Eating out opportunities

A big opportunity

Eating away from home is perhaps the biggest challenge facing people with coeliac diseaseA condition where a person is unable to eat gluten as it makes their body attack itself. . Increasingly, in every aspect of life, people eat and drink on the go. Unfortunately, in the current food service sector, the supply of gluten-freeWhen a food has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten so it is safe for people with coeliac disease to eat. foods for those that require it is not keeping up with demand.

Among our Members, the biggest issue is how to eat with confidence outside the home - where they are no longer in control. This applies to schools, the workplace, hospitals, care homes, whilst travelling and all manner of social activities.

74% of our Members said that they would definitely eat out at least every two weeks if there were more safe glutenA protein that is found in the cereals wheat, barley and rye. -free options available.

Some organisations and individual chefs are doing great things for people on the gluten-free diet by ensuring that they get the same quality of service as other customers. There still remains, however, a huge opportunity for this market to grow, much like it has done in the ‘Free-From’ sector. We hope that you will recognise this opportunity and work with us to make progress.

A recent survey conducted with over 3,000 Members, highlighted that people with coeliac disease still feel that eating out is a lottery and that many eating out establishments lack knowledge and understanding about offering safe food.

Only 38% of respondents said they eat out once every two weeks or more. However, 74% said that they would definitely eat out at least every two weeks if there were more safe gluten-free options available. These people eat out with a minimum of two other people, providing a huge untapped market for the hospitality industry.  

Please contact our commercial team to find out more about working with Coeliac UK.