Higher cost of gluten-free products compared to gluten-containing equivalents is mainly attributed to staple foods

Abstract

The high cost of gluten-free products (GFPs) is being discussed as a potential barrier to adherence to a gluten-free diet, rendering monitoring of their pricing an ongoing demand in a market subject to continuous fluctuations. The current study aimed to assess the current pricing status of GFPs in the Greek retail market, with a focus on differences between staple and non-staple foods. The retail price and packaging weight of all available GFPs and their gluten-containing (GCPs) counterparts of a GFP-shopping basket (formulated based on the results of a preceding online survey) were recorded by visiting one store of the five most popular reported supermarket chains. The food categories were grouped into staple (e.g. breads, pasta and flours) and non-staple (e.g. chips, sweets and sauces) foods. Adjusting for supermarket chain and product type, a quantile mixed regression model was applied to assess the extent to which median product price (per 100 g) differed between GFPs and GCPs. The unique products recorded were 1058 (of which 408 GFPs), with a total of 2165 retail price recordings. While the overall median price/100 g of GFPs was not found to be significantly different from that of GCPs, the median price of staple GFPs was estimated to be higher than staple GCPs (+€1.03 [95% CI: €0.93; €1.13] per 100 g), whilst that of non-staple GFPs was slightly lower (−€0.20 [95% CI: −€0.37; −€0.02] per 100 g). In conclusion, the persisting higher cost of staple GFPs suggests the need for ongoing financial support for people with coeliac disease.