In a new report The Gluten Free Diet: What does it cost and why does it matter? 2024 Update, Coeliac UK presents the findings of a research study comparing the prices of gluten free products and their gluten containing equivalents across major UK supermarkets.
The research also highlights findings from the Coeliac UK cost and availability supermarket survey which recorded over 1,000 shopping trips from the community.
While overall food inflation has reduced over the past two years, the report shows that those with coeliac disease – for whom it is essential they maintain a gluten free diet to stay well – are still facing a huge additional burden both in terms of cost and availability.
The latest findings show that:
- the cheapest gluten free loaf remains more than six times as expensive as gluten containing equivalent
the weekly food shop suitable for a gluten free diet can be as much as 35% more expensive
- 7 in 10 people find shopping gluten free ‘adversely affects their quality of life’
- Because of the substantial cost of gluten free food, people with coeliac disease are opting to risk consuming gluten, potentially jeopardising their health as a result. 4% of people are actively eating gluten despite health risks due to cost concerns and nearly a third (27%) are opting to eat products with ‘may contain’ statements for the same reason.
- almost 8 in 10 people struggled to afford gluten free products
- analysing the average cost of gluten free food compared to gluten containing food gram for gram from March 2022 to March 2024, Coeliac UK found that:
- Bread loaves are 4.5 times more expensive
- Plain flour is 2.0 times more expensive
- Bread Rolls are 3.1 times more expensive
- Pasta is 2.0 times more expensive
- Crackers are 1.7 times more expensive
- Cereals are 2.1 times more expensive
This new report shows that the reality for too many people across the UK with coeliac disease is that the food that keeps them well is too expensive and hard to access.
What are we doing to help?
We’re calling on the next UK Government and the food industry to do more for people with coeliac disease to ensure they can both afford and access gluten free food to help maintain their health.
We are asking our community to help us do this by pledging their support – you can find out more about how to pledge, our asks of the UK Government and the food industry and read the latest report in full here.
* Based on the Minimum Income Standard. For more details visit https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/crsp/minimum-income-standard/