Celiacs must assume an additional 1,087.72 euros per year for the purchase of gluten-free foods, a figure that, according to Aaron Santana, president of the Federation of Celiac Associations of Spain (FACE), “has not been reached for more than ten years.” years”. This is reflected in the new cost report released by this organization, for which they have collected information on the January 2024 sales price of 21 types of products with and without gluten from five hypermarket chains.
After comparing breads, pastas, breakfast cereals, cookies, pizzas or croquettes with and without gluten, they have observed that the set of specific products for celiacs analyzed cost 167.57 euros more than in 2023. According to the analysis, the most expensive are, In this order, Christmas products (3.54 euros per 100 grams), wafer-type cookies (2.84 euros), cereal bars (2.73 euros) and toasted bread (2.01 euros).
Said this way, it may seem that they are not excessive prices, but things change if we compare the cost of these products suitable for celiacs with their gluten-free counterparts. For example, if gluten-free cereal bars cost 2.73 euros per 100 grams (a package is usually around 150 grams, meaning it can easily reach 4 euros), the same gluten-free food would cost 1 .24 euros per 100 grams (1.86 euros if the weight of the product is 150 grams).
This price difference is similar in the rest of the products analyzed, which makes the shopping basket of a celiac patient 22.66 euros per week, 90.64 euros per month and 1,087.72 euros per year more expensive than that of a person who buys the same items with gluten. These figures, FACE warns, can double and even triple in homes where there is more than one member with celiac disease.
Without a doubt, it is a challenge for families with fathers, mothers and/or children with celiac disease, “especially for those who are going through economic difficulties, who sometimes stop buying gluten-free products due to their high cost,” explains Santana. In some cases they even choose to consume foods with gluten despite their celiac disease, “which in the long term has been related to serious health problems, such as colon cancer,” she warns.
Celiacs must also deal with the prices of restaurants and bars, where a sandwich made with gluten-free bread can easily reach four euros. “In some places where they serve a menu, they charge you for bread separately, and in the cafeterias the high prices of gluten-free sweets are very noticeable,” adds the president of FACE.
And all this without help. Because although the different celiac associations in Spain have been asking for them for years, they have not been able to get the State to listen to them. A situation that occurs while the mutualists of the Social Institute of the Armed Forces (Isfas), attached to the Ministry of Defense, and the beneficiaries of the General Mutuality of State Civil Servants (Muface), dependent on the Ministry of Finance, who suffer from celiac disease yes they receive them.
“This makes us feel discriminated against,” laments Aaron Santana, who insists that he does not think it is bad that Muface and Isfas receive this aid, but he does not understand why it is not extended to the rest of the population. “The answer from the Government is always no. We only ask that we be on par with our environment, because in other European countries support has been provided to celiacs for years.”
From FACE, they ask that different types of aid be explored, such as making tax deductions in the full personal income tax of people with celiac disease or providing direct allocations to those who suffer from this disease. But despite having recently met with the Ministry of Finance, no solution is offered. “They have called us to other ministries. But we will continue fighting and knocking on doors until they listen to us,” he concludes.
