Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Free-from growth continues in 2019, but expected to slow
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- Figure 1: UK retail value sales of free-from food and drink, 2014-24
- High-profile reports link meat and dairy consumption to climate change
- ‘Natasha’s Law’ tightens regulations around allergen labelling
- Companies and brands
- Free-from claims continue to gain share in food launches
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- Figure 2: Share of UK food* product launches with free-from claims, by claim, 2015-19
- Free-from launches build other benefits
- More dairy-free launches opt for vegan claims and spotlight sustainable sourcing
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- Figure 3: Share of UK dairy launches carrying dairy-free and vegan/no animal ingredients claims, 2015-19
- Own-brands feature strongly in NPD in a fragmented free-from landscape
- Alpro holds the top spot for adspend
- The consumer
- Half of adults report food/ingredient avoidances in their household
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- Figure 4: Avoidance of foods/ingredients, by reason, September 2019
- One in three adults have bought free-from food/drink
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- Figure 5: Types of free-from food and drink used and bought, September 2019
- Half of parents want more free-from choice for kids
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards free-from foods, September 2019
- Co-location with standard variants welcomed widely
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- Figure 7: Behaviours related to free-from foods, September 2019
- 67% of non-users say they don’t need free-from products
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- Figure 8: Barriers to eating/drinking/buying free-from foods/drinks, September 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Strong demand for more free-from products for special occasions
- The facts
- The implications
- Half of parents want more free-from choice for kids
- The facts
- The implications
- Free-from products need other reasons to buy to win over non-users
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Free-from growth continues in 2019
- Slower growth forecast for the market
- High-profile reports link meat and dairy consumption to climate change
- ‘Natasha’s Law’ tightens regulations around allergen labelling
Market Size and Forecast
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- Free-from growth continues in 2019
- Dairy-/lactose-free segment continues to gain share
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- Figure 9: UK retail value sales of free-from food and drink, by segment, 2017-19
- Free-from growth set to slow
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- Figure 10: UK retail value sales of free-from food and drink, 2014-24
- Figure 11: UK retail value sales of free-from food and drink, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Drivers
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- ‘Natasha’s Law’ tightens regulations around allergen labelling
- UN IPCC report links meat and dairy consumption to climate change
- Three in 10 people see dairy alternatives as the greener choice
- New study finds no gut health benefit for gluten-free lifestylers
- Households see boost to real incomes
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- Figure 12: CPI vs average weekly earnings, January 2016-October 2019
- Free-from products face the challenge to engage older cohorts
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- Figure 13: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2014-19 and 2019-24
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Free-from claims continue to gain share in food launches
- Free-from launches build other benefits
- More dairy-free launches opt for vegan claims and spotlight sustainable sourcing
- Own-brands feature strongly in NPD in a fragmented free-from landscape
- Alpro holds the top spot for adspend
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Free-from claims continue to gain share in food launches
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- Figure 14: Percentage of food* product launches with free-from claims, by claim, 2015-19
- Gluten-free claims feature on half of snack/cereal/energy bar launches
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- Figure 15: Share of product launches in the UK breakfast cereals, bakery, sweet baked goods and snack/cereal/energy bar markets carrying a gluten-free claim, by sub-category (sorted by 2019), 2015-19
- Greater diversity in chickpea products
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- Figure 16: Examples of new chickpea-based products, 2019
- Gluten-free launches build other benefits
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- Figure 17: UK breakfast cereals, bakery, sweet baked goods and snack/cereal/energy bar launches carrying a gluten-free claim, by selected health claims (sorted by 2019), 2015-19
- Figure 18: Examples of granolas with added functional claims or on-trend ingredients, 2019
- Premium launches cater to seasonal occasions
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- Figure 19: Range of festive free-from foods, 2019
- More dairy-free launches opt for vegan claims
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- Figure 20: UK dairy launches carrying dairy-free and vegan/no-animal-ingredients claims, 2015-19
- Figure 21: Examples of products focusing on plant-based or vegan positioning over dairy-free, 2019
- Brands highlight sustainable sourcing of plant ingredients
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- Figure 22: Share of launches of dairy-free/vegan/no-animal-ingredients launches in the dairy category featuring an environmentally responsible resource claim, 2015-19
- Figure 23: Examples of dairy alternatives highlighting sustainable ingredients, 2019
- Calcium and protein claims grow in dairy-free launches
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- Figure 24: Share of launches of dairy-free/vegan/no-animal-ingredients launches in the dairy category featuring selected health claims, 2015-19
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- Figure 25: Alpro packaging revamp, 2019
- Pea drinks join the dairy-free fray
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- Figure 26: Examples of pea/pea protein milk alternatives introduced to market, 2019
- Own-brands feature strongly in NPD in a fragmented free-from landscape
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- Figure 27: Launches in the UK breakfast cereals, bakery, sweet baked goods and snack/cereal/energy bar markets carrying a gluten-free claim, by top ultimate companies (sorted by 2019), 2015-19
- Figure 28: Launches in the dairy category featuring dairy-free/vegan/no-animal-ingredients claims, by top ultimate companies (sorted by 2019), 2015-19
- Retailers repackage lines
- Waitrose repackages free-from range to more premium look…
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- Figure 29: Waitrose revamps its free-from packaging, 2019
- …as does Marks & Spencer
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- Figure 30: Marks & Spencer updates the packaging for the Made Without Wheat range, 2019
- Free-from launches from mainstream player and range extensions from specialists continue
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- Figure 31: Free-from launches from selected mainstream brands, 2019
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Free-from market sees adspend growth
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- Figure 32: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure in the UK free-from food and drink market, by media type, 2016-19
- Alpro holds the top spot
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- Figure 33: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by top companies operating in the UK free-from food and drink market, 2019
- Arla focuses on ‘what feels good’
- Viotros makes going dairy-free a little too easy
- Innocent promotes dairy-free range using humour...
- …and drives outdoor spend
- Mrs Crimble’s teams up with Topless Baker for a social media push
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Half of adults report food/ingredient avoidances in their household
- One in three adults have bought free-from food/drink
- Half of parents want more free-from choice for kids
- Co-location with standard variants welcomed widely
- Interest in free-from foods with digestive health benefits
- 67% of non-users say they don’t need free-from products
Avoidance of Food/Ingredients
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- Healthy lifestyles are a stronger driver of food/drink avoidance than allergies/intolerances
- Half of adults report food/ingredient avoidances in their household
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- Figure 34: Overall avoidance of foods/ingredients in the household, by reason, September 2019
- Healthy lifestyles are a key driver behind avoidance diets
- Gluten and dairy avoidance are widely seen as good for gut
- A quarter of people report dairy avoidance in their household
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- Figure 35: Avoidance of foods/ingredients in the household, by type, September 2019
Types of Free-from Products Bought/Eaten
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- One in three adults have bought free-from food/drink
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- Figure 36: Overall buying and usage of free-from food and drink, September 2019
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- Figure 37: Types of free-from food and drink used and bought, September 2019
- Free-from foods’ appeal spans beyond avoidance diets
- Families and young adults are key buyers and users of free-from
- Half of parents have bought free-from
- Half of 16-34s report eating free-from
Attitudes towards Free-from Foods
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- Half of parents want more free-from choice for kids
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards free-from foods, September 2019
- Allergen claims are common in children’s products, but kids’ positioning is rare in free-from
- Catering to the social aspect
- Desire for indulgent, tasty free-from food and drink
- Most free-from buyers see tasty treats as hard to find
- Indulgent brands have moved into free-from
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- Figure 39: Examples of premium free-from treat launches, 2019
- Free-from is in demand for special occasions
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- Figure 40: Examples of seasonal free-from launches, 2019
Behaviours Related to Free-from Foods
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- Co-location with standard variants welcomed widely
- Visibility prompts product trial
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- Figure 41: Behaviours related to free-from foods, September 2019
- Strong approval for discounters’ private-label free-from
- Widespread concerns about allergen standards in foodservice
- Interest in free-from foods with digestive health benefits
- Fibre, calcium and live bacteria hold potential
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- Figure 42: Examples of free-from launches with fibre and live bacteria claims, 2019
Barriers to Eating/Drinking/Buying Free-from Food/Drinks
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- 67% of non-users say they don’t need free-from products
- Many products continue to zoom in on free-from positioning
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- Figure 43: Barriers to eating/drinking/buying free-from foods/drinks, September 2019
- Other reasons to buy can range from taste to health
- Three in 10 people see dairy alternatives as greener
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- Figure 44: Examples of dairy substitutes with environmental claims and ingredient origin focus, 2019
- 22% of non-users see free-from as too expensive
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- Figure 45: Being expensive as a barrier to eating/drinking/buying free-from foods/drinks, by financial situation, September 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 46: Forecast of UK retail value sales of free-from food and drink, best- and worst-case, 2019-24
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