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One Out of Three People in the United States Suspect That They Suffer From Food Allergies

Posted on: Friday, 26 May 2006, 15:00 CDT

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c24452) has announced the addition of Food Allergies and Intolerance in the United States to their offering.

More than 170 foods have been identified as allergens, including fruits, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, mollusks, peas, lentils, and beans other than green beans. The following eight foods, however, account for approximately 90% of all food-based allergic reactions:

-- Egg

-- Fish

-- Milk

-- Peanut

-- Shellfish

-- Soy

-- Tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.)

-- Wheat

A number of factors have led to the rapid growth of the "free-from" market--foods and beverages specifically made for individuals who have food allergies. This report takes a closer look at the categories that have had the greatest impact on food and drink markets.

Although researchers are puzzled as to the cause, numerous studies attest to the dramatic rise in food allergies in the United States. In fact, the number of children who have food allergies has quadrupled over the last few decades, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reports that the number of children allergic to peanuts increased two-fold over a single five-year period from 1997 to 2002.

A growing awareness of the problem among the general public, along with high-profile media coverage, has further fueled demand for free-from products. One out of three Americans believe that they have a food allergy, though various government and medical association statistics project the expected incidence to be between one in 25 and one in 70 (a range of 1.4% to 4% of the adult population). This marked divergence between belief and science has created an active and growing, if sometimes difficult to understand, market for free-from products. Our exclusive consumer survey reveals that people with a perceived allergy or intolerance are seeking medical advice and altering purchasing habits accordingly (with or without medical advice).

Considering these factors--the rise in the incidence of food allergies, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, customer buying trends, confusion about food allergies, and ongoing media coverage--we believe that the market for free-from products will enjoy continued growth. However, growth will not occur in all segments and it will likely come with sharp shifts as new information becomes available. Barring a medical breakthrough (discussed in the Future Trends section), the free-from market also will become an increasingly differentiated food category as labeling and awareness makes these products stand out in consumers' minds.

Though estimates also vary widely for food intolerance, a condition in which the body is unable to produce enough of the natural digestive chemicals to break down a particular type of food, the FDA estimates that approximately 28% of Americans suffer from some form of this condition. The effects range from mild inconvenience to life threatening, and the two most common culprits are lactose (found in milk-based products) and gluten (found in wheat-based products).

Also included in this report is celiac disease, which is an extreme form of intolerance that makes it impossible to digest gluten, found in wheat, barley rye, and some oats. Again, numbers vary, but the most prominent estimate (from The University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore) is that one in 133 individuals suffer from it (0.8% of the population, or 2.2 million people).

This report primarily examines the U.S. consumer's attitudes towards food allergies and free-from products, and secondarily on the retail market for foods that are manufactured and targeted specifically at consumers who suffer from food allergies, food intolerance, and who are following avoidance diets. Foods that have been specially manufactured (e.g., pasta) to cater for a gluten-free diet, for instance, are included within this definition.

As the market for free-from foods develops, there is a growing trend to flag mainstream products as free-from wheat/gluten, for example, even though this is not the main selling point of the product. In other words, some mainstream foods that are flagged gluten-free, for example, which do not contain gluten in the first instance and which have not been modified. These products are not specifically covered in this report, though there is no doubt that some free-from consumers will be more likely to purchase these products than products not labeled as free-from.

Companies Mentioned

-- Dean Foods

-- Hain Celestial

-- Vitasoy

-- General Mills

-- Eden Foods

-- Hansen Natural Corporation

-- Pacific Foods

-- Gluten-free manufacturers

-- Amy's Kitchen

-- Arrowhead Mills

-- Food For Life Baking Company

-- Bobs Red Mill Natural Foods, Inc.

-- Quinoa Corp.

-- Lundberg Family Farms

-- Smaller manufacturers

-- Egg-free manufacturers

-- Ener-G Foods

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c24452

Source: Business Wire

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