Gluten-free products going strong with US sales up 11%

New York

GLUTEN-FREE is going strong. Only one per cent of the US population has been diagnosed with celiac disease, yet gluten-free products are still filling up - and flying off - grocery store shelves. US sales reached US$1.57 billion last year, up 11 per cent over 2014, according to data from Packaged Facts.

Sure, that growth has slowed - it was at 81 per cent in 2013. But it still runs laps around the grocery sector's overall growth of 3 per cent. In the cereal aisle, for example, where sales have been declining for the past decade, claims such as "gluten-free", as well as "GMO-free" and "no high-fructose corn syrup" have made for one of the few bright spots, according to a recent Nielsen report. Wheat-free bread may be old news, but tie-ins with other health trends are keeping the category strong. A paleo dieter would naturally avoid gluten, but now the label on a gluten-free paleo diet bar guarantees it.