Are supermarkets ripping you off with gluten free foods?
13% of shoppers now avoid gluten free foods which is found in wheat, barley and rye, while two thirds have bought at least one product.
Channel 4 exposed this during one of their TV shows and I was shocked at just how many supermarkets charge for special gluten free foods.
Us customers are paying huge mark-up for stores’ gluten-free ranges while similar unlabelled foods are much cheaper.
C4 uncovered price jumps between sauces, soups and crackers and regular equivalents that do not naturally include the protein.
Tesco charges £1.40 for its Free From plain wholegrain rice cakes, while lightly salted ones, also without gluten, cost 90p
And while its 460g Free From ketchup costs £1.20, its regular sauce which also does not include the protein was just 65p.
Photo from The Sun’s article about this story
Supershoppers, which you can see this Monday at 8.30pm, found it was a mark-up of nearly 85 per cent.
Meanwhile Sainsbury’s 300g Free From juicy tomato and basil soup is £1.50.
But a 400g regular tomato and basil soup costs just 50p, a huge 300% mark-up.
And the store’s 300g Free From massala sauce costs £1.50, but a 500g jar of regular sauce, which also has no gluten, is 95p.
Photo from The Sun’s article about this story
Sainsbury’s last night said its free-from food is pricier as it is produced to much higher regulations so it is safe for severely-allergic coeliac sufferers.
Tesco added the cost was down to factors including different production processes, ingredients and “rigorous testing on behalf of our customers”.
Photo from The Sun’s article about this story
But what do you think? Should we be paying these huge mark ups for these special products?
Let me know over on my Facebook page, Ashleigh Money Saver.
