Manufacturers are introducing gluten-free varieties of pizza crusts, doughnuts, buns, cakes and other items. At the same time, the products are gaining shelf space among even the largest grocers. Wal-Mart (Bentonville, Ark.) has a wave of gluten-free offerings that just recently launched and, in a further effort to appeal to gluten-intolerant consumers, is requiring suppliers to identify whenever gluten is used in its private-label offerings. The company has identified 982 of its 1,254 products as gluten-free.
While gluten intolerance affects an estimated one out of every 133 Americans, many more are believed to be gluten sensitive, and a National Institutes of Health (Washington) report finds the prevalence of celiac disease is “much wider than previously believed.”