Wales to offer subsidy cards to help coeliacs with cost of gluten-free food

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

- Bethan McKernan

The debit-style subsidy cards will be distributed in a UK-first this autumn, the Welsh government said yesterday. The scheme aims 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.

Money will be added to cards every three months and the amount will vary and be regularly reviewed. The new system is expected to be "cost neutral", the Welsh government said in a statement.