Firm Rises As Gluten-Free Foods Thrive

The gluten-free market is getting competitive, as a growing number of businesses are selling products aimed at celiacs—people who have difficulty digesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In March, Italy-based Dr. Schar Srl, Europe’s largest gluten-free food maker, opened its U.S. headquarters in Lyndhurst, N.J. The company’s arrival follows a steady stream of bakeries, health food stores and restaurants offering gluten-free items. Authorities estimate that about 1 in 133 people suffer from celiac disease, but the ailment has been overlooked for years by doctors, say groups that advocate for sufferers. Now, the medical profession is waking up to the problem, and businesses are too. Anheuser-Busch, for instance, began selling gluten-free beer made of sorghum and General Mills launched a gluten-free version of its Rice Chex cereal, replacing the barley malt syrup in the product with molasses.

—The Record (Hackensack, NJ), 12/2/08