Gluten-free basics ‘now a luxury’ as price of a small branded loaf nears £4

Gluten-free versions of everyday staples such as bread and biscuits are becoming a luxury, with shoppers complaining that a “decent” small loaf now costs nearly £4. Consumers have always paid a premium for these specialist foods, making any price increases a source of concern, particularly for people who follow a gluten-free diet for medical reasons. While a standard 800g loaf of supermarket white bread can still be bought for less than £1, a smaller (550g) gluten-free equivalent typically costs about £1.90. Branded products are even pricier: a 480g Promise gluten-free loaf is now £3.90 in many shops. “A decent gluten-free loaf now regularly costs about £4,” says Alison Peters, who runs the website Coeliac Sanctuary . “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.” Before the Iran war started, UK food price increases were slowing down after a jump following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The cost of food and drink rose at about 3% in the year to April, but the economic disruption from the war could see this figure reach almost 10% by the end of the year. Peters, who has coeliac disease herself and whose website offers advice and resources for sufferers, fears that gluten-free food is “becoming a luxury rather than an essential medical diet for managing a lifelong autoimmune disease”. …