The “gluten-free” label is becoming more prevalent and gaining popularity among health-conscious consumers and becoming a popular preferred choice. Through the food segment’s gaining attractiveness, this doesn’t seem to simply be a fading trend amongst consumers. Gluten-free appears to be here to stay as a permanent option that restaurant patrons and grocery shoppers seek in their daily lives. Companies that make products like pizza dough, cakes, cookies, and even cooking sprays are looking to offer more gluten-free options.
Today, 16% of US consumers actively seek to limit gluten, a protein naturally occurring in wheat, barley, and rye, from their diets. Although there is little scientific evidence to support people without Celiac disease eliminating gluten, many consumers associate this diet with a healthy lifestyle—some people even claim to feel better when limiting their gluten intake.
Statistics
1% of the US population, about 3 million people, is estimated to have Celiac disease, an intolerance for gluten in any form. For this reason, restaurant operators must consciously decide to offer gluten-free items for consumers who are eliminating their gluten intake.
Gluten-free continues to grow; just ten years ago, only 1% of menus called out gluten. Today, it’s 20%. Out of the thousands of different trends, gluten-free is among the fastest we’ve ever seen. Gluten-free has grown by 1,981% on restaurant menus over the past decade. This makes gluten-free one of the fastest-growing menu descriptors of all time, ahead of all-natural, organic, and local sourcing.
Today, one in five restaurants identifies gluten-free items on the menu. Furthermore, 26% of American customers are willing to pay more for gluten-free foods. This means that gluten-free menu items are not only a great way to create an accepting environment for patrons with allergy concerns, but they are also a way to increase profits and attract a wider audience.
First Steps
The first step to adding gluten-free cuisine to your menu is training restaurant staff to handle allergen-friendly products properly. From the moment food enters the building to the time it is served, chefs, managers, and servers must be trained on properly managing gluten-free products to maintain their integrity and protect the restaurant’s reputation. The proper precautions must be taken in order to prevent cross-contamination.
It is hard to keep specialty ingredients organized and separate from standard pantry items with all the different allergies today. Not only is storage space an issue, but separate prep and cooking areas are sometimes required as well. In addition, the entire kitchen staff must be trained and aware so as not to cross-contaminate allergy-free ingredients and recipes with standard items.
Cross-contamination occurs when ingredients are exposed to ingredients that contain gluten. Restaurant operations must maintain proper organization and storage methods for gluten-free ingredients to prevent cross-contamination. Color coding and labeling the separate cooking stations and tools helps staff stay organized to maintain gluten-free integrity.
Once a kitchen is adequately organized to prevent cross-contamination, the restaurant staff must be trained to communicate with one another about allergens properly. Front-of-house staff and back-of-house team must be able to efficiently and effectively communicate food allergy orders to ensure the utmost safety for customers.
Front-of-house staff and managers must be educated on food allergens and be able to communicate with and answer patrons with gluten sensitivities. Although research shows that only 11% of consumers eat gluten-free foods as a suggestion from a medical professional, each and every gluten-free order must be treated as a food allergy situation to maintain professionalism and integrity amongst the entire staff.
Gluten-Free Menu
The next step in creating allergen-friendly cuisine is determining which gluten-free items to add to the menu. Restaurant operators must decide whether to make gluten-free items in-house or order gluten-free items from a manufacturer. Today, 37% of operators make gluten-free items in-house. Although there are many reasons most operators don’t make gluten-free items in-house, 42% of operators say they choose not to make their own gluten-free products due to the lack of demand from restaurant customers. Additionally, 35% of operators say the lack of space to prevent cross-contamination causes them to order gluten-free products from an outside source.
Sixty-three percent of restaurant operators purchase most of their gluten-free items from outside vendors. Manufactured products are more convenient for operators due to cutting down on prep times and limiting the number of ingredients needed for each dish. Therefore, ingredients purchased from outside vendors carry less risk of cross-contamination than house-made ingredients.
Manufacturers must put each batch of their gluten-free certified products to the test before products become available for distribution. This adds an additional degree of safety and reassurance to restaurant operators looking to menu gluten-free products.
Gluten-free is here to stay, and many people are requesting new and improved products and food items that fit these requirements. Restaurants must now accommodate delicious menus that cater to this audience as well as fulfilling the needs of patrons with no dietary restrictions.
In foodservice, it is essential to stay aware of any diet restrictions and how best to operate your business to accommodate that need. Of course, the main concern amongst chefs is taste integrity. It is an ongoing battle for anyone in food service to keep up with any new dietary needs without compromising on the taste of their products. To keep one step of your switch to gluten-free easier, swap out your cooking spray for pan release and seasoning sprays. Using these cooking oil sprays allows you to get the same results from your cooking oil without worrying about any gluten contamination.
