'It's cheaper to ship gluten-free food from the UK'
#gluten-free #coeliac disease #Guernsey #food prices #UK shipping #dietary needs #prescription costs #cross-contamination
📌 Key Takeaways
- Guernsey mother finds cheaper to ship gluten-free food from UK than buy locally
- Limited availability and high prices of gluten-free products in Guernsey
- Debbie and her children require strict gluten-free diets due to coeliac disease
- Local authorities acknowledge issue but cite manufacturing costs for higher prices
📖 Full Retelling
A Guernsey mother with coeliac disease has revealed that it is cheaper to ship gluten-free food from the UK than to purchase it locally, as she calls for more affordable options and greater variety for her family's dietary needs. Debbie, a community healthcare assistant and mother of two, has been living with coeliac disease for over 20 years, along with her 11-year-old son Kian and 9-year-old daughter Riva-Mae, who also require gluten and dairy-free foods due to medical conditions. She explained that the limited selection and 'extortionate' prices of gluten-free products in Guernsey force her to visit multiple stores each week, consuming valuable time and financial resources. The situation has become so dire that a friend in the UK sends her a monthly box of gluten-free goods, which 'ends up being cheaper, even including the postage' compared to buying locally. Debbie emphasized the critical nature of their dietary restrictions, noting that even a crumb of gluten causes stomach aches and digestive issues for her and her daughter, while her son would physically get sick, requiring extreme measures to prevent cross-contamination in their own home.
🏷️ Themes
Healthcare costs, Food accessibility, Economic disparity
📚 Related People & Topics
Guernsey
English Channel island near Normandy
Guernsey ( GURN-zee; Guernésiais: Guernési) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located 27 miles (43 km) west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited islands – Alderney, Herm, Jethou, Lihou and ...
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Original Source
'It's cheaper to ship gluten-free food from the UK' 45 minutes ago Share Save Alex Osborne Guernsey Share Save A mum-of-two has said the choice of food in Guernsey to meet her family's gluten-free dietary needs is "limited" and the prices "extortionate". Debbie, a diagnosed-coeliac for more than 20 years, said she and two of her children were both gluten and dairy-free. The States of Guernsey said patients diagnosed with coeliac disease were able to obtain certain gluten-free foods on prescription. It added patients were referred to a dietitian and should consult Coeliac UK for further advice and support. The Channel Islands Co-op said it worked with suppliers "to keep prices as competitive as possible". The BBC also approached Waitrose for comment. Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The only treatment is a strict, gluten free diet. Debbie, a community healthcare assistant, emphasised the importance of adhering to a strict gluten-free diet for her 11-year-old son Kian and daughter Riva-Mae, 9. "For me and for Riva-Mae, we tend to get stomach aches and digestive issues if we even eat a crumb of gluten. My son would be physically sick," she said. "We've got to be very careful. So with things like butter, we've got a tub for me and the children. My husband's got a different one, so there's no cross-contamination. "We class ourselves as the normal ones and Dad's the odd one out." '£4.68 a loaf' Debbie said she needed to visit three or four different shops to get the weekly supplies which "took all morning" and the cost was much higher than regular products. "It seems supermarkets label foods with 'gluten-free' and add £2 to the price," she said. She said the only loaf of bread Kian would eat at one point was "£4.68 per loaf". "I find myself counting how many things they have in their lunchbox so we don't run out," said Debbie. She said a friend in the UK sent her a box of gluten-free goods e...
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