Wales to roll out subsidy cards to help reduce cost of gluten-free food | Gluten-free

People with celiac disease and gluten intolerance in Wales will be eligible for a prepaid card designed to help the cost of specialized foods.

Debit style grant cards will be deployed in a first in the United Kingdom this fall, Welsh government announced on Friday. The objective program is to give people with conditions such as celiac disease and herpetitive dermatitis access to a wider range of gluten -free food in supermarkets and online, rather than relying on the prescriptions of a pharmacy.

The money will be added to the cards every three months and the amount of each patient will vary and will be regularly examined. The new system should be “neutral costs,” the Welsh government said in a statement.

The secretary of the Welsh office for health and social care, Jeremy Miles, said: “For people living with celiac disease, following a strict gluten -free diet is not a choice of lifestyle but a medical necessity. The program will help reduce administrative charges on GPS and pharmacies, while promoting more effective use of NHS resources. ”

About one in 100 people in the United Kingdom suffer from a celiac disease, but only 36% with the disease in Wales were medically diagnosed, according to the Caliac UK charitable.

The disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which leads the body to attack its own tissues and altered absorption of nutrients. Symptoms include bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and ulcers. In serious cases, this can lead to osteoporosis, nervous problems, infertility and the small intestine cancer.

The only treatment of the chronic state is a strictly gluten -free diet, which, according to Caliac UK, can add up to 35% to food bills.

The new card program has been tested over five years by the Hywel DDA University Health Board, which covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Cherylee Barker, 54, of Narbeth in the Pembrokeshire, participated in the pilot and received £ 42 every three months for the cost of gluten -free food. “I received a diagnosis of celiac disease in 2007 and I quickly realized that maintaining a gluten-free diet would be expensive, with limited purchase options and feeding choices of flight,” she said.

“I jumped at the opportunity to join the pilot. I could try new products without feeling financially stretched and regain control of my diet. The card allows me to buy the food I want and make better lifestyle choices. ”

The people of Wales who receive free -free -free foods will have the opportunity to continue with the old system, similar to that in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.