High cost of gluten-free foods called ‘unfair’

It is “not fair” that people who need gluten-free foods for health reasons have to pay more for their basic necessities, according to a woman with coeliac disease.

Cerys Davage, 22, said that with no specific treatment for the condition, the only way to deal with it was to follow a strict gluten-free diet – but this came at an extra cost.

A report by the charity Coeliac UK found that sufferers had paid around 35% more for their weekly shopping during the cost of living crisis.

Celiac disease causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea and is caused by an abnormal reaction of the immune system to the gluten protein found in foods such as bread, pasta, cereals and biscuits.

Cerys, whose two sisters Cadi and Beca also have the condition, said being able to get gluten-free food on prescription in Wales had been a huge financial help to their family.

“Food is much more expensive and especially in the context of the cost of living crisis it’s not fair to people who still need to eat and have to pay extra,” she told BBC Cymru Fyw.

She said she tries to “avoid buying things like gluten-free bread or pasta all the time” to cut costs.

Cerys was diagnosed with coeliac disease at the age of seven and had struggled to eat since she was a baby as certain foods made her ‘sick’.

The Ceeliac UK report states that seven in ten people feel that buying gluten-free foods “negatively affects their quality of life” due to the cost and availability of products.

The study found that the average cost of gluten-free foods compared to gluten-containing foods, gram for gram, between March 2022 and March 2024, showed that breads were 4.5 times more expensive, rolls 3.1 times more expensive and plain flour, pasta and cereals twice as expensive.

“Being able to get the necessary foods on prescription has been very important to us and has saved our family a lot of money to keep us healthy,” Cerys said.

“We were very lucky to have some pretty basic but essential things.”

Maisy Williams, 23, from Abergavenny, said doing her weekly shop had been costly and time-consuming since she was diagnosed with the condition in 2018, following a period of depression, fatigue and weight loss.

Even though she was able to get a gluten-free food prescription, she said, “Sometimes you still have to go to five different supermarkets because what you want isn’t there.”

“People don’t understand how serious it can be… but also mentally it’s made me more anxious about eating out, I don’t like the attention,” Maisy added.

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