We understand having coeliac disease is not a choice, and that under its constitution, the NHS should be providing a comprehensive services available to all and that access is based on clinical need and not an ability to pay. This is what we are arguing for.

However, the government is insisting that savings must be made within the NHS. As the government has made a decision that gluten free food is an area where efficiencies can be found, we need to present strong arguments that show patient need and how prescribing can be more efficient. We have done this by presenting options for improved NHS procurement and management.

If we fail to convince the government of the validity of our arguments, we must be prepared to say that there are some very vulnerable patients whose health will be at risk if clinical discretion is not allowed.  

We no longer list fast food restaurants in the Food and Drink Guide. We have a separate resource, the Venue Guide, which lists restaurants that are able to cater for people with coeliac disease. Visit www.coeliac.org.uk/venueguide

Allergen information for McDonalds and Burger King can be found on their websites.

We don’t have information on own brand products from Booths, Budgens, Iceland or Lidl.  If you would like information on the gluten free products sold in these supermarkets, please contact their customer services team directly. If you are unsure whether you can eat a particular product you can check the label. For more information on reading labels please visit www.coeliac.org.uk/labels.

Booths
0800 221 8707
www.booths.co.uk

Budgens
0800 298 0758
www.budgens.co.uk

Iceland
0800 328 0800
www.iceland.co.uk

Lidl
0800 977 7766
www.lidl.co.uk

There are two Sections because of new legislation which came into effect in January 2012.  Read more about the law here.

Section 1 lists foods that comply with this legislation and Section 2 lists foods that are made without gluten containing ingredients. For more information on how the Sections work, see the introduction pages at the front of each Section of the Directory on pages 10 and 161.

Even when cereal that contains gluten is used as an ingredient, all spirits are distilled during the manufacturing process and this process removes any trace of gluten. Therefore, all spirit drinks ( including malt whisky which is made from barely) are safe for people with coeliac disease.

Some foods are naturally gluten free. Foods like meat, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables are all naturally gluten free and so listing these in the Guide would mean the Guide would be unnecessarily large. We list foods on page 6 of the Guide which are naturally gluten free and produce a gluten free checklist which you may find useful. You can download this from the Gluten free diet and lifestyle section of the website. www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-checklist.

It is important to make sure the Food and Drink Guide is kept up to date. Products do change and many new products are added throughout the year. Our Food and Drink Information and mobile app are updated in real time however monthly updates to the Food and Drink Guide hard copy can also be found:

• on our website www.coeliac.org.uk, ‘Food & drink Updates’
• by following the link on our monthly electronic newsletter

Section 2 listed foods made without gluten-containing ingredients and the manufacturers have controls in place to minimise the risk of cross contamination with gluten-containing ingredients.

You will find the following types of foods in Section 2:

• Everyday foods you find on the supermarket shelves such as soups, sauces and ready meals made without gluten containing ingredients
• Supermarket own brand foods.

In England, health policy is localised and in the last 12 months we have taken legal action where a CCG policy presented a blanket ban on gluten free prescribing. Once the results of the consultation are known we will consider next steps. The grounds for making a legal challenge may be very restricted if the implementation of change follows the law on the required consultation approach and appropriate changes in the regulations.