The once derided faddy eater is now big business
Almost one in four people in the UK avoid certain types of food because it causes them physical discomfort. The majority do so because they have an intolerance or are allergic to it. Nowadays, this is known as food hypersensitivity but go back a short while and people who avoided certain foods were thought of as faddy eaters.
Our understanding of how certain foodstuffs affect the body has moved on considerably in the last few years and as the labelling of potential allergens of foodstuffs in shops and supermarkets has become more routine, the labelling of people with food hypersensitivity in derogatory terms has become far less prevalent.
The numbers show why this is the case. The latest data from the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Food and You survey, shows that 24% of adults experience adverse reactions to certain foods or avoid them in case they have an adverse reaction. The FSA data shows that women are more likely than men to be sensitive to certain foods (29% v 17% men).
Half of people with food hypersensitivity (12% of the whole population) have an intolerance to certain foods. Of these, 4 in 10 state cow's milk and products made from cow's milk is the cause of their food intolerance. Gluten is next on the list as the graphic below from the FSA shows.
Top 5 food groups most likely to cause an intolerance
Source : FSA, Food and You 2, Wave 4, August 2022
About 4% of the population have an allergy to certain foods with peanuts and fruit affecting one in four people with an allergy and molluscs and crustaceans affecting about one in six.
Given these numbers, it's no surprise that foods free from gluten, dairy and lactose is big business. Research by Kantar World Panel, published in July 2022, estimates that the free from market in the UK is now worth £3.17bn.
So, food hypersensitivity is worth big money at the supermarket but it has not really taken off in the meal kits and take-away delivery sectors. There are some meal kit providers catering for people requiring gluten free, lactose free, dairy free or low fodmap diets. But these meals tend to be part of a vegan or vegetarian range which does not necessarily meet all requirements.
Similarly, the likes of Just Eat and Deliveroo are missing a trick here by not ensuring that they cater sufficiently for the one quarter of the population who have a more specialist dietary need.
It really is important that businesses in these sectors have a better understanding of their markets. Perhaps they shouldn't be so 'faddy' in who they cater for.
