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

Coeliac UK says a gluten-free diet can add up to 35% to food bills. Photograph: Paula Solloway/Alamy

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

The debit-style subsidy cards will be rolled out in a UK-first this autumn, the Welsh government said on Friday. The scheme aims is to give people with conditions such as coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis access to a wider range of gluten-free food at supermarkets and online, rather than relying on prescriptions from a pharmacy.