BRITS suffering from food intolerances won’t be missing out on any of the festive feasting this Christmas, as Asda reveals sales of its specialist Christmas Free From range have skyrocketed by a staggering 500% already this year, and it’s not even December.
Four in 10 people in the UK live in households where someone is avoiding specific foods or ingredients, yet the traditional mince pies, Christmas puddings and seasonal chocs risk making the festive season of snacking a misery for those who can’t eat gluten or dairy.
Asda is ensuring everyone can indulge in the run up to Christmas by quadrupling its Free From Christmas range this year, including gluten free Mince Pies, Christmas Puddings, Yule Logs, Gingerbread Men and Tiffin, as well as dairy free Advent Calendars and Chocolate Coins in the collection.
championed by the likes of celebrities and chefs including Victoria Beckham, the Hemsley sisters, Dawn O’Porter, Deliciously Ella and Gwyneth Paltrow, the Free From phenomenon means 12 million Brits are now buying gluten free** – an increase of 120% over the past five years and this year even saw the Great British Bake Off introduce a whole episode dedicated to Free From baking for the first time.
Former Great British Bake Off contestant and Free From enthusiast Howard Middleton is excited by the increase in activity on the Free From aisle: “This significant sales growth reflects the impressive array of products now on offer to people who have food allergies, or are simply adopting a new lifestyle.
“Christmas is the time of year when no one should have to miss out on that extra bit of indulgence, so it's fantastic to hear that the Free From aisle is seeing an influx of shoppers who are getting excited for the festive season and stocking up on tasty treats now.”
Asda’s Free From buyer, Joanna Crease says: “Christmas is a time for indulging in your favourite foods, so it’s important that all the family can join in. That’s why this year we are proud to offer a broad range of Free From Christmas foods for everyone to enjoy, including a delicious Free From Yule Log for the first time.
“More and more of our customers are identifying food intolerances so we’re expecting to sell upwards of 100,000 dairy-free chocolate coins, 1.8 miles of gluten free Yule Logs and 110,000 gluten-free Gingerbread Men."