Increasing Food Allergics Calls for "Free-From" Market

Filed in archive Food Allergies , Living with Allergies on May 29, 2006

Reesearch and Markets just released a primer on Food Allergies and Intolerance, a document put together primarily for those interested in the food industry, particularly that catering to people with food Allergies. I haven't got hold of the primer, not for $2,495, ho-ho-ho, but the information they provided on the introductory material are interesting.

For one, I didn't know that it is officially labelled as a "free-from" market. You know: free from peanuts, free from casein, free from gluten... But it seems that there is an increasing demand for such products not only because there is a documented increase --quadrupled, according to research-- of incidence of food allergies in children. In adults, it is estimated that about 1.4 to 4% of the adult population suffer from food allergies. Add to that those people who don't really have food allergies but think they do, and you have a big market indeed clamoring for "free-from" food products.

Considering these factors-the rise in the incidence of food allergies, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, customer buying trends, confusion about food allergies, and ongoing media coverage-we believe that the market for free-from products will enjoy continued growth. However, growth will not occur in all segments and it will likely come with sharp shifts as new information becomes available. Barring a medical breakthrough (discussed in the Future Trends section), the free-from market also will become an increasingly differentiated food category as labeling and awareness makes these products stand out in consumers' minds.

For the sake of consumers who have real food allergies, I hope they are correct. I personally know how frustrating it can be to have such a restricted diet, not because I have allergies myself, but because a member of the family does. I hope the free-from market does expand and grow. It will certianly make food allergies less stressful!