Research: the majority spend 10-25 thousand forints per month on free, diet products

More and more people are affected by different food sensitivities and allergies, and although the demand for allergen-free products can also be seen in stores, a national survey has never been carried out on how many children and adults are affected by food sensitivities every day. .

In its gap-filling research, Szafi Products Kft. searched for the answer to the extent to which the population is affected by diseases that affect eating, and what - free - trends and habits they follow.

The eloquent data of the survey involving more than ten thousand people is that more than 85 percent of the respondents were following some kind of special diet at the time of filling it out. The questionnaire also revealed that the number of gluten- and lactose-intolerant people is the highest, but fructose and egg white sensitivities cannot be neglected either.

Anita Ipsits and Gábor Ipsits, the managers of Szafi Products Kft., explained the results of the research in detail and said that a quarter of the respondents - 27.6 percent - purchase the exempt products during bulk shopping. Almost half of the respondents (44.7 percent) spend between HUF 10 and 25 thousand on free diet products every month.

Among the free-word answers, the respondents mostly gave the availability (easily available), the credibility of the brand, and the ease of preparation," Gábor Ipsits pointed out, adding that those involved often get information about their free diet from several sources at the same time: most of them from social media , they obtain information from recipe pages and manufacturer websites.

Just because something is gluten-free, it can still be full of sugar

Many people may think that behind the word "free" there is a food with some health benefits. For example, due to the lack of information, many people associate gluten-free with "healthy". The questionnaire also highlighted that the gluten-free indicator is very important for those who suffer from a related disease, however, leaving gluten is only one more step towards a complaint-free life and long-term health.

"It is important to emphasize that the ingredients of most gluten-free products include corn starch, corn flour, potato starch, and other fast-absorbing carbohydrates. In addition, soy appears many times, which is a common allergen. In the production of convenience products, refined sugar, various anti-sticking agents, anti-caking agents and other additives are also used in many cases so that the packaging can be easily mechanized. Low-fiber foods are common on the market of gluten-free products, but their calorie content and glycemic index (how quickly they are absorbed by the body) can be high. That's why we always look at the ingredients and the nutritional value, because it is indeed possible to find products that do not contain the above." Anita Ipsits pointed out .

As an example, he mentioned that a biscuit is not "healthier" because it is gluten-free, since it only means that it can be safely consumed by those who live with some kind of gluten-related disease. As he said, although customers are becoming more aware, many still fall for advertising tricks. The problem is that less informed consumers can be misled by the various striking markings, so he recommends everyone to turn over and read the list of ingredients before adding a product to the cart.

According to Anita Ipsits, it is difficult to eat clean and well, but Szafi Products Kft. wants to fill this gap in the market, and according to the results of the research, they are on the right track. For the majority of respondents, 78.7 percent, it is important to consume a free product made with Hungarian labor and to declare themselves loyal to the brand, almost three-quarters of them (73.7 percent), even though they already knew Szafi products at the time of filling out the form.

(Source: marmalade.co.hu;gastrokalandok.co.hu;hirado.hu | Image: pixabay.com)