Guaranteed safe to eat: QSRs reveal top food intolerance requests

Customers now offer more than just gluten-free choices.

Australian consumers are increasingly demanding QSRs to offer specialized types of food with specific ingredients taken out. And while gluten leads the must-avoid list, many brands are also formulating food products free from sugar, nuts, dairy and meat in response to growing awareness by diners to their individual food intolerances.

“The number of customer enquiries we receive about our allergen and nutritional information has increased over the past year. Not only do consumers celebrate their food more, they have come to expect their food to be healthier, safer and more local,” said Karim Messih, General Manager at Zambrero.

Big no to gluten

Gluten continues to rank high in the must-avoid list, demanded by celiac disease sufferers and other diners who experience adverse reactions when ingesting this protein composite found
in certain grains. Many of the chains surveyed from Burger Urge to Healthy Habits say they continue to offer gluten-free bread options in their menus.

“We have always tried our best to accommodate food intolerances, offering gluten free bread, having separate toasters for the gluten free, and having all but a couple of items on our menu designed specifically to be gluten free,” said Pete Kilroy, Marketing Manager at Burger Urge.

Over at Muffin Break, gluten free muffins and other baked products have been on the menu since 2005. Since then the brand has strived to expand its gluten-free line with new flavours as the category continues to see growth each year. Muffin Break’s cousin franchise, the coffee chain Jamaica Blue, also now carries a number of low gluten menu items, said Serge Infanti, Managing Director at Foodco Group, operators of Muffin Break Jamaica Blue and

Cutting out the unwanted

Overall, there is rising demand for products ‘free from’ certain type ingredients, particularly, gluten, dairy, and egg, said Steve Plarre, Chief Executive Officer at Plarre Foods Pty Ltd, which operates the namesake bakery chain.

“The primary driver in our business is currently flourless or ‘gluten free’ but success generally only comes where we develop recipes that are attractive to the entire market (both coeliacs and non coeliacs alike),” added Plarre.

This same desire to service a broad demographic led Burger Urge to tinker with its menu to accommodate diners with dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, and other very specific food
intolerances.

Infanti explained that when it comes down to it, the burgeoning consideration for food intolerances is a reflection of a consumer desire to become healthier. This comes with expecting a wider selection of healthy options in their favorite food stores.

Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break have responded accordingly, offering a choice of soy milk with no additional charge to accommodate lactose intolerant customers, as well as lower
kilojoule choice with a Weight Watchers-approved range in Muffin Break and a Lite Blue range in Jamaica Blue.

Holistic approach and full information

But some QSRs report a declining demand for gluten-free, which Mark Buckland, Managing Director, Healthy Habits, attributes to a more holistic approach to product buying that goes beyond a singular consideration for healthy ingredients.

“Indeed, we are seeing some reduction in demand for things like gluten free. What consumers really want is balanced produce that satisfies the general question of ‘is this good for me’ – ingredients or food composition is just one part of a much broader question that the consumer is asking,” said Buckland.

QSRs suggest that more than just providing options in the menu, it is equally important to help consumers decide what they through helpful guides and information.

“Not only do we want to cater more and more to these needs, we aim to make it easier for our customers to access the information they need to make these important decisions,” said Messih of Zambrero.

Meanwhile at Roll’d, a full nutritional guide is in the pipeline.

“We see the importance of letting each individual customer know exactly what makes up the wonderful tasty food from us,” Bao Hoang, Founder at Roll’d, whose staff are trained to
advise customers on gluten-free items. The chain has also removed the use of all nuts in the kitchen, which they said pleasantly surprised customers.