compared to regular products
- Figure 45: Taste of free-from products compared to regular products, February 2007
- Future and Forecast
- Future trends
- Replicating mainstream food and beverage trends
- Vaccinations and prevention
- Hispanic population growth, with a nod to other races
- Figure 46: Population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2002-12
- Growing attention to the category by major manufacturers and retailers
- Health literacy
- Appendix: Trade Associations
