Selling products that are modified for those who follow a restricted diet or have a diet related medical condition is not new but was limited until quite recently to specialist shops. In today's market products for the health and wellness market have found a niche in mainstream food retailing. Products that are gluten free have the highest consumer demand in this market, which is now worth £25m per year. About 250,000 people are diagnosed with gluten intolerance each year (a protein present in wheat) and this figure is rising. But this is just one of many different substances in food that causes problems. Any food can cause an individual to have an allergic reaction, but in reality there are just a few foods that cause the majority of adverse reactions to food. These foods are known as the ‘big eight’ which are milk, eggs, peanuts, other nuts (including Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts), fish, shellfish (including mussels, crab and shrimps), soya and wheat.
In children (of which many grow out of their allergy by the end of childhood) the most common allergic reactions to food are to milk, peanuts, nuts, eggs, soya and wheat. Most allergic reactions by adults are to peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish and wheat.
Sainsbury’s launched their FreeFrom range in June 2002 with 50 products. These have been so well received by consumers that another ten have been added to the range. FreeFrom products are suitable for people who suffer from food intolerance or food allergies estimated currently to be around 2% of the UK population.There are also a good selection of branded products in the free from area.
The demand for specialist products has risen for a variety of reasons.
- There is a better understanding of food intolerance
- Allergy testing for individuals is more widely available in mainstream medicine and not just through homeopathic clinics or self diagnosis
- Proven research that shows certain conditions are a direct consequence of eating certain foods (e.g. lactose intolerance,coeliac disease and peanut allergies)
Before this range was launched there was a ‘well being’ section in Sainsbury’s stores which was re-branded to ‘Freefrom’ and with it permanent signage created. This enables customers to find products quickly and easily instore by looking for products in their distinctive bright yellow packaging.All the products in Sainsbury’s Freefrom range are:
- free from gluten
- free from wheat or dairy
They have, however been developed to not compromise on taste, a problem consumers associated with the products available prior to the launch of 'freefrom' felt strongly about. This was a known criticism of these products in the past and one challenge that the development team of this range sought to overcome. The improvement of ingredients that can be used in the production of wheat, dairy & gluten free products has been significant in their improvement.The range comprises over 60 products with more being added all the time. All products are exclusively endorsed by Allergy UK who represent food allergy sufferers in this country.
Free From products are cross category
Products will be found in many different areas of the store such as grocery, bakery, dairy and frozen products. When the range was first delivered it had several market firsts including fish fingers, cooking sauces and low-fat dairy-free spreads.
Active Kids Get Cooking November 2007