See the range: Waitrose expands FreeFrom with new sweet treats

Waitrose has expanded its FreeFrom lineup with 12 new products, responding to its growing demand for specialist dietary foods.

In The Grocer’s latest free-from trends report, Kantar reported the category had grown a huge 13% for branded products and a similarly impressive 10.8% for own label in value spend over the previous year, taking total spend to £3.9bn.

Waitrose’s range now features 42 items, including sweet treats such as the Sicilian Lemon & White Chocolate All Butter Cookies and savoury staples like the Coronation Chicken Sandwich.

Sweet-toothed shoppers are leading the charge in free-from, seeing Waitrose report sales rising 24% year on year.

“FreeFrom sales at Waitrose have been positive year on year, with other categories such as FreeFrom cereals, and FreeFrom pastas sales rising by 9%, and 8%, respectively. Overall, we have seen sales of the FreeFrom range rise by 7% in 2024,” said FreeFrom buyer Katie Hesling.

“We have focused on adding more of those delicious sweet treats that we know our customers love,” said FreeFrom product developer Tim Daly. ”These additions now make it much easier to shop for a friend’s birthday or bring treats in for colleagues who might require specialist products.”

Revamped products are relaunching like the Hot Cross Buns and Fruited Scones ahead of Easter, while the wider range has also introduced colour-coded packaging to simplify allergen identification, a move designed to help shoppers spend less time scrutinising labels. 

Available now in-store, online and via delivery partners, the expanded FreeFrom range gives Waitrose shoppers with specialist diets more choice than ever