1. Opportunities in the FreeFrom world Michelle Berriedale-Johnson

2. A history lesson The 1990s

3. Increase in number of children suffering from allergies reaching school age Concurrent founding of vocal support groups - Anaphylaxis Campaign, Allergy UK etc Increased awareness of prevalence of coeliac disease

4. Recognition, especially in popular press that many people suffering from low level of ill-defined ill health which their doctor could not treat and which might be connected with what they ate. Celeb adoption of ‘allergy’ - Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow et alia Official (DOH/FSA) focus on some foods as precursor to ill health focused attention on all food as possible cause of ill health.

5. Growing epidemic of obesity - could it be related to ‘allergic’ foods? Books such as ‘Lose Wheat, Lose Weight’ Growth in organic, fair trade, focused attention on quality of food, feeding into a growing awareness of food’s possible impact on health.

6. FreeFrom in the 1990s Not called FreeFrom – ‘special diet food’… Not really in supermarkets Dairy-free market served by vegetarian/ soya manufacturers – Alpro, Haldane etc Gluten-free market served by coeliac manufacturers – Juvela, Glutafin, Barkat – mainly prescription products.

7. FreeFrom 2000–2005 Two major changes: Burgeoning interest of the supermarkets Arrival of internet marketing

8. Burgeoning interest of supermarkets Patricia Wheway at Tesco Sainsbury own label range Variable interest depending on buyer

9. Internet Marketing Enabled enthusiastic individuals to set up in business with virtually no start up costs and sell direct to the public without the need for distribution

10. Food industry 2000–2005 Growth of craft food industries, unwittingly tapped into growing allergy market Allergy awareness growing within the industry

11. 2005–2011 FreeFrom gathering pace First FreeFrom seminar– 2006 Adapting existing products – Lactofree Dedicated manufacturing sites

12. Technical developments – – Genius – Pastas – Swedish Glace & Booja Booja Improved packaging, nutritional profile and marketing/advertising spend 2008 – the first FreeFrom Food Awards!

13. 2011 onwards Underlying problems have not changed – they have just got worse! Ever increasing incidence of allergy/ intolerance (diagnosed and self-diagnosed) – could be 10% of the population. These people need to buy freefrom

14. Ever rising incidence of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance – could soon be well over 1 in 50 - 2% of the population. These people need to buy freefrom Ever growing obesity epidemic – 60% UK population now overweight... These people may need to buy freefrom

15. Encouraged by health writers complementary practitioners and sustainability campaigners more and more people are questioning – Where their food came from – How it was manufactured – Whether it has an impact on their health – Whether it is making them/their family fat Many of these people are choosing to buy freefrom food because they think is better for their health and/or the environment.

16. Current surveys suggest that: 10% of the population buy freefrom because of an allergy/intolerance problem Up to 40% of shoppers buy freefrom foods on a ‘regularly occasional’ basis even though they have no medical need to do so. And this number is going up!

17. So, where next? FreeFrom needs to become mainstream - but… To become truly mainstream Freefrom needs to taste as good as the mainstream so that… Its ‘freefrom’-ness becomes a plus point, not a raison d’etre.

18. At that point it can move on to be THE mainstream But – how to get there…

19. Quality – supplant the ‘normal’ More NPD – freefrom products need to taste better, be healthier and cover a wider range – – more ready meals – snack products – treat products – more products replicating mainstream categories

20. FreeFrom products need to replicate non-freefrom products and to taste as good or better so that whole families can eat freefrom even if only one member actually needs or chooses to do so.

21. Remove allergens from existing products Review portfolio to see whether a minor reformulation would create a freefrom version of an existing, well loved product.

22. Listen to your market Allergy & GlutenFree Show 2011 survey – (approximate figures only) 60% shopped free weekly/bi-weekly 70% wanted to be able to buy all freefrom food in a supermarket and 75% wanted to find it in the main aisle and not in a dedicated freefrom area 80% found ‘freefrom’ symbols helpful, 85% wanted to see ‘dairy free’/’wheat free’ etc flashed on the front of freefrom products

23. 80% wanted to see a full nutritional breakdown on packs For 70% of freefrom shoppers the taste was the most important aspect, for 60% its reliability in terms of allergen exclusion and for 40% its nutritional profile. Delivery charges and the difficulty of taking delivery of their goods prevented four out of every five shoppers from buying on line.

24. Harness the ‘feel good’ factor For the average consumer, buying an organic, free trade or local version of a product will give them a ‘warm glow’ – freefrom needs to do the same: Cornflakes are nice, but if the freefrom cornflakes are just as nice and are better for me/my family, then why don’t I buy those and do us all some good at the same time?

25. However… If free from is to become ‘mainstream’ let alone THE mainstream… it has to be…

26. Available Online is great – but not enough Into the corner shop, the motorway service station, the delis, the farmers markets Out of the supermarket dedicated fixture and into the main aisles.

27. and… into food service : Restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, hotels Canteens, factories Hospitals, schools, care homes Everywhere you buy food to eat on the hoof

28. Food service offer huge opportunities for freefrom Coeliac UK recently assessed the potential market for gluten-free food in restaurants for coeliacs (and their friends) at around £100 million And that is just coeliacs who make up less than 20% of the total number of potential ‘freefrom’ customers At the moment freefrom ‘diners’ are very poorly provided for.

29. Problems inherent in catering for allergics and intolerants – High turnover of staff – Poor grasp of the language – Minimal training – Frequently changing menus – High risk of contamination – Menus/ingredients lists

30. Ideally food service outlets will learn to cater safely for freefrom customers (another whole subject…) but there is also a… Huge opportunity for quality ready- made freefrom products: – Complete meals – Individual dishes – Mixes, batters, bhaji mix, biscuit bases – Desserts, ice creams

31. Advantages of ready made freefrom products in food service For the customer: – Safety - the product is secure from kitchen contamination and staff error – They can read the ingredients so know exactly what they are eating For the outlet: – Safety - they do not need to worry about kitchen contamination – Staff training and allergy awareness becomes far less of an issue.

32. As for retail, so for food service… If the ‘freefrom’ version tastes as good as the ‘standard’ product it can be served to everyone. If restaurant can offer good ‘freefrom’ food, freefrom customers will bring their whole party in their wake

33. Caveat – freefrom manufacturing may offer great opportunities but it is not without problems – Cost of ingredients – Product development more challenging – Thresholds – Testing – cost and inconvenience – Labelling – allergen warnings etc – Duty of care, due diligence, product recalls

34. FreeFrom Food Awards The industry’s very own awards!! Heavily supported from start by the industry. Now in their 5th year - ever bigger and better! Existence of the awards encourages excellence & innovation Recognition of the awards and the awards logo increases awareness and profile of freefrom food.

35. Best networking party in town!

36. Michelle Berriedale-Johnson michelle@foodsmatter.com www.foodsmatter.com www.freefromfoodsmatter.com www.freefromfoodawards.co.uk