How free-from foods are changing manufacturing

U.S. consumers are increasingly scanning labels to check that products do not contain certain ingredients, such as gluten, GMOs, antibiotics, pesticides and allergens, according to Bloomberg. The trend is having a huge impact on how manufacturers source, prepare and package foods and beverages. Sales of these "free-from" foods are expected to grow 15%, or $1.4 billion, between 2017 and 2022 — with the U.S. as the largest global growth market, according to Euromonitor data. CPG companies are trying to deliver on consumer demand in this area but are struggling to find the right approach that will revive slumping sales. “The health trend has been going for a while, but the challenge big packaged food companies have is how to make money out of it,” Bloomberg Intelligence’s Kenneth Shea said in a report.