The $11.6 billion gluten-free food market grew 136% from 2013-15, reflecting strong consumer interest in eating these foods. While some consumers view the gluten-free diet as a fad, gluten-free food consumption continues to trend upward, fueled mostly by its general health halo, and also as a treatment for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Market competition continues to heat up as manufacturers both large and small enter the gluten-free space, increasing the availability, quality, and variety of gluten-free foods.

For the purposes of this report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

Gluten-free foods are defined as those that are labeled and/or marketed as gluten-free by the manufacturer. These products may be certified as gluten-free by a third-party source, such as the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, but not all are.

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has defined the term “gluten-free” for voluntary use in the labeling of foods. Any food product bearing a gluten-free claim labeled on or after Aug. 5, 2014, must meet the requirements of the agency’s gluten-free labeling rule. The US FDA’s definition is as follows:

“...foods may be labeled ‘gluten-free’ if they meet the definition and otherwise comply with the final rule’s requirements. More specifically, the final rule defines ‘gluten-free’ as meaning that the food either is inherently gluten-free; or does not contain an ingredient that is: 1) a gluten-containing grain (eg, spelt wheat); 2) derived from a gluten-containing grain that has not been processed to remove gluten (eg, wheat flour); or 3) derived from a gluten-containing grain that has been processed to remove gluten (eg, wheat starch), if the use of that ingredient results in the presence of 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten in the food. Also, any unavoidable presence of gluten in the food must be less than 20 ppm.”

For this report, rather than consider all possible food products carrying a gluten-free claim, Mintel has focused on those categories where consumers are most likely to find both products including gluten and those without. Breads, for example, commonly contain gluten, which gives gluten-free breads particular relevance to consumers. Products such as eggs that never/rarely contain gluten are not covered in this report as it is difficult to determine how much influence (if any) gluten-free labeling has on sales.

Sales data for this report are provided by SPINS, based on POS (point-of-sale) data from SPINS and Information Resources, Inc. The segmentation shown in this report is custom to Mintel and does not correspond directly to SPINS’ category organization.

Segments covered in this report include the following:

• Bread products and cereals

• Condiments, seasonings, spreads

• Desserts

• Energy bars

• Meats/meat alternatives

• Pasta and rice

• Prepared foods

• Snacks

For a more complete list of products included in each segment, see Appendix: Segments and Subsegments.

Important note: Instead of examining historical sales of products currently included in the gluten-free universe, this report examines the gluten-free marketplace as it existed at one-year intervals. This interval-view approach isolates the sales of products that were actually marketed as gluten-free at each annual point in time. It provides a look at the gluten-free market as of mid-June 2013, 2014, and 2015, which shows the enormous growth in this industry as consumers seek gluten-free products. It also reflects an increasing interest on the part of manufacturers in labeling or certifying existing gluten-free products or reformulating products to be gluten-free.