By Andrea Meneghini
For many years, the market for gluten-free products was analyzed exclusively from the perspective of celiac disease. An emphasis that today no professional of large consumption can be allowed to maintain.
The reality is a very distinct scenario. El gluten free it has consolidated as a transversal category, capable of responding not only to medical needs, but also to new food habits, health-oriented consumers, deportees, people concerned about digestion and thousands of Italians who associate gluten-free products with a more healthy style of life. Today, more than one of every five Italians buys products gluten free without having received a clinical diagnosis, while around 40% of buyers belong to the group of called ones sorters, consumers willing to experiment with new forms of nutrition.
This is, precisely, the big change. Not only has the number of consumers increased; the meaning of the category has completely changed. The companies that follow considering the gluten free Like a small segment intended exclusively for celiac people, I can now interpret the market with tools that have become obsolete.
The consumer of 2026 is much more informed: compare ingredients, read the labels, look for certifications and high taste, texture and nutritional quality. The price is still a relevant factor, but it does not constitute the main element of competence. However, the difference is marked by innovation, reliability and the ability to satisfy a more diverse audience.
For distributors and industry, this implies a clear conclusion: gluten products have degraded from being a «special» category to convert into a category that requires specific knowledge of category management, analysis of the product and its own commercial strategies.
The new Informe Italia GDO Date is born in 2026
Really understanding a category means much more than the numbers of events. El GDO Data Report – Gluten Free 2026, elaborated with the valuable contribution of the data from NielsenIQ, was born precisely with this purpose: to offer large-scale consumer professionals a tool capable of transforming data into decisions.
The document analyzes the entire ecosystem of the category, from the evolution of the consumer to the performance of the distinct subcategories, the distribution channels, the Nielsen areas and the brand of the distributor.
El informe is not limited to the Italian market. A substantial part is dedicated to the international development of the sector and the opportunities that offer the exportation of Made in Italy.
Currently, the gluten free represents one of the food segments with the best growth prospects on a global scale. The global market continues to expand not only as a result of the increase in diagnostics of celiac disease, but also due to the growing concern for health, well-being and functional nutrition. For Italian companies, this trend translates into new commercial opportunities both in Europe and in North America and in emerging markets.
However, the true value of the formless resides in the detailed analysis of the events in modern Italian distribution. The data processed by GDO Data shows a category immersed in a phase of structural growth. Las ventas en el Mass Consumo Italiano alcanzan los 386,6 millones de euros, with an increase of 7,4%, accompanied by an increase in volumes (+ 5,6%) and the number of units sold (+ 7,1%). If this is a particularly significant fact, it shows that the expansion of the sector does not respond solely to the effect of inflation, but, above all, to a real increase in demand.
But looking at the aggregated figures would be a simplification. Which categories advance faster? How are you entering a tough phase? How supermarkets, supermarkets, discount and hypermercados? What kind of protagonism are you buying the distributor's brand? Where do the inversions go? What territories stimulate the growth of the market?
These are the questions that the informant responds to with dozens of graphics, indicators and management-oriented interpretations.
Those working in modern distribution do not need to accumulate more data; You need to understand which ones are really relevant. Therefore, each graphic is included in it GDO Data Report must be accompanied by an interpretation that relieves its commercial implications and converts the information from NielsenIQ into operational recommendations for buyers, category managers, manufacturers and distributors.
With the aim of which companies can evaluate the quality of the analysis before acquiring the complete study, both GDO Data Report includes a free extract that allows you to understand the methodology, structure and depth of the investigation.
