Posted on 07/16/2006 3:33:18 PM PDT by sully777
A new report by Packaged Facts reveals that the market for gluten-free foods and beverages in the U.S. currently stands at almost $700 million, and is due to reach around $1.7 billion by 2010, according to an article seen on foodnavigator-usa.com. Most gluten-free products are alternatives to traditional grain-based goods, including bakery products, pasta and cereals. These are made with alternative grains and flours, such as rice, corn, amaranth and quinoa.
In recent years, demand for gluten-free products has surged on the back of an increased diagnosis of celiac disease, which is characterized by intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley that contributes to the viscosity of baked products.
According to the latest figures, around three million Americans, a little less than 1 percent of the population, currently suffer from gluten intolerance, although estimates suggest that 97 percent of celiac sufferers remain undiagnosed and go untreated. Indeed, it is estimated that the number of known sufferers of celiac disease will increase worldwide by a factor of 10 during the next few years, findings that present an opportunity for the development and marketing of gluten-free foods, said Packaged Facts.
But despite this sector's strong performance and the opportunities it entails, major food marketers have largely not entered the market as yet. According to Packaged Facts, this is because they are reluctant to invest in research and product development until fixed regulations for gluten-free products are in place.
"It is these mega-marketers that have in recent years become the target of consumer activist groups and FDA policy informers, and, for the most part, these companies have learned to proceed more cautiously in such areas," said the market researcher.
"Once the FDA establishes regulations for use of the term gluten free, it is very likely that the mega food marketers of the world will jump on the gluten-free bandwagon," it added.
The FDA is required to propose a regulation by August 2006, and to issue a final regulation by August 2008 to define the term 'gluten free' for voluntary use in food labeling.
For the time being, the majority of gluten-free products -- around 40 percent -- are sold in health and natural food stores, such as GNC, Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Some 20 percent of 2006 sales occurred through specialty food website or catalog purchases, with mainstream supermarkets coming in third with a 14 percent share of sales.
And although these products are largely bought by celiac sufferers, frequently a celiac's entire family will switch to gluten-free products primarily to avoid buying different versions of the same goods, but also as a preventative step, as celiac disease is hereditary.
Also, some consumers avoid gluten due to a perceived belief of intolerance, and others who are migrating to the market from organic and natural foods and other segments. This shift consisting mostly of white, middle- to upper-class consumers is being driven by the belief that certain major allergens and food components also play a role in exacerbating a wide range of other health conditions, from migraine to menstruation.
Some consumers also opt for gluten-free in the hope of preventing their young or unborn children from developing food allergies. But this remains a luxury of choice available only to those able to afford it, said Packaged Facts.
Indeed, the high cost of gluten-free foods prevents many celiac sufferers from adhering precisely to their restricted diet though most diagnosed celiacs are largely white, educated and at least middle class, the group most likely to have access to decent healthcare and to be able to afford the higher cost of these products.
Boy, you sure can paint an appetite-killing picture.
What with the lard-a$$es in the US becoming the norm, everyone says I look way too thin.
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I recently watched "Reefer Madness" on TV the thing that struck me first was how thin all the actors were. I told my wife they all looked like the people I grew up with in the fifties and sixties. I had a belly that would hardly be noticeable now when I was a teenager and I went on a strict program to rid myself of it. By the time I joined the Navy I was six three and one half inches tall and weighed a whopping 169 pounds. I sure would like to drop back to 210 again.
Hi zeaal,My daughter and son have PKU and we have to order their low protein foods.A store we use called "Dietary Specialties" also carries Gluton free foods.He can order from them.http://www.dietspec.com/
Best cornbread ever.
2 cups cornmeal (plain)
2 cups buttermilk
1 rsp. soda
1 tsp, sale
2 eggs
mix and pour into a black skillet that has been heated in the oven with a little oil.
Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes.
Pretty close to my recipe...
GLUTTEN FREE CURES YOUR BRAIN CLOUD!!
Just ask Joe!
But us southerners, we're too smart for 'em, because we always make our cornbread from scratch -- with only pure cornmeal. We don't never use none of that Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines pre-mixed stuff that's got wheat flour in it.
Have any good recipes? I can't convince my wife that cornbread is supposed to taste like corn and not cake.
Check out my 105 post!!
Ten years ago I was teetering at 204 lbs. Even though I was speedskating 3 days a week, the weight was going nowhere. I picked up "The Zone" by Barry Sears and let my body fat percentage dictate my portions. That was June 1996. By November '96 I was at 187. In April '97 I was down to 174. In June '97 I was down to 162. That was as low as I could go skating 100 miles a week. In May '98 I returned to my current job and the time demands made it impossible to keep up the required level of exercise. It's a battle that has to be maintained.
The menu plans offered in Atkins and Sears' Zone books give some good examples. Obviously you need to tailor the choices to your own tastes. My favorite protein sources are grilled beef, grilled chicken, small curd cottage cheese and albacore tuna in spring water. Protein at breakfast is usually scrambled eggs or cottage cheese or a protein shake from the store shelves. The protein element is often the most difficult choice.
I usually work right through lunch, so a "Zone" bar and a diet Mountain Dew fills that slot without breaking the work flow. Dinner is the only meal where my wife and I both have time off. She works graveyard shifts, I work typically from 9 AM to 3 AM with a couple brief breaks for food. Recently I've been having dinner at Applebee's. The grilled chicked/walnut/apple salad with a glass of iced tea fits nicely.
The ideal menu is really a matter of personal tastes. I recommend setting portions by body weight per Sears. I also spent a little time in Peter D'Adamo's "Blood type" diet books. D'Adamo's recommendations my be helpful in a qualitative way. He has food lists of "recommended", "neutral", and "avoid" based on observed food sensitivities. You can easily fashion a menu around "recommended" and "neutral" items in appropriate portions. Most fitness books admit that achieving the desired levels of leanness and muscularity are 85% diet, 15% exercise. I've found that to be the case. The Atkins diet coupled with 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week was every bit as effective as the Zone plus 100 miles of skating each week.
Thanks.. Silly me. I was looking for it in the baking needs section.
Sadly, I have *yet* found a good gluten-free pie crust recipe. He hasn't had a slice of pie in almost 4 years.
Sorry, but it's not that simple. Celiacs, people with wheat allergies, and those with gluten intolerance are identified with blood tests and colonoscopies. It really is real.
Why are you posting this to me? I didn't write that. In fact, I protested the remark.
My wife has developed her own GF pie crust. It's great! My son has CD and he loves it. Freepmail me and I will see you get a copy of it.
There are three levels of tests for Celiac Disease. The first level is genetic to see if you have the right genes. Approximately 1/3 of the population have the genetic make-up; however, there has to be a trigger, which isn't fully understood yet. Second, there is a blood test that shows the presence of specific antibodies; Celic Disease is an autoimmune disorder. The final step is biopsy of the small intestine, which occurs via endoscopy. That's how a GI doc will confirm the diagnosis.
Sorry 'bout that! It was almost 4AM and I hit the wrong person. No harm intended! :-)
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