Kettering mum calls for more gluten-free meal deals

Elliott, 10, has to eat gluten-free products as he has coeliac disease

A mum said a lack of supermarket meal deals on gluten free products meant her son was missing out.

Ten-year-old Elliott, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, has coeliac disease which means he has to completely avoid any food containing gluten.

His mum, Lisa, said gluten-free versions of food "are never on offer" and is calling for that to change.

The British Retail Consortium said the price of gluten-free products often reflected higher production costs.

Lisa told the BBC Elliott went out with his friends to a supermarket "to get one of their children's offer meals."

"I think kids eat for free, or a pound, but unfortunately there was nothing that Elliott could have."

She says that made him feel "a bit awkward," and she had to "go and get food elsewhere for him".

Lisa says her son Elliott felt "awkward" when he couldn't have food with his friends

Lisa said when the "normal version is on offer, the gluten-free option is never on offer".

She also described the challenge of affording staples during a cost of living crisis.

"You're looking at £3.60, £3.80 for a loaf of bread that only makes something like three sandwiches," she said.

"Gluten-free chicken nuggets or goujons, for 12 in a packet, it costs £4.20 whereas the normal ones cost about £2.50."

Her experience is backed up by charity Coeliac UK, which reports that a loaf of gluten-free bread is "on average 4.3 times more expensive" than a standard loaf.

It said a weekly gluten-free food shop can cost 20% more.

Tristan Humphreys, of Coeliac UK, said it heard from "concerned members who are struggling to afford to buy gluten-free food and worried about the impact this might have on their health".

"As food insecurity increases, the cost of living crisis could become a cost of health crisis for many," he added.

Coeliac UK is calling on policy makers and the food industry to "ensure those with coeliac disease can access the food they need to treat their condition".

The British Retail Consortium's Assistant Director of Food, Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, said retailers "have worked hard over the past few years to increase the availability of gluten-free alternatives".

"The price of these products will often reflect the higher costs of production involved," she added.

Lisa said she would like to see prescriptions brought back to help pay for more expensive gluten-free shopping.

"Prescriptions helped Elliott out a lot when he used to get bread, flour, pizza bases, pasta... but it is not available in Northamptonshire any more."

NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board said provision of a gluten-free food scheme ended in the county after NHS England stopped commissioning the service in September 2021.

"The gluten-free food supply was originally commissioned when access to gluten-free food was not readily available to purchase," a spokesperson said.

"However, products are now readily available in supermarkets and online."

The spokesperson added that the Northamptonshire CCG had since commissioned a "specialist dietitian" to support people with coeliac disease, and that they were "in a better position to support patients to manage their condition".

One piece of good news for Elliott is his local chippie has started serving gluten-free fish and chips on Fridays and Saturdays.

Owner of Ocean Bay Fish and Chips in Kettering, Cristina Lis, said it had been a popular move.

"We had customers coming from Northampton - people drove 25 minutes just to get our food," she said.

She admitted it was more expensive to provide the gluten-free options, and they do not pass on the cost to the customers.

"Unfortunately, it's costly because the food is cooked separately. We have to have a separate fryer."

"We are just trying to keep the customers happy. We know in our area, there are probably no fish and chip shops which are cooking gluten-free meals," she said.

Cristina Lis says they serve gluten free fish and chips to "keep the customers happy".