Gluten-free food voucher benefit scheme to be cut

Gluten-free food voucher benefit scheme to be cut

Currently more than 400 people receive about £670 a year under a scheme launched in the 1990s which costs the Island just short of £270,000 annually.

But now the government has written to recipients asking them to confirm whether they suffer from either coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis – a chronic skin disorder. Those who are diagnosed with either of these conditions can continue to receive the vouchers, but those who do not will have their benefits cut.

One Islander, 29-year-old Katy Fox, who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis about six years ago, is due have her subsidies removed. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the digestive system.

Miss Fox, an advertising executive, said that switching to a gluten-free diet made her realise how unwell she had been feeling because of her illness.

Although she will continue with her gluten-free diet despite the subsidy cuts, she says such products are expensive.

‘Once I stopped eating gluten, I was getting out of bed feeling so energised,’ she said. ‘With the vouchers, everything gluten-free that I bought was covered by that. It’s £14 a week, which is £56 a month or about £672 a year.

‘It would not be so bad if gluten-free food was not so expensive. It could be a problem for people out there who struggle and have conditions that benefit from eating a gluten-free diet.’

Asked why changes were being made, the group director of customer operations for the Customer and Local Services Department, Stephen Jackson, said that when the scheme was introduced it was only intended for people with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis who relied on foods free from gluten.

The scheme was expanded in the 2000s to allow GPs to nominate patients with other conditions to receive the vouchers.

Mr Jackson said: ‘This did not form part of the intention of the original scheme and steps have been taken over the past two years to return the scheme to its original purpose. Coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis are identified for support under this scheme, as they are the only conditions which require a lifelong gluten-free diet for their long-term management.

‘A gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment for these diseases. People with these conditions, once definitively diagnosed, must rigorously adhere to a gluten-free diet throughout their lifetime in order to avoid serious long-term medical problems.

‘For a period, the application process allowed claimants with a broader range of medical conditions to receive the vouchers. The scheme has now returned to its original remit.’

Miss Fox added: ‘From a medical point of view it is not a requirement for me to eat gluten-free foods. I am taking a medication at the moment that really suppresses the symptoms, but I am sure that if I was to start eating gluten again I would feel rubbish. I would not say it’s the main reason I feel healthier, but it has certainly had a really positive impact.’

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –