America has always been the land of the free, but, if recent sales figures can be believed, it also is rapidly becoming the land of the “free-from.” During the last few years, the niche market for gluten-, wheat-, diary/casein-, egg- and sugar-free as well as vegan products has gained mainstream momentum.

Part is due to high-profile personalities, including Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jenny McCarthy, who have credited the elimination of these ingredients with everything from weight loss to the alleviation of autism symptoms. Then, of course, Americans have a penchant for trying to eat more healthfully without depriving themselves of the foods they love.

Global Industry Analysts market research company projects that sales of food allergy and intolerance products will surpass $26 billion worldwide by 2017. Packaged Facts market research recently reported that sales of gluten-free products in the United States alone climbed to $2.64 billion last year (the company had previously estimated that sales would reach $2.3 billion by 2011) and are expected to approach $5.5 billion by 2015.

But not all of these newly minted free-from fans are individuals who suffer from food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances–far from it. In a Packaged Facts survey of more than 1,800 adults conducted last fall, only 8 to 12 percent of gluten-free product purchasers did so because of a food allergy, sensitivity or intolerance. Forty-six percent said they chose gluten-free foods because they perceived them to be “generally healthier,” 30 percent because they believed the products would help them to “manage their weight” and 22 percent because they perceived them to be of “higher quality” than their conventional counterparts.

But for free-from bakery operators around the country, these findings come as no surprise.

“Although ours is primarily a traditional bakery, sales of our gluten-free, wheat-free, sugar-free and vegan products have steadily increased over the past 10 years,” says Ed Dimmer, owner of Rheinlander Bakery, Arvada, Colo. “We have never marketed our products as ‘health foods,’ but a growing number of customers are coming to their own conclusions that free-from products are generally better for them than traditional ones.

“We don’t question their personal philosophies or try to give them advice,” he adds. “When they ask us about our free-from products, we show them the large selection that we make, and they decide what they want.”

Not a health food bakery

Nanette Goin and Donna Nelson agree that they don’t want customers to see their Just Delicious Diabetic Delights in Clackamas, Ore., as a health food store.

Breads and sweet items free of gluten and other allergens are finding a niche among mainstream consumers as well as allergy sufferers.

“We want them to come in because they crave our ooey-gooey chocolate chunk muffins or snickerdoodles, not because ours are the only bakery products they can have,” Goin says. “We target our products to everybody who has a sweet tooth.”

Stacy Hiles, owner of Stacy’s Gluten-Free Goodies, Tampa, Fla., says the ambiguity of the term “healthy” makes her uncomfortable with using it to describe her products.

“We are very open about telling customers what’s in our products and what isn’t,” she says. “But what we really emphasize is how good they taste­–that’s what really sells the product anyway, whether the customer is ingredient-sensitive or not.”

Since Heather Esposito and Allison Lubert opened their Sweet Freedom Bakery in Philadelphia last year, they have been promoting their free-from products to consumers who are more mindful of how their diet impacts their weight, health and overall wellbeing and are looking for alternatives to traditional treats.

“We taste-tested our products on people who didn’t have allergies so we know they’re delicious,” Esposito says. “But Allison and I also are professional nutritional counselors so we can speak knowledgably about how various ingredients can affect the body.”

For instance, she says, some women in their 30s and 40s will ask about calories.

“We’ll certainly be happy to answer that question, but we also like to explain to them how different ingredients with the same or similar calorie counts are metabolized and can make the body feel either energized or fatigued,” she says. “We also encourage them to try one of our products and see how their bodies feel after they’ve eaten it.”

One visitor who felt the difference is a trainer at a nearby gym. In addition to becoming a regular customer himself, he has become a major source of referrals.

“When big, muscular guys come in, we know who sent them,” Esposito adds.

Fitness aficionados also are flocking to Decatur, Ga., specialty wholesaler Pure Knead Bakery’s newly opened retail store for free-from breads and sweets, says owner Michelle Kelly.

“So far, these customers have found us, but we plan to make a serious effort to market to them by giving samples to the fitness facility staff members or offering to bring muffins over for a Saturday workout group,” she says. “Our area also has a number of organized sports teams that we can contact.”