Dietitian Sue Shepherd of Melbourne, Australia, has developed a new range of low FODMAP foods, which taps into the “free-from” food market trend while targeting improved digestive health.

The FODMAP diet—low in certain naturally occurring fibers and sugars—was originally developed as a dietary therapy for patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The name is an acronym for Fermentable, Oligosaccharide, Disaccharide, Monosaccharide and Polyols and the diet has solid, if somewhat limited, scientific evidence as a treatment for IBS.

“Many in the food industry view the scientific basis of FODMAPs as controversial,” explained Julian Mellentin, editor of New Nutrition Business. “Some will deny that it is anything more than a niche mediatized concern of little broader relevance. However, gluten-free eating was also—not very long ago—dismissed as just such a niche. Thanks to the web, consumers can do their own research, conduct their own personal eating experiments and find what they believe works for them.”

Ms. Shepherd, who specializes in the area of digestive health, is the first person to have developed a range of foods specifically formulated to meet the needs of a FODMAP diet. A primary goal of her product line is to assist FODMAP followers in finding convenient foods that are low in the relevant fibers and sugars.

The FODMAP concept has a large potential pool of consumers: in Australia alone, there is an estimated 5 million people with IBS and non-celiac gluten intolerance. Worldwide, the condition, depending on how it is defined, can affect up to 20% of the population, with the highest rates in the U.S. and the E.U., according to figures from the World Gastroenterology Organization. IBS has traditionally been resistant to treatment, but the FODMAP approach has been successful for many people.

“These forces might yet make FODMAPS a force to be reckoned with—after all, digestive health has been one of the biggest trends in the business of food and health for over 20 years,” said Mr. Mellentin.