Louise Vacher, Consulting Director, YouGov

Understanding food allergies and intolerances – the consumer viewpoint

September 2014

Agenda

What we did

Who suffers from an allergy/intolerance?

How do sufferers manage their allergies/intolerances?

Who is buying FreeFrom foods?

Conclusions

2

Overview of YouGovA full-service market research agency with a specialist consumer division

3

Online Consumer BehaviourCapturing real time in-depth actual online consumer behaviour across smartphones, tablets and PC’s

Multi-Channel Audience SegmentationOur media and planning product for agencies and brands powered by data collected in the YouGov Cube – which holds over 120,000 data points from 190,000 UK YouGov panellists

Daily Brand TrackingThe authoritative measure of brand perception across thousands of brands in the UK and across the world

Opinion poll the nationWithin 24/48 hours see what the country thinks of your key issue

Market IntelligenceDelivering insights into the latest market trends and conditions to help understand the broader market environment

Customised Research SolutionsOur sector experts draw upon our existing data and combine with quantitative and qualitative bespoke research to provide tailored insights

Social MediaIdentifying and profiling exactly who social media audiences are across Facebook and Twitter and tracking the reach of brands and campaigns amongst target segments

SoMA

15-minute online survey conducted among YouGov

panellists.

Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th–18th

August 2014.

Research was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1039 UK adults and carried out online using the YouGov panel.

A boost was included to ensure we had robust numbers for key consumer groups including:

- Wheat/Gluten intolerant or allergic

- Dairy intolerant or allergic

- Egg intolerant or allergic

- Shellfish intolerant or allergic

- ‘Free from’ buyers

- Parents with children with food intolerances/allergies

Methodology

Who suffers from an allergy/intolerance?

A third of UK households are affected

6

Over 1 in 5 (22%) of the UK population consider

themselves to have a food allergy or intolerance

7% have a diagnosed or

suspected food allergy

16% have a diagnosed or

suspected food intolerance

And almost 1/3 (31%) of UK

households include at least one allergy or intolerance sufferer

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039)S1. Do you suffer from any food allergies or intolerances? Please select all that apply.householdQ2. And which, if any, of these people in your household have a food allergy or intolerance? Please select all that apply.

An increase of 5% compared to 2011

Dairy and gluten are the most common

7

Dairy

of the UK population8%

12% of UK households

Gluten/wheat

7%

10%

of the UK population

12% suspected allergy

4% diagnosed allergy

50% suspected intolerance

33% diagnosed intolerance

of UK households

13% suspected allergy

6% diagnosed allergy

61% suspected intolerance

20% diagnosed intolerance

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039)Q1. Which, if any, of the following food allergies/intolerances do you have? If you have both an allergy or intolerance to the same category, please select the condition (allergy or intolerance) that causes the most severe symptoms.

Other allergy/intolerance incidences in household

8

Peanuts

5% of UK

households

Nuts

5% of UK

households

Molluscs

5% of UK

households

Egg

5% of UK

households

Crustaceans

5% of UK

households

Fish

3% of UK

households

Sulphur dioxide

3% of UK

households

Soy beans

2% of UK

households

Sesame seeds

2% of UK

households

Mustard Celery

1% of UK

households

Lupine

1% of UK

households

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039)Q1. Which, if any, of the following food allergies/intolerances do you have? If you have both an allergy or intolerance to the same category, please select the condition (allergy or intolerance) that causes the most severe symptoms.

1% of UK

households

Who suffers from an allergy/intolerance?

9

ABC1, 58%

C2DE, 42%

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039) / Allergy/intolerance suffers (219)

+11%37%

2%

6%

5%

26%

12%

11%19%

19%

32%

18 - 24

25 - 34

35 - 44

45 - 54

55+

19%

23%

15%

12%

+x% = Difference compared to UK population

-4%

-

+4%

+1%

-

-11%63%

+3%

-3%

-5%-1%

+3%

- -

+4%

-2%

+2%

Incidences among children

10Base: Parents of children with allergies in household (includes boost) (119)householdQ2. And which, if any, of these people in your household have a food allergy or intolerance? Please select all that apply.Q2_C_1. You said a child in your household suffers from a food allergy or intolerance. Which of the following do(es) the child/children in your household suffer from? -

5% of all UK households

have a child with a food intolerance or allergy

17% of UK households including

children have at least one child with a food allergy or intolerance

Which allergies/intolerances do they have?

39%

Dairy

28%

Gluten/Wheat

33%

Peanuts

24%

Nuts

23%

Egg

Top 5

Attitudes towards allergies/intolerances

11

28% believe a

‘good deal of food intolerance/allergies are just in people’s minds’

77%believe there seem to be morepeople with food allergies and intolerances nowadays than there used to be

“A food intolerance is just a less severe form of food allergy”

40% believe this to be true

42% consider there to still be a lot of

negativity expressed by people about allergies

62%

believe too many people self diagnose their food allergies and intolerances

39% believe people don’t take food

intolerances seriously enough

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039)Q3 On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'strongly disagree' and 5 is 'strongly agree', to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about food allergies and intolerances?

How are allergies/intolerances managed?

How are households affected?

13

Everyone in the household avoids the foods the householdmember is allergic/intolerant to at all times

12% 19%

Household members avoid these foods when they’re with the allergy/intolerance sufferer

63%

Household members still eat these foods when with the sufferer

Are different meals prepared for allergy sufferers?

9%

All of the time

45%

Some of the time

43%

Never

Base: All with sufferer in household (excluding those that live alone) (278)T4_A. Which, if any, of the following best describes how you manage this allergy/intolerance in the household? Please select one answer.T4_B. In your household, does the allergy/intolerance sufferer eat different meals from the rest of the household? Please select one answer.

Avoidance is the main way of managing their sensitivities. Labelling plays an important role

14

Avoidance Keep to a strict diet and avoid all products sensitive to Stick to safe foods that they know will not trigger a reaction Only eat small amounts of the food they are sensitive to

InformationRead ingredient labels

MedicationUse anti-histamines/OTC medicinesUse prescribed medication

Those with an intolerance

22%42%42%

Base: All allergy sufferers (70) T1_allergies. And which, if any, of the following describes how you tend to manage your food allergies? Please select all that apply.Base: All intolerance sufferers (166) T1_allergies. And which, if any, of the following describes how you tend to manage your food allergies? Please select all that apply.

45%42%22%

38%

Those with an allergy

34%

Alternatives Cook everything from scratch Buy specially designed ‘FreeFrom’ products

15%7%

15%21%

29%16%

6%13%

How allergies/intolerances are managed

Dealing with children’s allergies

15

Sticking to safe foods (58%),

reading ingredient labels

(57%), and cooking everything from scratch

(37%) are the top 3 treatments for kids

33% discuss their child’s dietary

requirements with teachers/child

minders and other parents

48% of parents agree there are not

enough allergy/intolerance products specially

designed for children

40% of parents send their child to school with a packed lunch

due to their allergies/intolerances

28% of parents buy specially designed

‘FreeFrom’ products

Base: Parents of children with allergies in household (includes boost) (119)T1_Children. And which, if any, of the following describes how you tend to manage the child/children’s food allergies or intolerances? Please select all that apply.C1. You mentioned earlier that your child(ren) suffer(s) from a food allergy or intolerance. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree, to what extent do you agree with the following statements about managing your child’s allergies

Most find it relatively easy to find and understand information on labels, but a quarter struggle

16

Find information about the following allergens on food products?

Base: Total UK populationQ3. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'strongly disagree' and 5 is 'strongly agree', to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about food allergies and intolerances?Base: Allergy/intolerance sufferers or parents of children sufferers (inc boost): Gluten sufferers (299) Peanuts sufferers (175) Nut sufferers (164) Egg sufferers (176) Dairy (328) Soya (53) Sesame (58) Fish (69) Crustaceans (119) Molluscs (121) Sulphur dioxide (85) T2_A_1. And how easy or difficult is it to find the allergy/intolerance information you need on food products?

18%

19%

22%

25%

27%

26%

29%

33%

29%

45%

47%

71%

68%

68%

68%

59%

58%

56%

53%

53%

44%

42%

Peanuts

Nuts

Dairy/Lactose

Gluten/Wheat

Crustacean

Fish

Molluscs

Sesame seeds

Egg

Soya beans

Sulphur dioxide

Difficult Easy

Understand the information about the allergens on food products?

17%

17%

19%

22%

26%

26%

27%

25%

25%

40%

34%

72%

71%

70%

70%

60%

60%

60%

62%

55%

54%

53%

Peanuts

Nuts

Dairy/Lactose

Gluten/Wheat

Crustacean

Fish

Molluscs

Sesame seeds

Egg

Soya beans

Sulphur dioxide

Difficult Easy

How easy is it to….

Coping with situations outside the home

“On the go” situations present the biggest challenges, along with children’s parties

18 Base: Total allergy/intolerance sufferers (732) / Total with child with allergy/intolerance (119) (includes boost)R3. On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is very difficult and 5 is very easy, how easy or difficult is it for you to find foods that meet your dietary requirements?C2. On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is very easy and 5 is very difficult, how easy is it to find things for your child to eat in the following situations?

21%

25%

36%

37%

42%

45%

43%

34%

33%

26%

Eating out at restaurants

Meals/snacks at work

Day trips

Travelling

Buying from vendingmachines

Difficult Easy

32%

30%

33%

16%

22%

21%

33%

34%

35%

38%

39%

41%

Children's parties

Day trips

Travelling

School meals

School trips

Eating out at restaurants

Difficult Easy

Ease of finding foods that meet your requirements (allergy/intolerance sufferers)

Ease of finding foods that meet your child’s requirements (those with a child with an allergy/intolerance)

13%

38%

31%

17%

Generally catered for and wellsignposted on menus

Generally catered for but I usuallyhave to ask a member of staff as

the menus are not well signposted

Generally not catered for Other / don't know

There is general agreement that restaurants could do more to help

19

Sufferers and non-sufferers alike agree that restaurants should cater for allergies – only 1 in 4 agree that “restaurants should not have to cater for

allergies – it should be the responsibility of the individual to choose appropriate food”

Base: Total sample (1039)R1_3. On a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent do you agree with the following statements about visiting restaurants. - I don’t think the restaurant should have to cater for allergies – it should be the responsibility of the individual to choose appropriate foodBase: Total allergy/intolerance sufferers (732) (Includes boost)R2. Which, if any, of the following statements BEST describes your general experiences when ordering food in restaurants? Please select one answer.

Allergies and intolerances are….

…In particular, improved menu information would be welcomed by sufferers

Who is buying FreeFrom foods?

There is a considerable awareness gap even among sufferers

21

Total population Allergy/intolerance sufferers

Aware and have bought ,

18%

Aware but not

bought, 32%

Not aware,

51%

Aware and have bought ,

33%

Aware but not

bought, 28%

Not aware,

39%

Base: Total UK Nat Rep (1039) / Allergy/intolerance suffers (219)FF1. Before taking this survey, how aware, if at all, were you of ‘FreeFrom’ branded foods?

Awareness and purchasing of FreeFrom foods

Rises to 46% of those suffering from gluten and

45% of those suffering from dairy/lactose

Who buys FreeFrom foods?

22Base: Have bought FreeFrom foods (182)

53% live in the South/East(cf. 44% of the population)

69% of purchasers are women

40% are aged 25-44

(cf. 33% of the population)

55% of purchasers do not suffer from, or live with anyone who suffers from, an allergy or intolerance

Supermarkets are the main port of call for FreeFrom foods

23

Where FreeFrom foods bought

Base: Buy Free From foods(448)FF9. And from which of the following grocery stores do you tend to buy your 'FreeFrom' products? Please select all that apply.

50%

50%

26%

17%

15%

12%

10%

11%

13%

3%

2%

3%

3%

2%

Sainsbury’s

Tesco

ASDA

Morrisons

Waitrose

Marks & Spencer

Co-op

Other supermarket

Holland & Barrett

Wholefoods market

Boots

Health food shop website

On prescription

Mail order

Sainsburys, Co-op and Marks & Spencer over-index compared to those using it for their main shop

FreeFrom foods provide more choice, with a proportion believing they are generally healthier

24

Reasons for buying FreeFrom foods

Base: Allergy/intolerance sufferers/those with a sufferer in their household who have bought Free From foods (331) /Those without any sufferer in their household who have bought Free From foods (117) (includes boost)FF2_E_2. Which, if any, of the following explains why you purchased 'FreeFrom' products? / F2_D. You said you have purchased 'FreeFrom' products in the past. Which, if any, of the following explains why you purchased 'FreeFrom' products even though no one in your house suffers from an allergy/intolerance?

22%

20%

17%

15%

13%

11%

8%

It’s generally healthier/better for you

Thought I’d give it a try

Thought someone in myhousehold may beallergic/intolerant

Recommendations fromfriends/family

Think it’s the right thing to do ethically

Help me/someone in myhousehold lose weight

Recommendations from ahealth expert/professional

30%

29%

23%

21%

18%

16%

15%

10%

Gives more choice to eat productsI can't otherwise eat

Required by a diagnosed healthcondition

Can enjoy foods I am otherwiseallergic/intolerant to

Someone in my household has afood-related health condition

Recommendations from a healthexpert/professional

I think it’s generally healthier/better for you

Required by a self-diagnosedhealth condition

Recommendations fromfriends/family

Those with an allergy/intolerance sufferer in the household

Those without an allergy/intolerance sufferer in the household

While many believe there has been improvement, expense and poor taste are still an issue

25

80%

51%

41%

67%

Base: All bought Free From foods (182)FF4 And on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about 'FreeFrom' foods?FFSpont. Thinking now about **'FreeFrom' branded foods**, what do you associate with these products? Please write in the box below. Base; Aware of FreeFrom foods (51()

Spontaneous associations(total sample)

consider ‘FreeFrom’ food expensivecompared to regular food

agree that there is not a great deal of choice

agree that ‘FreeFrom’ products don’t taste very good compared to regular foods

are noticing more ‘FreeFrom’ products in grocery stores nowadays

believe ‘FreeFrom’ products have really improved in the last couple of years59%

Buyer beliefs

.. While the main barrier to buying is a lack of perceived need

26

Barriers to buying Free From foods

Base: Allergy/intolerance suffurers who have not bought Free From foods (431) (includes boost)FF2_F_2. You said you have a food allergy or intolerance but have never bought any 'FreeFrom' products. Why is this?

70%Only use if no other option

38% find it easier to completely avoid the food

21% cook everything from scratch

Found alternative ways to cope with their allergy/ intolerance

1

2 Cost 23% say they are too expensive

3 Limited range 12% say the range is limited9% say there are no products for

their allergy

4 Lack of saliency/availability9% tend to forget about them8% say they’re not sold in their

supermarket

Key take-outs

27

Nearly a third of households contain someone who has a food allergy or intolerance, the majority being self-diagnosed.

Sufferers use a variety of methods to manage their allergies/intolerances, but avoidance is the main one. Reading food labels is important, with most finding it relatively easy to find and understand the information they need – particularly for the more common allergies.

A fifth of those affected find it difficult to eat out in restaurants, and would like restaurant menus to provide more information. “On the go” situations are even more challenging and those with children have the same issues, with children’s parties and day trips difficult to negotiate. School meals are only found to be difficult by 1 in 6 parents, perhaps because 40% use packed lunches.

There is a clear awareness gap for FreeFrom foods, with 4 in 10 sufferers unaware of their existence. Interestingly, over half of buyers are not doing so because they have an allergy or intolerance but because they think they are generally healthier.

While many believe there has been improvement in FreeFrom foods, expense and poor taste are still an issue. However, the main barrier is that people have found a way to manage without them –suggesting that increasing saliency and understanding would be beneficial.

Contact

28

Please contact YouGov for more information or if you wish to use the data from this report:

Louise VacherConsulting Director, YouGovT: 0207 012 6156E: Louise.Vacher@yougov.com

Helen PilmerBusiness Development Manager- Consumer divisionT: +44 (0) 207 012 6149E: Helen.pilmer@yougov.com