The market for food allergy and intolerance products is expanding quickly, helped by more diagnosed cases of allergic reactions. This market is expected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel.

About 12 million people in the United States have food allergies, while another 2 million suffer from celiac disease, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks itself when exposed to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

Considering the previous years, an increment in the figures is foreshadowed. For instance, the number of children with peanut allergies has doubled in the past ten years.  Food-induced anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, causes about 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 to 200 deaths annually.

Experts don’t quite have a scientific explanation for the increase of these figures, but they suppose exposure to environmental pollutants and the way food is processed contribute to this alarming growth.

However, the growing consumer awareness about allergies and intolerances led to a selective consumer behavior. Hence, some big companies are following the trend, assuring themselves a going up of their profits. General Mills, for instance, said in April it had reformulated its popular cereal Rice Chex to be gluten-free.

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, settled in New York, estimates that 300 of its 2,800 members provide more than 7,000 no-allergenic products, in comparison with five years ago, when about 50 members did.