Living a gluten free life in 2025 is much easier in some ways than it has been in the past, with greater choice in supermarkets. There have been great strides made in recent years, with a wider selection of products available in supermarkets and other stores, not just in specialist shops. You’ll find better labelling to meet regulations and provide peace of mind to customers. However, in some ways it is worse, as there are fewer ICB’s offering gluten free prescriptions. Depending on the part of the UK you live in, whether prescriptions are available and your choice of gluten free products will differ.
How do I find gluten free products?
There has been a great shift in how people search for gluten free products in the UK. Whereas once it was difficult to find even basic products that were gluten free, these days there is such a breadth of choice available for gluten free products. You can find everything that you need, and have a choice in brands and taste, not just have one thing forced on you through necessity.
Specialist shops and brands still stock solely gluten free products, but you will also find gluten free items in every supermarket and many other stores. In fact, instead of just a small aisle or section of an aisle in a supermarket being labelled gluten free, you’ll spot that gluten free alternatives to products are found in different areas of the store.
Looking at gluten free labels
Labelling is important for all types of food. EU legislation regarding gluten free food brought in specific standards that were kept in the UK post-Brexit. In the UK, food can only be labelled as ‘gluten free’ if it contains no more than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This standard is set for both pre-packaged foods and gluten free foods that are served in restaurants.
gluten free prescriptions
One of the best things that people who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease can do is check whether they are eligible for gluten free on prescription. Over recent years, there has been an increase in the diagnosis of coeliac disease.
Depending on your location within the UK, you may be eligible for certain items on prescription. If you live in England, you may be able to receive gluten free bread and flour mixes (be aware that not all areas in England offer gluten free prescriptions). If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland there is a wider range of different products available on prescription, such as gluten free bread, pasta, crackers, pizza bases, and much more. Some manufacturers also offer free sample boxes when you are first diagnosed, helping you to see what is available to you when you are considering gluten free products on prescription.
A bright future for gluten free
As you can see in this article, there is a bright future for those with coeliac disease. Alongside gluten free food on prescription for some, there is a much wider selection of gluten free products on the market today. In most major supermarkets, there is a range of gluten free products that would have been unheard of even a decade ago, when it really was still a specialist small area within specialist shops and some supermarkets.
