Frequently Asked Questions Find everything you need to know about coeliac disease, the gluten free diet and the work we do.
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I’m stuck – what do I do?
This is an incredibly important survey that will enable us to advocate for our community and make change, so if you have any questions please email advocacy@coeliac.org.uk and one of the team will help. Please note: we are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and will answer your email as soon as we’re able.
If you have trouble uploading your photos within the survey, you can email them to advocacy@coeliac.org.uk with information about which store, date, time and your unique code.
How do I complete the survey?
You can complete the survey on any device, but mobile is recommended for completions as you shop instore. Select the relevant version whether you’re shopping instore Cost and availability of gluten free foods in store (smartsurvey.co.uk) or online Cost and availability of gluten free foods online (smartsurvey.co.uk) and answer the questions as you shop.
The first time you do it you will need to set up a unique code and should take about 15 minutes for the first time you do it, but some questions only need to be answered the first time so it will get faster the more often you do it. There’s an option to upload photos within the survey and we encourage you to do this if you can as it will help us compile a comprehensive record of the environment.
TIP : The most useful shots to enable completion of the survey are one shot of the whole fixture, and close up shots of the shelves of bread loaves, flour mixes and pasta – including the price tags on the shelf edges. You can see some examples on this page in 1. Complete our Shopping Survey.
Can anyone help with research?
Members of Coeliac UK can opt in to be contacted about research and opportunities to get involved in research will be advertised on our website here: www.coeliac.org.uk/research/our-approach/recruiting-for-research
Members and non members are welcome to apply for research, but projects will have different inclusion and exclusion criteria such as: age, gender, location, length of diagnosis, etc., which may mean that some people are not suitable for particular projects.
If I have registered as being interested in research, must I participate?
No, participation is always voluntary. After you have received information about a research project you are not obliged to participate and if you do consider becoming involved, you also have the right to change your mind at any time.
How do you decide on which external research projects should be funded?
Research proposals are screened by our Policy, Research and Campaigns team for their completeness.
Our Research Awards Panel comprises of experts who make recommendations for funding, either autonomously or based on the feedback of experts external to the panel and the lay Member Review Panel. The selection of proposals for funding by our Research Awards Panel, is based strictly on peer review evaluation of scientific excellence and against the criteria of our Research Strategy.
Research must underpin our top ten research priorities
What is the Coeliac UK Research Conference?
Each year Coeliac UK holds a Research Conference for healthcare professionals to provide an update on the latest research and best practice. Previously the conference was held in London but for the last few years the conference has taken place virtually as a series of pre-recorded talks.
Who is able to view the talks from the Research Conference?
The talks are aimed at employees of the NHS involved in the diagnosis and/or management of patients with coeliac disease and/or gluten related conditions, plus academics, researchers or students who have an interest in coeliac disease, gluten related conditions and/or the gluten free diet.
Each talk will have a set of CPD questions, which you can complete for a certificate for your records.
The talks are available online for anyone to watch. Please find past recordings here: www.coeliac.org.uk/research/our-approach/research-conference/
I want to hold a fundraising event for Coeliac UK, where do I start?
Great, we're so happy that you want to do some fundraising for us!
Our Fundraising Pack is full of great ideas and tips to make your fundraising a success! Once you have decided on your event, get in contact with our Fundraising Team for fundraising material including t-shirts, collection boxes, banners, balloons, posters and many more materials to help make your event a success.
What is your Cost of living campaign?
Coeliac UK is on a mission to make gluten free food more affordable and accessible. Our aim is to highlight the additional challenges faced by the coeliac community and avoid a cost of living crisis becoming a future health crisis.
In March 2023 we launched the campaign with the publication of our report, 'The Gluten Free Diet: What does it cost and why does it matter?’ which highlighted the inequality of pricing for gluten free food for those that need it to maintain their health. The report intended to provide a snapshot of the true cost of maintaining a gluten free diet and confirmed the shocking additional cost of gluten free staple products and the wide lack of availability.
Building on that work, we asked our community to help us gather more information about cost and availability during their regular shopping trips. We had nearly 1,000 people take the time to share their experiences and published our second report in June 2024 with updated data, including the findings from this survey.
Since the campaign launched, nearly 5,000 of you have pledged your support to make gluten free food more affordable and accessible, with over 451 of the 5,000 people contacting their Integrated Care Board (ICB) and almost 1000 of the 5,000 people contacting their local MP directly to raise this important issue.
You can find out more about the campaign here: www.coeliac.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/cost-access-and-availability-of-gluten-free-food/