Do you need to buy gluten-free bread or pasta for your child? In the United Kingdom, families affected by celiac disease are worried that they will soon have to pay for these essential products on their own. The public health service is in fact gradually reducing prescriptions. And for some households, the bill may become difficult to keep track of.
End of NHS gluten-free prescriptions, what changes for celiac patients?
In Cheshire and Merseyside, the British public health service, the NHS, asked residents for their opinion on ending these prescriptions. The consultation took place from January 28 to March 11, 2025. More than 1,000 people responded, 77% of whom had celiac disease.
Until now, around 2,300 people could obtain gluten-free bread or flour preparations on prescription. For the local NHS, this aid represented around 500,000 pounds per year, or almost 580,000 euros.
Since then, adults over the age of 18 can no longer obtain gluten-free bread on prescription in this region. For children, the prescriptions have been maintained temporarily, until November 28, 2025.
The objective stated by the authorities is twofold: to harmonize practices and reduce expenses. But for families, the question is much simpler: how much will they now have to pay to continue eating gluten-free?
A British study cited in NHS documents provides a first element of the answer. Without aid, households would have to spend on average an additional 11.32 pounds per month, or around 13 euros, to buy gluten-free products. For some, the increase would even reach 14.09 pounds, or almost 16 euros.
Celiac disease, why is gluten-free essential?
If you have celiac disease, you already know: gluten-free is not a diet that you choose to follow or not. It’s an obligation.
Once the diagnosis has been made, you must therefore review your entire diet. And above all, don’t deviate. For some families, the problem is therefore less about knowing what to eat than being able to buy the right products.
Because gluten-free foods are often more expensive than their classic counterparts. Bread, pasta, cookies or pizzas can quickly weigh down the shopping basket. And while some people can absorb this additional expense, others are especially concerned about families who cannot afford it.
When celiac disease also complicates children’s meals
The problem doesn’t stop at shopping. It is also used in the canteen, at friends’ houses or at a birthday party.
Many parents say that their children are sometimes mistaken for “picky eaters”. However, they must simply avoid gluten so as not to put their health at risk.
And for a child, having to watch others eat a pizza or a cake without being able to touch it is not always easy. Especially when the gluten-free version exists, but costs much more.
And in France?
In France, people with celiac disease must also follow a strict gluten-free diet, but adapted products generally remain more expensive than their classic equivalents. A situation which can also weigh on the budget of families, particularly when several members of the household are concerned.
The British example therefore poses a question that crosses borders: how can we enable people who must eliminate gluten from their diet to continue to do so without the price of products becoming a barrier?