Gluten-free market in Australia expected to increase

Forecasting by consumer analyst group Datamonitor indicates the Australian gluten-free market will increase over the next five years to a total of US$98.6 million, with the worldwide market set to grow by US$1.2 billion in the same period, to a total worth of over US$4.3 billion.

According to Datamonitor, the audience for gluten-free foods is far greater than the number of people with coeliac disease and includes growing number of Australians who are avoiding certain food and beverages because of perceived allergies, intolerances or other health concerns. However, Datamonitor also highlight the risk that the gluten-free market will suffer in a similar way that low- or no-carbohydrate products did over the second half of the last decade, with the possibility that gluten-free as a 'vogue diet' is susceptible to a decrease in popularity among non-coeliacs.

Datamonitor suggests that manufacturers need to ensure they communicate the wider benefits of gluten-free foods rather than relying on what is excluded from the products. Manufacturers also face the challenge of making the taste of gluten-free products equally or more appealing than similar gluten-containing products in order to grow the non-coelaic market.