There’s Gold In Them Thar Gluten-Free Hills, Say Grain Companies

The gluten-free fad marches on, boosted by celebrity endorsements and anti-gluten books that seem to arrive weekly, proclaiming the destructive effects of gluten specifically and wheat generally. It doesn’t seem to matter to the 99 percent of Americans who do not have celiac disease -- or to the foodies who latch on to the latest anti-wheat diatribes -- that most dieticians say the trends lack scientific support. Meanwhile, grain companies are leaving the debate to their industry trade groups, while they mine the trends for profit. Though the USDA says wheat flour consumption has fallen to a 22-year low, Packaged Facts says the U.S. market for gluten-free foods will climb from $4.2 billion in 2012 to $6.6 billion by 2017, as bread and cereal makers, craft-beer brewers and eateries embrace the trend.