Last July, General Mills released a gluten-free version of its Chex cereal and the company received thousands of grateful emails and phone calls. Gluten is a key protein in wheat, but many people react badly to it.
Doctors increasingly are diagnosing Celiac disease--in which ingesting gluten causes the body to damage the digestive system. Moreover, a diet fad is focusing on reducing gluten consumption...and...many quality restaurants today offer a gluten-free menu when requested.
Although only about 1% of the U.S. population has Celiac disease, General Mills says its research shows about 12% of U.S. households want to eliminate or reduce their gluten intake, although some doctors say it's nutritionally important for those who aren't sensitive to it.
The company's Betty Crocker brand is rolling out gluten-free mixes for cookies, brownies and cakes. The mixes are the first gluten-free offering from a major, mainstream brand in the cake-mix aisle. Currently, mostly small food companies supply gluten-free products.
Ann Simonds, General Mills' president of baking products, says the company decided to pursue gluten-free products last year after its customer-relations department noticed that customer inquires about food allergies and sensitivities most frequently centered on whether items contained gluten.
Even though retailers have been focusing on trimming products from their shelves recently, the new gluten-free products could get a welcome reception. "Gluten has increasingly become an area of dietary focus and concern for consumers, and we want to ensure our stores are able to meet their needs," says Haley Meyer, a spokeswoman for grocery giant Supervalu Inc., some of whose stores are now carrying the new Betty Crocker products.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2009
Subscribe to this blog
