Previous research into the online gluten free demand for the USA analysed both English and Spanish speaking searches, but found that the English searches massively overshadowed other language searches. For this reason only American – English speaking searches will be analysed here.

Below, Google's Top 50 terms associated with gluten-free in November 2009, Americans for the (search English) can be seen quite an increase in one year, from the data table. Specifically, Google-related terms and 11 gluten-free 8th (3.7934 million) November 9 (8.388 million) and between – the search for an astounding 121% increase per month!
USA Gluten Free group absolute Monthly search volumes (Nov) and increases

GF group……… .2008…………….2009…………..…% Volume Change

GF Generic……..2,414,000…….5,393,300……….123%

Gluten diet……..160,600……….355,000…..…….…121%

GF Recipe………226,600………..767,400……………239%

Celiac……………..796,500……….693,100…………..-13%

Wheat free……..150,600……….347,000…………..130%

Locations………..45,100…………67,600……………..50%

Specific foods….273,200………764,600…………..180%

When the world's top 50 months of search is divided into seven separate sub-categories (shown above), we can see, the groups received a similar growth (excluding intra-abdominal terms). Main categories (General gluten free items), from 9 terms (2.414 million search) 59% of the search into the top 50 accounted for 9 terms (5.3933 million search) 64%, accounting for the top 50. This is 123%, the growth of major groups in the past year!
The second highest group (abdominal cavity search) actually declined by six conditions (796.5 thousand) of the absolute condition for search to 4 (693.1 thousand) – a 13% decline in volume. Increases in the two largest groups were from gluten recipes (226600-767400 – up to 239%), and GF certain foods (273200-764600 – up to 180%). About this change is important, as the global financial crisis, more people seem to have is how to gluten free items at home and the purchase of a particular green in the retail product search. Strongest two green specific food is bread (245,000 searches) of flour (123.5 thousand later), free diary (67600), then, such as pizza, cakes, chocolate, cookies, a lot of individual food products.
An important indicator as to the level of maturity in the market, is the change in proportion of the seven groups that comprise the top 50 search terms. Previous GFP research showed that the highest ‘celiac search’ developed countries showed a distinct pattern in the proportion of these groups. That is that the generic gluten free group was always around 60% of the top 50 searches followed by the celiac group at around 20%.

With the large jump in total searches for the year, the proportion of these groups shares have changed significantly. For America the generic group proportion increased by 5%, while its celiac group decreased from 20% to 8%. There was also a slight increase in gluten free recipe and GF specific food proportions. By comparison, Australia (a higher celiac search country than America in 2008), the main ‘gluten free’ group in 2009 is 60% and the celiac group sits at 11%.? Australia’s online demand market underwent a very similar change as occurred with the USA proportions. Most notable is that Australia Australia’s generic group remain fixed, at 60%, while its celiac group searches dropping from 17% to 11% over the year.

A previous Gluten Free Pages article comparing various leading gluten free search countries showed that the last five year trend for celiac related searches has been relatively flat compared to a strong rise in gluten free associated searches. This is in line with the current changes to the top 50 group proportions.

LONG TERM TREND

The trend for gluten-free unitary concept
The Jan to December volume search growth rates for the term ‘gluten free’ have been: 2006 (53%), 2007 (38%), 2008 (38%) AND 2009 (58%).

It is noted that each of those years experienced an exceptional increase in December and a particularly strong one in 2009 (22% between October and December). It would appear that ‘Christmas shopping’ for Americans buying gluten free products for friends and family really took off in late 2009.

The seven Gluten Free America leading term trends

For the seven main groups main search volume terms, the ‘celiac’ and ‘wheat free’ searches have remained steady over the last five years, while ‘gluten free restaurants’ have increased in popularity since May 2008.

The four groups that have enjoyed HIGH similar growth are: ‘generic gluten free’ searches, ‘gluten free recipes’, ‘gluten diet’ searches and ‘specific gluten free foods’. The ‘generic gluten free’ top two terms comprise around 50% of the total group which as the whole group comprises 60% of total gluten free associated searches. The stability of the growth of the gluten free term is the most significant indicator of the continuing high growth of the whole market.

CONCLUSIONS

The U.S. demand for gluten-line market grew fastest over the first four main-line gluten-Demand to 2008 countries. As America happens to the largest absolute looking for gluten-free products in the world, this high growth is following the lead of the global financial crisis very encouraging for celiac and gluten intolerant people.
High search rates and real demand (actual physical sales volumes) in the USA are likely to raise the awareness of celiac disease, increase the diagnosis rates and boost gluten free markets the world over.