France Is Slowly But Surely Warming Up to Gluten-Free Foods

Despite the questionable nature of the widespread self-diagnosis of gluten intolerance and recurring efforts to remind panicking consumers that gluten-free foods are not necessarily healthier than those with wheat, the gluten-free market is a gargantuan one. Last year, sales of foods marketed as gluten-free reached nearly $1 billion.

But while the US and the UK have been quick to adopt quinoa crackers and brown rice pasta as our own, other parts of the world have been more skeptical. The people of Italy, Germany, Spain, and France, for instance, have all had significantly lower rates of gluten avoidance—with less than 10 percent of citizens steering clear of the stuff—than the UK or US, which stand at 13 percent and 14 to 17 percent, according to recent studies.

One of the most adamantly disinterested countries in hopping aboard the GF train has been France—which makes perfect sense, when you consider its crucial tradition of pâtisseries and boulangeries. What is a France without baguettes, croissants, and pains au chocolat?

Good question, and one that France is trying to figure out now.

In 2009, France's sales of gluten-free foods were very low, ranking them behind Austria, Finland, and Norway, among others, according to Euromonitor International. Some found this perplexing, given France's more welcoming adoption of other health foods.

"This is fairly surprising considering the potential for high end, health foods in a relatively strong economy. The French love of organic products also makes it surprising with so many gluten-free products also organic," Hamish Renton, MD of free-from consultants HRA Marketing, told Just-Food.

But others pegged this on a lack of awareness about celiac disease and gluten intolerance rather than an intentional boycott. Italy, for example, certainly loves its pasta, but has proven to be a little more curious about gluten-free retail. The French were not necessarily sneering at the concept of gluten-free breads while puffing away on cigarettes in their berets.

But in the five or so years since, France has speedily acclimated to the idea of allowing gluten-free breads, pastas, and other products onto its store shelves. Between 2009 and 2014, sales of these items more than tripled, skyrocketing its position in the market to fourth behind Italy, the UK, and Germany. About 6 percent of French people currently claim to be avoiding gluten. That's compared to 9 percent in Italy and 7 percent each in Germany and Spain.

As in the UK, the French government offers co-pays for gluten-free products for people who have been diagnosed with celiac disease, so some of the money being fed into the gluten-free market is coming from the feds. (Unfortunately, this has recently proven both problematic and controversial for the UK.) But there's also the rising prevalence of French citizens who don't have any diagnosable sensitivity to gluten and are more interested in GF foods for weight loss or an undefinable quality of "healthiness." Roberto Fernandez, senior research analyst at Euromonitor, says that the term "the no-glu diet" has been thrown around. The misconception is fairly widespread there, he says, that gluten intolerance can cause obesity.

And as we all know, the French are not so excited about the rising obesity rates squelching the svelte and sophisticated reputation of their country. Take, for instance, its recent ban on unlimited soda refills. Empty calories, au revoir!

Thankfully, however, they have not abandoned their love of cheese. Fad diets aside, who could deny the pleasure of Brie on baguette?