Opportunities persist for gluten-free baked foods:Ancient grains and rice flour may add a twist to a traditional snack

摘要

Americans are eating more snacks, according to reports from such groups as Packaged Facts, Canadean and The NPD Group. Yet recent sales data show one traditional snack has not capitalized fully on the trend. U.S. retail sales of pretzels were $1,186,546,304 for the 52-week period ended Aug. 7, which was down 2% from the previous 52-week period, according to Information Resources, Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm.To ignite pretzel sales, snack makers might consider using such ingredients as rice flour and ancient grains to create gluten-free varieties. Although not among the top five pretzel brands, the gluten-free brand Glutino rang up a 10% increase in pretzelsales to reach $14,340,742 for the 52-week period ended Aug. 7, according to I.R.I.