3 Reasons You Need to Offer Gluten-Free Options ASAP
The term gluten-free is not new. We’ve all heard at least the general definition for what it means to be on a gluten-free diet. But today, we want to help you understand why it’s so important that as a pizza product business you offer gluten-free choices for your customers.
Let’s start with the basics.
Why can’t some people have gluten?
Well, it can be a personal choice, but more often than not, it is because of a little something called celiac disease— sometimes called celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It’s an immune reaction to eating gluten which is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. That means that people who have celiac disease are not able to eat anything that has these ingredients… cue in the tears: that means pizza… and pasta… and bread… Oh my!
If you have celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine and this reaction, overtime, can damage your small intestine's lining. That damage often causes things like diarrhea, fatigue, bloating and anemia to name a few. It can lead to serious complications.
Both children and adults can present these sensitivities which makes it super hard to choose what to eat or buy or where to go for dinner.
Other people who suspect they have a gluten sensitivity prefer to just cut out everything that has gluten, which also means they’ll be searching for alternatives that can satisfy their cravings and provide options for them and their families. So here we go…
Reason #1:
Gluten-Free Diets Are Becoming More Popular
Like we touched on above, even people who don’t suffer from celiac disease may choose to be on a gluten-free diet.
For the last few years, eating gluten-free has become increasingly popular amongst celebrities and influencers, not only that, but more and more people have started to try making changes to their eating habits to see if their general health improves.
Some of the reported benefits are:
Less headaches
No more bloating!
Clears up skin
Alleviates achy joints
Raises your energy levels
Can lessen hair loss
Just to name a few. So, this is a great reason to be part of the many restaurants, schools, event and catering companies etc. who have a variety of gluten-free options for their growing clientele.
Reason #2: It’s Not Just Pizza!
Yes, the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear gluten-free is bye bye bread and pizza… also pastas.
But did you know that nowadays virtually every product once made with wheat, barley and rye is offered in gluten-free form?
It’s true! For a while now we have known about pizza products being offered in alternative dietary options like plant-based, Keto, Vegan as well as gluten-free.
But, we are living in a world of change and that means businesses and entrepreneurs are working around the clock to develop new alternatives that taste better and are more marketable. Donuts, cereals, some chips and cookies too!
This is another reason why you need to get on board. It’s not just a “fad,” it's a new branch for your small business and it’s here to stay.
You can even havegluten-free beer, I think? How crazy is that? Something to think about while you serve pizza…
Reason #3:
Your Competition Is Already Doing it!
I know, it’s harsh… but It’s the truth. If you’re not offering gluten-free, plant-based, vegan or keto options for your business, your competition probably is.
We don’t want to seem as though it’s an easy change, and you just “offer gluten-free” because we understand that it can take time— especially because you want to make a product that you will stand behind. It needs to be fresh, taste great and be the talk of the town.
We’ve been doing it for decades and we know quality ingredients and manufacturing matters. We make great pizza possible and we’ve learned to master the craft along the way, which allows us to partner with a wide array of businesses and help them reach their goals.
Expanding into this side of your business means that you can create opportunities for children with celiac disease to enjoy a slice of pizza with their friends, either at their school, soccer game or event without any worry for their well-being.
It means being able to satisfy a craving for a young pregnant mother in the middle of the night, or even just provide options for someone who’s trying something new. Regardless of the reason, offering great products that are guaranteed to meet their needs is the main reason we do this.
If you’re looking for a partner to help you make great pizza products possible, give us a shout. No Knead Bakery offers alternative dietary options, as well as classic pizza products for any stage of your business.
