US Market Trends & Opportunities, 7th Edition
Before the pandemic, retail sales of gluten-free foods experienced robust growth. Sales spiked significantly in 2020 as overall food retail sales soared, buoyed by consumers eating and cooking more at home. Consumers were particularly interested in home baking in 2020, leading to fast growth in sales of gluten-free baking products including baking mixes, flour, and dough.
Sales continued to grow from 2021 through 2023, with high inflation being a particularly strong influence on sales in 2022. Gains will persist through 2028, though the gluten-free foods category is maturing.
Opportunities exist to drive growth in such a popular category. Many consumers view gluten as unhealthy and will seek out alternatives to products that typically contain wheat ingredients. Additionally, diagnoses of celiac disease and wheat allergies continue to increase, and even more consumers are coming to believe they have gluten intolerance, which will help to drive gains in the market for gluten-free foods.
Improvements in gluten-free foods are also prime growth opportunities, particularly for gluten-free categories that lag in sales penetration, as concerns about taste and texture remain among consumers who need to be on a gluten-free diet, as well as consumers who have a choice in consuming gluten.
With a focus on “what’s next” and current consumer trends, Gluten-Free Foods: US Market Trends & Opportunities is packed with insights about consumer trends, behavior, and motivations to help food producers, retailers, packaging companies, employers, and investors gauge consumer perspectives and find areas for growth in a competitive market.
Gluten-Free Foods: US Market Trends & Opportunities delivers actionable predictions and recommendations designed to guide producers, retailers, and investors in making business decisions by providing data and insights about consumer behavior and what consumers think about gluten-free foods.
Scope
Gluten-Free Foods: US Market Trends & Opportunities is the go-to source for a complete understanding of U.S. consumer trends regarding gluten-free foods. This report combines Packaged Facts’ extensive monitoring of the food and beverage market with proprietary surveys, and evaluates current trends and future directions for marketing and retailing, along with consumer patterns during the pandemic and inflation area and across the broader food and beverage market.
This Packaged Facts report analyses the market for gluten-free foods. Combined sales of key product categories are projected to grow at an average rate of 7.3% annually through 2028.
Consumer demographics, perceptions, motivations, attitudes, and behavior pertaining to food, diet, and health are taken into account; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers are also analyzed in a broad sense, as well as in the context of gluten-free foods.
This report covers retail sales of gluten-free foods in US dollars. Gluten-free foods are defined as food products that often contain gluten/wheat ingredients that are instead manufactured to exclude gluten/wheat. Sales are segmented by the following key product categories, which do not encompass the entire market of gluten-free products:
- Baking Mixes
- Cold Cereal
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Dough
- Flour
- Fresh Bread
- Pasta
- Salty Snacks
- Grocery stores, supermarkets, and discount grocers (e.g., Kroger, Safeway, ALDI)
- Mass merchandisers (e.g., Walmart, Target, Meijer) and warehouse clubs (e.g., Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s)
- Convenience stores (e.g., Pilot/Flying J, Circle K, 7-Eleven) and dollar stores (e.g., Dollar General, Family Dollar)
- Other retailers, such as bakeries, co-ops, gift shops, and farmers markets
- All online outlets, including online-based grocers (e.g., Amazon, Thrive Market, FreshDirect), third-party pack-and-deliver companies that use their own workforces to purchase groceries at various stores and deliver them to customers (e.g., Instacart), brands that sell their own food products direct-to-consumer via their websites, and online sales from websites or apps of retailers in the previous categories
The reasons for and implications of shifts in consumer perception and behavior are analyzed in the context of future market opportunities.
Additionally, Gluten-Free Foods: US Market Trends & Opportunities has dozens of tables highlighting numerical survey data on household product usage and consumer demographics and psychographics as well as numerous marketing photographs. This report goes in-depth on COVID-19 and inflation trends that have affected the food and beverage market.
Report Methodology
The information contained in Gluten-Free Foods: US Market Trends & Opportunities was developed from primary and secondary research sources. Primary research includes interviews with food and beverage market experts; participation in and attendance at food industry events; and extensive internet canvassing.
Primary research also includes national online consumer polls of U.S. adult consumers (age 18+) conducted on an ongoing basis by Packaged Facts to analyze attitudes of consumers and their relevant food and beverage preferences.
Survey data from MRI-Simmons are used to analyze the demographics and psychographics of consumers who are changing their diet due to food allergies or gluten intolerance or buying foods labeled as gluten-free.
Supplementing Packaged Facts’ exclusive surveys are analysis of the 2022 and 2023 Food & Health Surveys conducted by the International Food Information Council, which analyze consumer food purchase decisions, diet and lifestyle choices, snacking activity, and perception of health benefits in foods.
- Executive Summary
- Who Is Driving the Market for Gluten-Free Foods?
- Snacking Trends
- Demographic Trends: Age and Plant-Forward Eating
- Scope
- Recent Historical Trends from the Pandemic to the Inflation Era
- Highlights
- Boosted Online Grocery Shopping Activity
- Frequency of Grocery Shopping in 2023: In-Person vs. Online
- Use of Meal Kit Delivery Services
- Snacking and Healthy Eating Habits
- Trends from 2021-2022
- Table Coronavirus Eating Habits: "Because of the coronavirus, I am eating more…", 2021 (percent of consumers)
- Changes to Snacking Habits in 2023
- Table Current Snacking Activity Compared to Pre-Pandemic Levels, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Trends from 2021-2022
- Concerns about COVID-19 Exposure Have Remained
- Most Still Consider the Pandemic a Health Threat Personally or to Family/Friends
- Table Coronavirus Health Concerns: "I am concerned about…", 2020 - 2021 (percent of consumers)
- Table Coronavirus Health Concerns: "I am concerned about…", 2022 - 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Concerns about COVID-19 Variants
- Concerns about Future Potential Pandemic Outbreaks
- Table Future Potential Pandemic Outbreak Concerns, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Vaccination Plans Reveal Many Consumers Are Taking COVID-19 and the Flu Seriously, Though Fewer May Be Getting Vaccinated Than Who Report Concerns
- Table Consumer Vaccination Plans, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Gluten-Free Dieters Express More Pandemic Concerns and Are More Likely to Be Getting the Newest COVID-19 Booster in 2023
- Table Coronavirus Health Concerns: "I am concerned about…" by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Consumer Vaccination Plans by Following a Gluten- Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain- Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who have already gotten vaccines or will definitely get them by the end of 2023)
- Most Still Consider the Pandemic a Health Threat Personally or to Family/Friends
- Source: September-October 2023 Packaged Facts National Online Consumer Survey
- Negative Personal Effects of the Pandemic
- Reporting Negative Mental States in 2023
- Stress Levels and Impact on Food/Beverage Consumption
- Near Term Effects on Work Habits
- Changes to Work Patterns Continued in 2021 and 2022
- Working from Home in 2023
- Table Ability to Work from Home and Frequency of Remote Work, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Working at a Co-Working Space or Working from Home, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Consumer Rating of Experiences Working at a Co-Working Space or Working from Home, 2023 (percent of consumers who have ever had each experience)
- Table Consumer Opinions on Working at a Co-Working Space or Working from Home, 2023 (percent of employed consumers)
- Rising Prices: From Supply Chain Crunches to Inflation
- Many Consumers Are Concerned about Inflation and Rising Food Prices
- Table Consumer Concerns about Rising Food Prices, 2021 - 2023 (percent of consumers)
- The Vast Majority of Consumers Have Noticed the Rising Cost of Food, and Many Are Changing Their Purchasing Decisions
- Consumers Find Price More Important for Food Purchase Decisions in 2023
- Cutting Back on Household Expenses
- Table Consumers Cutting Back on Household Expenses in the Last 12 Months, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Types of Household Expenses Cut Back on in the Last 12 Months, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Table Consumer Spending on "Extras", 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Many Consumers Are Concerned about Inflation and Rising Food Prices
- Overview and Market Trends
- Highlights
- Food Allergies and Intolerances Are Key to Gluten-Free Foods
- Celiac Disease, Wheat Allergies, and Gluten Intolerances/Sensitivities
- Other Food Allergies and Intolerances Lead to Wide Appeal for Allergy-Friendly Foods
- Prevalence of Food Allergies and Intolerances Implied by Survey Results
- Reported Food Allergies and Gluten Intolerance over Time
- Table Prevalence of Food Allergies, Gluten Intolerance, and Lactose Intolerance, 2018 - 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Food Allergies Are on the Rise
- At-Home Testing Increases Consumer Awareness and Can Lead to Diet Changes
- Food Preferences and Allergies/Intolerances
- Table Foods that Consumers Generally Eat, Generally Don't Like, or Are Allergic or Intolerant/Sensitive to by Type, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Purchases of Foods with Allergy-Friendly Labels
- Many Consumers Purchase Allergy-Friendly Foods for Reasons Other Than an Allergy or Intolerance
- Negative Perceptions of Gluten Are Driving the Market for Gluten- Free Foods
- Plant-Based and Plant-Forward Trends
- Definitions
- Plant-Based Eating and Sustainability Are Buzzwords Important to the General Public
- One-Fourth of Consumers Claim to Primarily Follow a Flexitarian Diet in 2023
- A "Reducetarian" Mindset is Growing Among Consumers Who Eat Animal Products (and It's Not Just Among Flexitarians)
- Snacking Trends
- Most Consumers Snack Daily
- Preferred Types of Snacks
- Table Preferred Types of Snacks, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- "Snackification" of Meals
- When Consumers Snack Throughout the Day
- What Consumers Snack on in the Morning and the Evening/Late Night
- Product Examples
- "Better-for-You" Trends
- Clean Label Trends
- Organic and Non-GMO
- Sugar-Free/No Sugar Added Products and Alternative Sweeteners
- Addition of Nuts, Fruit, Seeds, and "Superfoods" for Increased Nutrition
- Vegan/Plant-Based Products Appeals to Those Looking to Eat a Plant-Forward Diet
- Keto, Paleo, Low-Carb, and High Protein Diets
- Gluten-Free Foodservice Options Increase Awareness of Gluten- Free Products
- Functional Foods
- Home Baking Trends
- The COVID-19 Pandemic Was the Jumpstart the Online Grocery Market Needed
- Impact on the Gluten-Free Market
- Nutrients and Ingredients Sought by Consumers
- Protein Is the Most Popular Nutrient That People Try to Consume
- Sources Used to Consume Nutrients
- Consumers Report Increasing Consumption of Protein from Poultry and Whole-Plant Sources
- Functional Health Benefits
- Avoiding or Limiting Sugar Intake
- Reasons for Avoiding or Limiting Sugar Intake
- Sugar Continues to Be Preferred Over Low/No-Calorie Sweeteners
- Table Preferences for Sweetener Types, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- Many Sweeteners Are Considered Unsafe by Consumers
- Avoiding or Limiting Sodium
- Information Consumers Seek Out on Nutrition Facts Labels
- Mindful and Intuitive Eating
- Definition
- How People Are Practicing Mindful and Intuitive Eating
- Relation to Gluten-Free Diets and Foods
- Dieting Activity
- Frequency of Feelings and Behaviors Associated with Mindful and Intuitive Eating Patterns
- Consumer Mindfulness Index
- Concerns about Food Waste
- Most Consumers Are Concerned about Food Waste
- Table Levels of Concern about the Environment and Sources of Food Waste, 2022 (percent of consumers)
- How Consumers Reduce Food Waste
- Opportunities for Gluten-Free Foods
- Most Consumers Are Concerned about Food Waste
- Market Size and Forecast
- Highlights
- Scope
- Retail Sales Outlook
- Historical Trends
- Table US Gluten-Free Foods: Retail Sales for Key Product Categories, 2017-2022, 2023E (in millions of dollars)
- Market Forecast
- Table US Gluten-Free Foods: Retail Sales for Key Product Categories, 2023E, 2024P - 2028P (in millions of dollars)
- Historical Trends
- Consumer Demographics
- Highlights
- Prevalence of Gluten Intolerance, Gluten-Free Diets, and Interest in Gluten-Free Foods
- Table Frequency of Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Trends by Gender
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Gender, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Trends by Age Bracket and Generation
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Age Bracket, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Generation, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Age Bracket, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Patterns Based on Household Income
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Household Income Bracket, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Household Income Bracket, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Regional Differences
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by US Region, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by US Region, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Urban, Suburban, and Rural Consumers
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by County Size, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Urban, Suburban, or Rural Living, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Educational Attainment
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Educational Attainment, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Educational Attainment, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Presence of Children in the Household and Marital/Partnership Status
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Presence of Children in the Household, Parenthood, and Marital/Partnership Status, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Parenthood and Marital/Partnership Status, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Race/Ethnicity
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Race/Ethnicity, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Race/Ethnicity, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Plant-Forward Consumers
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Primary Diet/Eating Philosophy, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Primary Diet/Eating Philosophy, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Online Grocery Shoppers (Food Delivery and Pickup Services)
- Table Following Special Eating Habits due to Gluten Intolerance or Food Allergies; Buying Food Labeled as Gluten-Free by Use of Online Grocery Delivery Services, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Shopping Online for Groceries in the Last 30 Days, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Clean Label Dieters
- Table Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities by Following a Clean Label Diet and Clean Label Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Consumer Psychographics
- Highlights
- Special Eating Restrictions or Preferences
- Table Extent to Which Consumers Report Following a Special Diet, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Special Diets Followed by Consumers, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Levels of Stress, Anxiety, Tiredness, and Loneliness
- Table "Please rate how you currently feel in theseareas (stress, tiredness, anxiety, loneliness), compared to your `normal' or preferred level", by Gender and Age Bracket, 2023 (percent of respondents who reported feeling more of these characteristics)
- Table "Please rate how you currently feel in these areas (stress, tiredness, anxiety, loneliness), compared to your `normal' or preferred level", by Household Income Bracket and Work from Home Status, 2023 (percent of respondents who reported feeling more of these characteristics)
- Table "Please rate how you currently feel in these areas (stress, tiredness, anxiety, loneliness), compared to your `normal' or preferred level", by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-
- Food Attitudes
- Priorities Placed on Food Characteristics
- Table Priorities Placed on Foods, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Carbs and Proteins
- Table Statements about Carbohydrates and Protein, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Statements about Carbohydrates and Protein by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree)
- Food Restrictions and Nutritional Benefits
- Table Statements about Nutritional Benefits and Food Restrictions, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Statements about Nutritional Benefits and Food Restrictions by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree)
- Sweeteners and Low Calorie Products
- Table Statements about Sweeteners and Low Calorie Products, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Statements about Sweeteners and Low Calorie Products by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree)
- Snacking
- Table Statements about Snacking, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Statements about Snacking by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree)
- Cooking and Eating Out at Restaurants
- Table Statements about Cooking and Eating Out at Restaurants, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Premium Tastes and Openness to Novelty
- Table Statements about Premium and Novel Food Preferences, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Table Factors that Entice Consumers to Try New Foods, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Factors that Entice Consumers to Try New Foods by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who say factors have strong impacts)
- Table Interest in Food Concepts, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Interest in Food Concepts by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023(percent of consumers who are very interested)
- Food Nutrition and Buying Food on Sale
- Table Statements about Food Nutrition and Buying Food on Sale, 2023 (percent of consumers who agree completely)
- Priorities Placed on Food Characteristics
- Shopping Behavior
- Meal Planning and Impulse Purchases
- Table Statements about Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Statements about Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who usually or always report each activity)
- Grocery Store Sections Shopped
- Table Frequency of Shopping in Grocery Store Sections, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Frequency of Shopping in Grocery Store by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, (percent of consumers who shop each section at least nearly every trip)
- Meal Planning and Impulse Purchases
- Cooking Skills
- Confidence Level and Self-Rating of Cooking Skills
- Table Consumer Confidence Level and Self-Rating of Cooking Skills, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table Consumer Confidence Level and Self-Rating of Cooking Skills by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers who rate themselves highly)
- Use of Microwave Ovens
- Table Frequency of Microwave Oven Use by Following a Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Diet and High Gluten- Free/Grain-Free Food Priorities, 2023 (percent of consumers)
- Table How Consumers Use Microwave Ovens, 2023 (percent of consumers who use microwave ovens)
- Confidence Level and Self-Rating of Cooking Skills
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