Gluten-Free Foods

Expand your specialty store with gluten-free foods to meet customers' dietary needs

By Kelly Shetsky, Anchor/Reporter
Gluten free food products meet a need in this age of growing health concerns relating to allergies and foods. There is an increasing demand for no gluten foods, in both specialty stores and main stream grocers, because people want to know they can trust what's in the package. Adding gluten free products to your store inventory will not only increase sales potential, it can help you stand out above your competition.

Gluten free foods are most commonly associated with flour allergies, including those with Celiac disease. To qualify as no-gluten, foods cannot have any type of wheat flour in them. This includes whole wheat as well as traditional bleached white flour. When you are looking at gluten free products for your food business, consider the following:

1. Determine who your customer base is--parents, the health-conscious or those with medical conditions.

2. Analyze how much space you have in your store to devote to gluten-free foods.

3. Shop around for the best prices through wholesale manufacturers of gluten free foods.

 

Use a directory to ensure quality of gluten free foods

Not all gluten free distributors are created equal. Make sure to do your homework and read all labels to ensure that what you're buying is quality. Some manufacturers may use deceptive advertising and not be truly be gluten free. It pays to research the company before purchasing foods from them.
Try: Green People provides you with a list of gluten free food stores and organic food distributors. Ener-G Foods is one of the country's top producers of foods for people with restricted diets. Participate in Ener-G forums to get your questions answered when determining what to order for your shop.

Save money with wholesale gluten free food distributors

Gluten free food distributors are your source for wholesale prices and quantities. An extra bonus of shopping at gluten free food stores is that they also carry many organic products, which appeal to your customer base, too.
Try: Gluten Free Warehouse, Earthly Gourmet and Gillian's Foods all have gluten free foods for sale. Order them online to make stocking your shop easy and hassle free.

Cater to customer needs with gluten free foods

Encourage customers to purchase gluten free food products by providing them with gluten free food recipes. Print gluten free recipes on index recipe cards or a simple flyer. Areas to focus on include gluten free diet food, such as low calorie desserts or other lifestyle gluten free foods.
Try: Celiac Sprue Association offers recipes for no gluten foods. Choose from various categories such as breakfast, breads, main dishes, dressings and snacks. Celiac.com lists plenty of gluten-free recipes.

 

  • Know that gluten free food manufacturers must adhere to rigorous health and safety standards, in order to label their products gluten free.

Find Pre-Screened Vendors

Compare quotes and save: