FOKKE VAN DEN BERG

DSM Food Specialties, P.O. Box 1, 2600 MA Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract

With consumers becoming more concerned with their health and well-being, the popularity of ‘free-from’ foods is on the rise. The four main concerns are lactose, sugar, salt and gluten. Food manufacturers are looking for effective ways to address them without compromising on taste or quality to carve their share in this growing market.

With consumers becoming more concerned with their health and well-being, the popularity of ‘free-from’ foods is on the rise. The four main concerns are lactose, sugar, salt and gluten. Food manufacturers are looking for effective ways to address them without compromising on taste or quality to carve their share in this growing market.

This demand for more ‘free-from’ products can result from heightened consumer awareness of health and well-being, but can also stem from an intolerance to these ingredients, particularly lactose and gluten. For example, lactose intolerance affects up to 17% of people in Europe (1), more than 90% in Asia and approximately 70% of the population worldwide (2). Reducing gluten in diets has been considered to improve well-being and support weight loss. Therefore, gluten is also a common concern around the world, particularly in the U.S., where nearly one third of the population make a conscious effort to reduce its intake.
Consumers are becoming more aware of the negative effect sugar and salt can have on their health and thus are looking to reduce these ingredients in their diet. For example, a worldwide survey cond ...