CHICAGO - An increasing number of U.S. adults are reducing or eliminating their consumption of gluten in their diets, according to The NPD Group. This is the highest percentage of adults consuming gluten-free products since NPD began tracking the dietary preference in 2009.

Thirty percent of U.S. adults now say they want to reduce or cut gluten in their diets, NPD revealed in its Dieting Monitor, which tracks dieting and nutrition-related issues facing consumers.

"For as long as NPD has been tracking the eating habits of Americans, which is since 1976, they have been expressing a desire to eat healthier foods and beverages," said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and author of Eating Patterns in America. "Today, increasingly more of us want to avoid gluten in our diet and right now it is nearly 30 percent of the adult population?? and it??s growing. This is the health issue of the day."

Restaurants are responding to the gluten-free demand. In NPD??s CREST foodservice market research, which tracks how consumers use restaurants, the incidence of consumers ordering gluten- or wheat-free products has doubled in the past four years, accounting for more than 200 million restaurant visits in the past year.

"The number of U.S. adults who say they are cutting down on or avoiding gluten is too large for restaurant operators to ignore," said Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst. "Restaurant operators and marketers can find opportunities to address consumer needs when it comes to their growing interest in cutting down on or avoiding gluten, like training staff to accurately answer customer questions, using symbols on menus and menu boards to highlight items that are gluten-free, as a way to extend consumer awareness and confidence in ordering."

The July 2011 NACS Magazine looked at the growth of gluten-free offerings.