What is ‘free from’?
free-from (or ‘free from’ or ‘freefrom’) food : Per May 2015 Mintel summary, “Overall, consumers perceive foods with any free-from claim to be both healthier and less processed, thereby meeting two of the industry’s largest trends head-on.” And from a Mintel 2016 report, “Mintel’s definition of free-from foods refers to foods that are manufactured and targeted specifically at consumers who suffer from food intolerances and/or food allergies or who are following avoidance diets.” Tesco (UK) started a free-from category in 2014 (?). Food Business News Sept 2015 article.
Wikipedia article request submitted by PEG 2016/08/03: “Free from (Also called ‘free-from’, ‘allergen-free’, ‘allergen free’, and ‘allergen safe’.) The term is generally used in reference to consumables that are free from common allergens such as gluten, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, and dairy; but can also refer to environments (such as baseball parks or airplanes that are peanut-free) and body care products. Tesco, the UK-based grocery retailer, debuted their Free From product category in 2003 http://www.thecollaborators.com/category/free-from/. The US FDA has not (yet) defined the term.)”
‘allergen-free’ is a subset of ‘free-from’; ‘clean label’ is closely related.
- gluten and wheat free
- dairy and lactose free
- nut free
- soy free
- trans fat free
- preservative and additive free
- non-GMO
- sodium free
- yeast free