The runaway inflation that food has suffered in recent months has put many families in check who have to juggle to fill a very expensive supermarket basket. And in the case of homes where celiacs live, the situation is even worse. According to a price report published at the beginning of the year by the Federation of Celiac Associations of Spain (FACE), those who suffer from this disease (between 1 and 2% of Spaniards) invest an average of €538.98 more in the purchase of food. "And they fall short," lament Francesc Castelló (65 years old) and his daughter Marta (29 years old), both celiacs. "Only with bread, spending goes up a lot. A loaf of peasants can be worth 6 euros, that is if it is not industrial, which is not cheap either."
Specific products suitable for celiacs can cost more than twice as much as those that contain gluten. It is clearer with an example: according to FACE, if a normal loaf of bread is around €0.58 per 100 gr, one suitable for celiacs is €1.23. "If a Spanish family spends €4,000 a year on food, in homes where there is only one celiac this investment reaches a minimum of €4,600 a year," says Aarón Santana, president of FACE.
Until now, celiacs have not received financial aid from the Government. Although the reduction in VAT on food that occurred in January also affected gluten-free bread, flour and pasta, people with this pathology do not consider it sufficient. Francesc and Marta Castelló say they have not noticed this tax cut, just like María Rosa Mirada (40 years old), who, although she is the only celiac at home, usually cooks gluten-free pasta for both herself and her children. "I stopped comparing the prices of celiac foods with the rest a long time ago. I would always be angry," she says.
From FACE they explain that when the drop in VAT on specific foods occurred, they received the measure in a bittersweet manner. Above all, because at the moment it will only be active until June. "It should not be temporary. We want this drop to continue. Gluten-free products are part of the basic diet of celiacs, they should not be a luxury. They are our medicine," insists Santana, who chairs both FACE and the Celiac Association of the Province of Las Palmas (ASOCEPA). "There are families that cannot bear the cost and abandon the celiac diet. Or that are forced to go to the food bank to have basic products, and then spend their money on specific ones. They do fancy things," she laments.
The celiacs interviewed for this report have not yet found themselves in this situation, but they explain that they have to limit the purchase of some products to reduce spending. "What is not essential, such as pastries, we do not buy. And many times we decide on the industrial bread from the supermarket because the bakery is very expensive," say Francesc and Marta. "We also usually ask a relative who lives in Zaragoza to bring us gluten-free bread. We know a store there where the prices are more affordable, and it's very good, but since we're from Barcelona we can't go regularly." María Rosa Mirada also thinks about it when she wants to buy a product that is not bread or pasta. "I haven't indulged myself in a long time, I only buy the essentials," she says.
The only solution to this problem, they admit from FACE, is financial aid. They propose several options, such as maintaining the VAT drop on specific products, making tax deductions in the full personal income tax for people with celiac disease or providing purchase checks. These are not very far-fetched proposals, taking into account that in many European states such as Ireland, France or Belgium some already apply (in fact Spain is one of the few countries in the eurozone that does not give any support to this group).
"Nothing is done, it's as if we didn't exist", say Francesc and Marta, who see it as very necessary for some of these actions to be implemented as soon as possible. "It is very unfair, we pay for these foods as if they were a luxury and they really are a necessity," defends María Rosa Mirada. "Celiacs do not have pills or syrups to treat our pathology. Taking these products is the only remedy," adds Aarón Santana.
It is also claimed that foods are labeled more clearly so that celiacs do not doubt whether they can eat them or not, or that specific products are not so processed and appetizing. "The quality is not the same. Many starches are used that are not nutritious," says Santana.
Another pending issue is that more food options are provided in the hospitality industry. "If you are celiac, you cannot improvise and go to any restaurant, because many do not have dishes for you. You condition the people who go with you, who seem to not quite understand you and even treat you exaggeratedly. They do not understand that it is not a whim and that eating foods with gluten can harm us in the short and long term," laments Marta Castelló. "When you go out, in the end they end up offering you a simple salad, and they put croutons on top of it," adds Mirada.
All these problems make celiacs feel like second-class citizens. "When food prices rose so much, I couldn't help but think that for once the rest of the population would be in the same situation as us. I thought that perhaps it would make them understand us better," says Francesc Castelló, who still understands that It is not the fault of the standing citizens. And it is that on a day like today, International Celiac Day, many celiacs continue to feel misunderstood.
