Kosher Gluten-Free Products Becoming Popular

According to Kosher Today sales of gluten-free products in kosher supermarkets has risen by nearly 15% reflecting a dramatic increase in the consumption of the gluten-free products.

Many of the stores say that the sales are not necessarily to people who suffer from Celiac disease, but others who seek to avoid the wheat for a variety of reasons. One storeowner said that doctors are recommending the gluten-free diet as a general prescription for health and well-being.

Israel too is in the midst of an explosion of the gluten-free products with some major supermarkets designating specific aisles for the products. At least one new store dedicated to gluten-free recently opened in the Tel Aviv harbor area.

The global gluten-free market is set to grow by $1.2 billion over the next five years, to reach $4.3 billion by 2015, according to recent research by Datamonitor. Researc

h by the independent market analyst company expects the U.S. market for gluten-free products to grow by more than $500 million by 2014, making the U.S. contribution to the global market a staggering 53 percent. In its 2007 report on new products, the Mintel Research Organization, a leading consumer goods research organization, reported that while ‘Kosher’ was the most frequently used claim on new products launched in the US during 2007, many of those products were in the special categories of gluten-free, ‘All Natural’ and ‘No Additives or Preservatives.

For kosher consumers looking for gluten-free, the offerings have more than doubled in just the past two years. Several pizza stores have begun to sell gluten-free kosher pizza as have bakeries with a growing number of pastries. Mainstream kosher manufacturers and distributors say that they are “regularly adding gluten-free items.”

Do you shop for gluten-free products?