This Friendship Day, Aug. 4, Udi's Gluten Free Foods – the gluten-free category leader in the US – launches its GFF (Gluten Free Friends) campaign, playing on the well-known BFF moniker to tout the importance of friendships and support within the gluten-free community.

Living a gluten-free lifestyle requires a strong network of friends, family and trusted brands to provide safe and delicious products. Over the past several years, the gluten-free community has grown rapidly and actively shaped the landscape by demanding high-quality products to suit their needs. With the GFF campaign, Udi's seeks to further connect the gluten-free community with tools, recipes and support for maintaining a healthy and gluten-free lifestyle.

"We want to make GFF the credo of the gluten-free community," says Denise Sirovatka, Udi's vice president of marketing. "GFFs help those new to living gluten-free, and veterans alike, sustain a joyful lifestyle."

Through a shared spirit of joy for gluten-free living, consumers have formed robust communities – both online and offline – to support one another. Today, there are more than 80 Gluten Intolerance Group branches in the US with more than 10,000 members. Online gluten-free communities show strength in numbers, too, with 232,229 average social conversations each month about gluten-free living on Facebook and Twitter. Udi's Gluten Free Foods boasts the largest Facebook community for gluten-free living, with more than 1 million Facebook "Likes".

An estimated 21 million people live with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, yet only 4.7 million people buy gluten-free products. While the gluten-free category has experienced considerable growth, millions more could be living happier, healthier lives if they were embodying the gluten-free lifestyle.