Celiac Canada urging Ottawa for better tax relief as gluten-free grocery costs soar

Gluten-free products are 150 to 500 per cent more expensive than regular products, Celiac Canada says, and with food inflation, one Winnipegger's bills have climbed even more.

Celiac Canada is urging the federal government to provide better tax relief for people with the autoimmune disease as the cost of gluten-free food soars due to inflation.

On her fixed income, Susan Finlay is sure to make every dollar count at the grocery store.

“This is the pension I have to live on for a long time, so I am very careful about looking. I look for sales. I look for deals,” she said.

Finlay, who lives in Winnipeg, was diagnosed with celiac disease more than 20 years ago.

The autoimmune disease affecting about one per cent of Canadians is without a cure or treatment, besides managing it with a lifelong gluten-free diet. Celiac disease damages the small intestine and could lead to serious health complications such as multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and type 1 diabetes when gluten is ingested.

“People who are diagnosed have difficulty getting food,” Finlay, who also volunteers with the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Celiac Association, told Global News on Sunday.

Finley often finds grocery stores and restaurants nearly sold out of options she can eat.

“And the price is really a big difference.”