Coeliac disease day, sales of gluten-free products up 6% in the last year

Gluten-free products continue to dominate the scene of Italians' favourite health foodstuffs: although there are 'only' 265,000 diagnosed cases of coeliac disease, more than one in five Italian families buy gluten-free products, driving the expansion of the market, which has increasingly shifted from the classic pharmacy channel to modern distribution outlets.

On the other hand for large-scale retail trade, gluten free represents an interesting business, with more than 314 million euros of turnover and 141 million packs sold, growing both in value (+7.4) and volume (+6.1%), favoured by the increase in shelf supply and promotional intensity (especially in discount stores), which mitigated the increase in average prices, as underlined by a Niq analysis.

Taking a snapshot of the situation and recent market developments, on the occasion ofWorld Coeliac Disease Day (16 May), is Coop Alleanza 3.0. In 2024, 6.8 million packs of products for coeliacs 'reimbursable' through the National Health Service were sold in the 350 points of sale of the Bologna-based cooperative. An opportunity aimed at coeliacs that has brought into the Coop Alleanza 3.0 coffers over EUR 8 million in shopping vouchers issued by the local health authorities. To these must be added the more than 434,000 packages sold of gluten-free products that are not reimbursable because they are specifically formulated for coeliacs and, therefore, excluded from reimbursement by the SSN.

An analysis of the Coop Alleanza 3.0 gluten-free shopping trolley reveals that two private-label products are among the best-selling reimbursable products: gluten-free hamburger buns from the Coop BeneSì line, top seller with over 205,000 items (and also number one in the extended market for all health products), and gluten-free breadcrumbs from the Coop BeneSì line, in third place with over 138,000 items. The Coop private label, by the way, has an important weight in this sector, since, with its 2.3 million packs sold in 2024, it accounts for one third of the total volumes. The BeneSì line, which has around 250 references designed for those with specific needs at the table and looking for light and healthy food (both free from and fortified) also dominates purchases made via the EasyCoop online shopping service.

In 2024, 47 per cent of customers bought such a product at least once, bought an average of almost 4 pieces and in 40 per cent of cases chose Coop-branded products, preferring bread substitutes among gluten-free foods, followed by pasta and pizza.