VENDING INGREDIENTS


Join the free-from food revolution


The free-from food market is expected to hit £673m by 2020, which means in order to reap rewards from this growing sector vending operators will need to start thinking about their product offering.


It is thought that health concerns among British consumers is fuelling the craze in free-from foods. According to Mintel, which carried out the research into free-from foods, in 2015 there was a dramatic rise in people avoiding gluten and dairy. One in four Brits say they or someone else in their household


avoids certain ingredients as part of a general healthy lifestyle, compared to one in five who avoid certain ingredients due to an allergy or intolerance. The top reason Brits choose to eat free-from foods is because it makes them feel better, healthier and fitter, with one fifth saying they eat these products because they are trying to lose weight. In the first six months of 2015, 33% of British consumers bought


or ate free-from foods, with 22% buying or eating gluten-free products, 19% dairy substitutes, 16% wheat-free and 16% lactose- free.


INCREASE YOUR APPEAL Given these stats, it is clear that the free-from food market is one not to miss out on. As those with allergies and food intolerances, as well as those who avoid certain food groups for other reasons, increasingly choose to eat out because the options are now there for them to do so, vending machines should be able to cater for these consumers as well. Consumers should be able to take the decision to purchase


from a vending machine without worrying about the ingredients in the food or drink they will be consuming. And in order to meet the demands of this growing sector product innovation is key, and food and beverage manufacturers need to keep abreast of this. When it comes to new food products launched in the UK, Mintel


found that around 12% of these carried a gluten-free claim, up from 7% in 2011, demonstrating that food and drink manufacturers are increasingly catering for the free-from food sector. Damien Lee, founder and CEO of Mr Lee’s Noodles Company


says: “With diabetes, coeliac disease and other dietary related conditions on the rise, healthy, vended food-on-the-go is more needed than ever, especially in our sector growing 10% per annum in junk products. This is why we have chosen to use only natural and expensive, freeze-dried ingredients in our noodles, as to not take shortcuts that would compromise the integrity and quality of our products. “There has been an undeniable shift in how vended food brands


are being developed, with a larger focus towards premiumisation and innovation – and that's what many vending contractors and consumers consider now during their buying decision process.”


TAKE THE EFFORT With the rise in free-from foods, and the emergence of allergy-free groups, the vending industry has to take the effort to make their foods more appropriate for larger audiences, as to remain a core part of the sector. The food industry on the whole is taking this market seriously


and this was seen earlier in the year when Bowman Ingredients opened the UK’s first dedicated gluten-free, egg and dairy free manufacturing plant, after an investment worth £8m. This sector of society is definitely not one to ignore and food


and drink manufacturers should jump on the free-from food train before it’s too late.


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