Food: how intolerant are we?

In response to growing concerns from the consumer about food intolerance, the food industry and food safety agencies in Europe are continuing in their quest to allay fears. The recent move by the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) to provide information on food intolerance, including food allergies, on its website is one such case.

The FSA resource contains information on 24 different types of food intolerance, from peanut and coconut allergy to lactose intolerance and coeliac disease. It also includes explanations of what happens in the body when someone has an allergic reaction to food and looks at why people get food allergies.

Food intolerances appear to be on the rise but some have questioned whether it is a real medical condition or merely in the mind and a consumer fad.

The agency notes that some people can have unpleasant reactions to food that are not the same as food intolerance. Such an example is a 'food aversion', when someone reacts to a food because of a personal dislike. The symptoms are described as being quite similar to those of food intolerance, but they only happen when the person knows they have eaten the food.

A report​ published in March 2003 by market analysts Mintel highlights the tendency towards so-called 'designer allergies' and the rising demand from the consumer products that do not contain ingredients such as wheat, lactose, gluten and nuts. The food intolerance and allergies market has grown 165 per cent since 2000, and is set to more than double in value by 2007 reaching £138 million (€202m), according to the report.

One area of the food ingredients industry that claims to have benefited from this development is producers of gluten free gums. The production of gluten-free foods can be challenging, because of the required balance of ingredients in the absence of wheat. "To help manufacturers create consistent, great-tasting gluten-free foods, various gum systems are often needed, such as guar gum and xanthan gum,"​ wrote hydrocolloid manufacturer TIC Gums in a recent statement.

Elliott Dutra from the contract manufacturing and packaging firm Raymond-Hadley Corporation in New York, USA, added that the function of gums in gluten-free products is crucial. "Without the gluten, there is nothing to hold the products together. In place of that, alternative binders such as gums are used."​

Dutra said the demand for gluten-free bakery products is growing at a steady pace. "We have been mixing, packing and selling dry foods to ethnic markets for years. We discovered that many of the products we were already buying massive amounts of are used in gluten-free products,"​ he commented, adding that it made sense to capitalise on the growing trend.

The Mintel report did however put things into perspective - intolerances affect a relative minority of people and we are more likely to avoid potentially problematic foods such as nuts and cheese due to their high fat content rather than because of intolerance problems.

Despite these queries there is no doubt that for those who do suffer from food intolerance, action and safety measures are vital. The FSA​ is currently funding research that will help increase understanding of food intolerance. It is also working to strengthen food labelling rules to help people who need to avoid certain ingredients and aiming to raise awareness of food intolerance and food allergy among caterers.