Further figures found that 36% of people would also be willing to pay more for coeliac friendly dishes.

With demand for gluten-free options higher than ever – a staggering 78% (+9.8%) of people believe operators aren’t doing enough to cater for gluten intolerances.

Almondy is urging caterers to take a fresh look at their menus this forthcoming National Coeliac Awareness Week (12th-18th May 2014).

Andrew Ely, managing director, Almondy, commented: “Gluten-free is a market caterers can no longer afford to ignore; 11% of the UK population avoid gluten for medical or lifestyle reasons and our own independent research shows a further 71% of the population is guided by the needs of someone with a gluten-intolerance when dining out. This means operators could be missing out on not only the gluten-free pound but whole parties – now is the time to take action!”