The gluten-free (GF) market is booming and becoming very competitive. Small and large specialty companies, along with mainstream concerns, offer a range of GF products, especially in the bakery, snack, cereal and pasta categories. A growing selection of breads, rolls, bagels, wraps, pizza, waffles, muffins, cakes, doughnuts, brownies, cookies, crackers, pretzels, chips, snack bars and granola bars are more widely available, with improved texture and taste. Thus, GF consumers now have plenty of options from which to choose.
Historically, GF products have been made from white rice and a combination of starches such as corn, tapioca and/or potato, which are low in fiber, iron and other nutrients. But GF products often contain more sugar, fat and calories, and are not typically enriched with iron and B vitamins like their gluten-containing counterparts. Fortunately, some companies are developing more nutritious GF products using healthier ingredients and/or enriching them with vitamins and minerals.