That’s a 40 percent increase over last year, according to Louise Kramer, a spokesperson for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, which runs the annual food extravaganza. Even PBS celebrity chef Ming Tsai recognized the trend, noting, “As I walked the floor today, I saw a ton of gluten-free.”
New Jersey food manufacturers have caught the wave, with eleven companies featuring gluten-free product lines. Mike Lodato, one of the principals at Caesar’s Pasta Specialties (caesarspasta.com) in Blackwood, says a wheat intolerance got him experimenting with artichoke flour in his own diet a few years back. To develop a line of gluten-free lasagnas, manicotti, and stuffed shells, however, the company had to come up with a less costly ingredient and settled on rice flour. While the 45-year-old company has held a steady presence in frozen pasta, Lodato says the gluten-free line has allowed them to go national.
“There are a lot of trends that are fads, like low carb, but those are choices,” he says. “People who are celiacs have an actual disease, and good food is something they crave.”
Mauro Conte, CEO of Conte’s Pasta (contespasta.com) in Vineland, says in the last two years his company has seen 40 to 50 percent growth in its gluten-free line, which now accounts for close to 50 percent of its $3.5 million in annual sales.
Manufacturers are responding to a growing awareness of celiac disease, which is believed to affect at least 3 million Americans, according to estimates from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. In the genetic autoimmune disorder, gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley—inflames the small intestine. Left untreated, the disorder can also inhibit the absorption of nutrients. While the vast majority of cases go undiagnosed, Carol Shilson, executive director of the Celiac Disease Center, says that according to a recent study, the number of known celiacs has grown from “less than 1 percent of the population in 2006 to creeping closer to 2 percent.”
With most pastries unsuitable for celiac sufferers, Silverfern Specialties in Fair Lawn (silverfernspecialties.com) has been marketing its Pavlova Dessert to the gluten-free market. Meringue, made only of egg whites, sugar, white vinegar, and xanthan gum (a stabilizer), is inherently gluten-free. Silverfern president Tony McDonald, who hails from New Zealand, where the dessert is popular, says that when he first brought the Pavlova to the United States, “it was a matter of telling everyone what it doesn’t have in it.”
Aunt Gussie’s in Garfield (auntgussies.com) has a building dedicated strictly to gluten-free products. “We didn’t want to do it in the same facility where we process wheat,” says company president David Caine. From the positive reactions of those sampling Gussie’s gluten-free brownies and rosemary focaccia at the show, the company, started by Caine’s mother, Marilyn, seems to have succeeded.
Most of the products are available at Whole Foods stores as well as at several health food stores. Conte’s Pasta is available at Shop-Rite, Acme, and Food Circus; Aunt Gussie’s at Shop-Rite and Kings.