Jersey residents with coeliac disease struggle with higher prices for gluten-free food

Karen must follow a medically prescribed gluten-free diet to avoid severe health issues, but struggles to pay for her groceries that can be double the price of wheat items. Credit: ITV Channel

Jersey residents living with Coeliac Disease are calling for more government support and subsidies.

It comes after Jersey’s Food Allergy Conference raised awareness of the difficulties those living with food intolerances face, with people with coeliac disease coming forward to speak on the financial pressures their condition can bring.

Karen follows a medically prescribed gluten-free diet, explaining that small quantities of wheat items can have severe consequences.

She says: "I usually have about 15 to 20-minute pockets where I will fall quite seriously ill.

"I suffer with a very bad, upset stomach and also severe migraines which will last for about two to three days."

While Karen says she would be "lost" without a Jersey government subsidy for her gluten-free shopping, she still struggles with financial pressures.

She explains: "I'm absolutely thrilled that my money's come in - it's happy days - but it soon adds up and there it isn't a lot."

Coeliac islanders can receive around £56 a month for their shopping, but some say this barely sees them through the week. Credit: ITV Channel

A recently updated Coeliac UK report found that UK residents with coeliac disease are paying up to 35% more for a weekly food shop suitable for a gluten-free diet.

They also found that 77% of people struggled to afford gluten-free products.

According to Jersey Consumer Council statistics, the average price for gluten-free products can double compared to the prices of their wheat counterparts:

Social Security Minister Deputy Lyndsay Feltham says anyone diagnosed with Coeliac Disease or Dermatitis Herpertiformis can receive government gluten-free food subsidies.

She explains: "The subsidy is provided by way of vouchers that can be redeemed at multiple supermarkets across the Island and equate to £728 per annum (£56 every four weeks).

"The relative high cost of gluten-free food has reduced since the scheme was first introduced in the 1990s, with gluten-free foods also now being far more widely available.

"The Government completed a periodic review of price comparisons of gluten-free products earlier this year to ensure that the subsidy is sufficient considering current prices."

Karen believes the government could go further, explaining: "What [the government] need to remember is this is an illness. It's not somebody someone saying "Do you know what? I fancy gluten-free food." I don't fancy gluten-free food. Believe me.

"I have to eat gluten-free food. I have no choice."

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