Gluten free fad fading? Nope!

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the gluten free fad fading. It seems I might have been wrong!

According to two different sources, the gluten free marketplace will grow by approximately 9.1% and rise to $7.6b industry by 2024, which means more products for us!

They are forecasting the greatest growth in bakery products and the Asia Pacific marketplace. For my friends in Latin America, they are expecting moderate growth in the gluten free market segment.

The study says, “There has been increasing use of gluten-free products, owing to increasing occurrences of Celiac disease. Intolerance to gluten and growing awareness regarding problems associated with gluten are anticipated to boost the gluten-free product market.”

So there you go. I was wrong. I guess gluten free isn’t going away any time soon.

I find all of these products and all of this awareness to be a double edged sword. Many companies slap a gluten free label on the front hoping to cash in on this trend, but in reading the label on the back there is a gluten ingredient or other red flag. This makes it exceptionally difficult for those of us who are required to follow a gluten free diet, but what about those that aren’t as knowledgeable who are attempting to cook for us. They look at a label and it says gluten free. They buy the item and cook with it for us. We end up sick not because the person didn’t honestly try, but because of the poor labeling and enforcement in the US.

The good part is that most of us over time learn to read labels and can suss out the questionable ingredients. We are knowledgeable about where gluten hides and what words also mean gluten. So, we can avoid these foods. But as a newly diagnosed person, this is a daunting journey.

So, on the whole, I was wrong. I said it – out loud. I hope to never have to say it again. 😉

Article #1 and Article #2 says gluten free isn’t going anywhere.