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Amaranth
So
gluten
good
W
hen Judy Myers goes grocery shopping,
she stops at the health-food store first
to buy her gluten-free baking mixes,
soups and other products before
heading to the supermarket to shop for
the rest of her family. Myers, who lives
in a small town in Nova Scotia, would prefer to do all her
shopping in one place. But she says her supermarket doesn’t
stock a wide enough selection of gluten-free items.
Myers suffers from celiac disease, an inherited digestive
disorder triggered by an allergic reaction to the protein gluten
found in oats, wheat, barley and rye. The disease disrupts
nutrients from being absorbed by the small intestine. There’s
only one treatment: a lifelong gluten-free diet. So Myers looks
for products that contain grains and seeds such as quinoa,
rice, corn, amaranth, buckwheat, flaxseed and millet.
Celiac disease is now recognized as one of the most
common chronic diseases in the world. It affects as many
as one in every 200 Canadians. Still, many don’t even know
they suffer from it. “We estimate that only about 5% to 10%
of people with celiac disease are actually diagnosed,” says
Shelley Case, a registered dietitian in Regina and author
Demand for gluten-free
products is growing. Here’s
how to make a statement in
the category By Sally Praskey
Millet
CG
MAY 2010 | Canadian Grocer | 43
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of Gluten Free Diet: A Comprehensive
Resource Guide. “Can you imagine the
demand for gluten-free products once
those people get diagnosed?” she asks.
A growing category
The demand for gluten-free food is
certainly increasing. And it’s not just
celiac-disease sufferers driving sales.
Gluten-free products are prized by
people with wheat allergies, autism and
as easy as scattering a few gluten-free
items around the store. These are
well-educated customers who know
their glutens from their non-glutens.
To get into this category in a big way,
stock a wide range of products and
talk to potential purchasers. Hosting,
attending or speaking at a celiac
support meeting can help. Consider
also donating samples or ask celiac
patients which brands they prefer.
>Sixty-eight per cent of people who buy gluten-free
products shop at three different stores to find the items
they need. Most, though, wish they could purchase all
their gluten-free items at one store
other non-celiac-related sensitivities.
While no figures are available in
Canada, at U.S. supermarkets, sales of
gluten-free products grew 12.2%, to
US$3.63 billion during the 52 weeks
ending March 20, 2010, according to
Nielsen. Units sold reached 1.39 billion
at supermarkets, up 12.5% versus a
year ago.
At Nature’s Path Organic Foods in
Richmond, B.C., the company’s line
of 28 gluten-free products already
represents 17% of its total sales, and
is increasing at a rate of about 23%,
says Maria Emmer-Aanes, director
of marketing and communications.
“Every single one of our gluten-free
products is growing.”
Conventional grocers, however, “are
not jumping on the bandwagon,” she
says. “Conventional grocery stores are
missing out on a great opportunity
that the natural food stores are
capitalizing on.” A 2008 survey called
“Understanding the Gluten-free
Shopper” found that 55% of glutenfree shoppers spent 30% or more of
their grocery budget on gluten-free
food, and 68% shopped at three or
more stores per month to find these
products. However, when asked where
they would most prefer to shop for
them, 71% said “the grocery store while
I buy the rest of my family’s groceries.”
But attracting celiac sufferers isn’t
Employee education is also critical.
“Get your employees gluten-free
trained,” advises Emmer-Aanes. “If
you’re getting into this category, you
have to be really educated or provide
people with the tools and education
materials.” Invite dietitians to educate
staff and conduct gluten-free store
tours. While sampling gluten-free
products won’t appeal to the masses,
Case suggests holding a special
day, ideally during National Celiac
Awareness Month (in May), with a
dietitian to answer questions; and offer
coupons for gluten-free products.
3 merchandising tips
1. Gluten-free needn’t be
a boring category. Create an
eye-catching “non-allergy” display,
piled high with colourful fruit and
vegetables, along with gluten-free
rice, millet and buckwheat, dairy-free
chocolate and “all sorts of yummy
things low on the allergy scale,”
says Vesanto Melina, author of the
Food Allergy Survival Guide and a
registered dietitian in Langley, B.C.
2. Put together a brochure of
the gluten-free products you stock
and where to find them. Customers
should be able to pick it up at your
service desk. And clearly identify the
gluten-free items on store shelves.
3. Broaden the appeal of gluten-
free items to consumers by promoting
the healthy benefits of ingredients
such as ancient grains. Even shoppers
who don’t have celiac disease
will enjoy the taste of gluten-free
products, points out Maria EmmerAanes, director of marketing at
Nature’s Path Organic Foods.
Flaxseed
A dedicated section?
For grocers, an obvious merchandising
dilemma needs to be solved before
expanding the gluten-free selection.
Gluten-free products span a wide array
of categories across the aisles. There are
gluten-free cakes, pastas and soups, for
instance. These items don’t logically fit
together on shelves. Do you split them
up—gluten-free pasta with the regular
pasta—or create a special section?
Michael Smulders, founder of Bakery
on Main in Glastonbury, Conn., a
producer of gluten-free granola cereals
and snacks, recommends merchandising
all the gluten-free items together. “It’s
very frustrating for the celiac person
to shop in a store where the gluten-free
products are mixed in with all the other
MAY 2010 | Canadian Grocer | 45
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Rice
products. They can literally spend hours
reading labels to try to find products.”
In a survey of the company’s online
club members, more than 90% of
respondents said they preferred to shop
in a dedicated section.
Smulders suggests delineating a
section in the store–perhaps eight,
12, or 16 feet–and including as many
gluten-free products as possible. With
frozen foods, stock a few shelves or
one door of the freezer with them. If a
segmented approach isn’t feasible, he
suggests creating sub-sections, such
as two shelves of gluten-free cereals
within the regular cereal section.
This strategy can create its own
problems, though. With baking
products, for example, be mindful of
avoiding cross-contamination on the
shelves if, say, a bag of wheat flour
breaks and contaminates the glutenfree flour. (It only takes 10 mg of gluten
to trigger a reaction in someone with
celiac, warns Case.) With prepared
foods, says Smulders, be careful to
thoroughly vet your products and
control cross-contamination before
claiming they are gluten-free.
Whichever merchandising strategy
grocers choose to use, those who make
a commitment to this category will
gain a loyal following of customers
who will buy not only their glutenfree products in the store, but all their
other groceries as well. CG
>It’s very frustrating
for the celiac person to
shop in a store where the
gluten-free products are
mixed in with all the other
products
Buckwheat