UK households are being warned that gluten-free basics are "now a luxury" as small branded loaves of bread approach the £4 price mark. The warning comes as a 480g Promise gluten-free loaf reaches £3.90 in many shops, including Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Rising costs hit coeliac patients hard
Alison Peters, who runs the website Coeliac Sanctuary, told the Guardian newspaper: "A decent gluten-free loaf now regularly costs about £4. Promise bread is now £3.90 in Tesco and Sainsbury's. Even the supermarket own-brand gluten-free bread is often about £2 a loaf."
She fears that gluten-free food is "becoming a luxury rather than an essential medical diet for managing a lifelong autoimmune disease". Peters highlighted the financial burden on families: "If you have children with coeliac disease or multiple coeliacs within one household, which is common due to genetics, the costs add up incredibly quickly. A family could easily go through several loaves of bread a week alone."
Smaller products, higher prices
Peters also pointed out that gluten-free products are frequently smaller as well as more expensive. "A gluten-free loaf is considerably smaller, while cereal boxes contain less product, meaning people are paying significantly more for less food," she said. "While there are understandably additional costs involved in gluten-free production, such as specialist facilities, these are prices many coeliacs simply cannot afford."
Kiti Soininen, head of UK food and drink research at market research company Mintel, said: "In April, nearly six in 10 consumers (59%) told us that rising supermarket prices were affecting them, which means more shoppers are thinking twice about pricier, specialist products like gluten-free."
She added: "There are also signs this is feeding through to what's available on shelves. Gluten-free products now make up a smaller share of new food launches than they did a few years ago. They fell from 19% in 2019 to 12% in 2025."
Manufacturer response
A spokesperson for Doves Farm Foods said: "We work hard to keep our gluten-free flour as affordable as possible, as we know many people rely on these products every day. While retailers set their own shelf prices, Freee gluten-free flour remains widely available at between £1.84 and £1.95 in most major supermarkets."
