Campaign to make gluten free food more affordable and accessible​

We are on a mission to make gluten free food more affordable and accessible for people with coeliac disease. We’re calling on policy makers and the food industry to work with us to address the urgent challenges faced by the coeliac community and, in so doing, avoid a cost of living crisis becoming a future health crisis.   

What's the problem?

Today, too many people with coeliac disease are struggling to access the food they need to stay well. The gluten free diet is the only treatment for coeliac disease, yet it costs significantly more and its harder to find on the shelves. The cost of living crisis threatens to make this even worse. 

Our research found that:
image COL stat

  • The cheapest gluten free loaf of bread is 6.1 times more expensive than the cheapest gluten containing loaf, gram for gram  
  • 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’  
  • Almost 8 in 10 people struggled to afford gluten free products with those on the lowest incomes hit hardest by this additional cost 

And whilst NHS support on prescriptions remains in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it has increasingly come under threat in England, with nearly half of the population living in areas cut adrift from support. That’s why we launched our cost of living campaign.  

The campaign so far...

In March 2023 we launched our cost of living 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 provided a snapshot of the true cost of maintaining a gluten free diet and confirmed the shocking additional cost of gluten free staple products.

Building on that work, we asked our community to help us gather more information 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.

The campaign has been covered in national and regional press and the issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament. Thousands have written to their local MPs and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and over 22,000+ people signed our petition to protect gluten free prescriptions for those with coeliac disease. In March 2025, we handed the petition into 10 Downing Street as part of day of action in Parliament that saw patients, healthcare professionals and politicians come together to urge action on this issue.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far and for being part of this amazing effort! 

You can read our 2023 and 2024 reports below: 

What’s next 

Our day of action in Parliament was an enormous milestone for the campaign and we’d like to thank everyone who joined us on the day and all those of you who have supported the campaign. But our visit to Number 10 is not the end of the journey! We are liaising with the Government and hope to be able to share positive developments with you soon as we seek to tackle this postcode lottery. In the meantime, we will also continue to work with contacts in industry, so that we can ensure everyone has access to the affordable gluten free staples products they need to stay well.  Keep your eyes peeled for exciting new updates on the campaign—we’ll be sure to update you every step of the way! 

How you can get involved 

Our voice is only as strong as the community we represent and our initial success in raising awareness of the cost, access and availability of gluten free food has only been because of your incredible support. Thank you! If you haven't already, here's how you can get involved: 

COL page tell your story image1. Share your story

We want to know how maintaining a gluten free diet is affecting you financially on a day-to-day basis, how you are coping with the rising cost of your food shop and if you are currently receiving prescription support to access gluten free food or have had prescription support withdrawn in your area. Share your story on social media and tag us or fill out the form below.  

Tell your story

2. Shout about itCOL image webpage

Use our letter templates to make change at a higher level:  

Find out if you have access to gluten free staples on prescription in your area using our postcode tool here

Are you struggling financially?  

If you’re struggling, we would recommend approaching your GP, as the ultimate decision on whether to prescribe gluten free products is down to your GP and some areas have exceptionality policies that can allow for support in individual cases where there is a clinical need. Beyond this, we also have some information on managing a gluten free diet on a budget which you can access below and may be of help. More generally, you may find Turn2us helpful. The charity helps people to gain access to financial support in times of hardship and may have information that’s of interest.

 

Seven day meal planSeven Day Meal Plan – your budget meal booklet   

Helpful hints on how to eat well gluten free on a budget.

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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/ 

How can I access the Cost of living reports?

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/ 

What is the petition and how can I sign it?

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  

How do I know if I have access to prescriptions?

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   

Why is gluten free more expensive?

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