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/ 

You can access our reports here:  

2023 Report: www.coeliac.org.uk/document-library/7436-coeliac-uk-cost-of-living-report/  

2024 Report: www.coeliac.org.uk/document-library/9192-2024-cost-of-living-report/ 

Coeliac UK knows gluten free staple substitutes play a crucial role in supporting people with coeliac disease to stay healthy, yet they are significantly more expensive and harder to find available on the shelves than gluten containing equivalents.  

For years, the NHS has been instrumental in supporting those with coeliac disease by providing access to gluten free food on prescription. However, recent changes in Integrated Care Board (ICB) policies and uncertainties surrounding government funding jeopardise this vital support system. Whilst this funding remains in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, across England, many ICBs have taken the decision to withdraw much needed provision often based on faulty evidence and ignoring the views of the public on the impact of removal.  

We cannot stand by while patients with coeliac disease are left without the support they need to stay healthy. It's time to hold the Government accountable for safeguarding the health and wellbeing of vulnerable members of our community.  

Join us in calling on the UK Government to uphold its commitment to health equality and ensure that those with coeliac disease have access to the gluten free food they need to thrive. Sign our petition to make it clear to the Government that protecting access to gluten free food on NHS prescription is invaluable for keeping people with coeliac disease safe and well. Help us get to 10,000 signatures so we can take the petition direct to the Government and make our voices heard.  

You can sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/act-now-to-protect-critical-nhs-prescription-support-for-those-with-coeliac-disease  

Please note when you sign the petition, you’ll need to add your name and email address and you’ll be sent an email to confirm your signature. Be sure to click the button on the email or your signature won’t be added!  

Please also note if you choose to ‘Chip in’ when you sign the petition, the money will go to change.org. If you'd like to support Coeliac UK please visit www.coeliac.org.uk/appeal  

If your doctor has diagnosed you with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis, you might be able to access gluten free staple foods on prescription. If you live in an eligible area, your GP can write a prescription for gluten free staple food which you can collect from your pharmacist, just like getting medicine on prescription. Find out if you have access to gluten free staples on prescription in your area using our postcode tool here   

There are several factors that may influence the price of gluten free food products and Coeliac UK continues to invite those industry partners who have yet to engage with the charity to join with us to tackle this issue. Factors that can influence the price of gluten free food include: 
 
Production: to ensure that gluten free food is produced to a high standard, and with no risk of cross contamination, there are increased costs involved in the production process and the production environment itself. Gluten free production also often requires different machinery and processes in order to mimic the qualities of gluten in bread.  

Batch sizes: gluten free foods are manufactured in smaller quantities as the demand for them is less than that for gluten containing and this has associated increased cost. The smaller the volumes, the larger some of these costs can be. 

Gluten testing: costs are involved in analysing products to make sure the gluten content is below the legal threshold for making a gluten free claim, which is no more than 20 parts per million of gluten. 

Product development: there are challenges to removing gluten from products and manufacturers explore and invest in new technologies, recipes, and methods. 

Ingredients: gluten free products are often made with a larger combination of ingredients, compared with gluten containing equivalents, to achieve the similar product characteristics of those made with the gluten containing grains wheat, barley, and rye, such as bread, crackers and breakfast cereals. These alternative ingredients are generally more expensive, and often have to be sourced from other parts of the world, which influences the cost of the gluten free product. 

Packaging: segregated packaging areas and differences in shelf life also have an impact on cost. 

Transport, distribution and retail: there are a number of further costs associated with getting the product from the factory floor to the supermarket shelf. This includes transport, labour, logistics and supply chain costs.  

For an insight into what goes into manufacturing gluten free staples products, the charity spoke to gluten free manufacturer, Warburtons in our recent blog