This morning, we had the incredible opportunity to appear on BBC News to talk about something close to our hearts—the rising cost of eating gluten free. With the spotlight on the financial pressures faced by coeliacs and those with gluten intolerances, we only had a brief moment to share our thoughts. So we wanted to take a little more time here to explain why gluten free products often come with a higher price tag.
As a coeliac myself, I know how frustrating it can be to walk into a shop and see gluten free items costing significantly more than their ‘standard’ equivalents. When your health depends on avoiding gluten, it can feel incredibly unfair to have to pay a premium just to eat safely.
As both a coeliac and the owner of a gluten free bakery, I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at what drives the cost of gluten free baking—and why we believe it’s worth every penny, even as we constantly work to keep prices as accessible as possible.
1. Sourcing Safe Ingredients Is Harder Than You Think
Our bakery is not only gluten free, but also free of all 14 allergens. That means we go the extra mile to ensure that every ingredient we use comes with strict assurances: no contamination with gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs, or any other major allergens.
That drastically narrows our choice of suppliers. Finding the right flours in the right quantities, with the quality and safety standards we require, is difficult—and it comes at a cost.
2. Specialist Ingredients Come at a Premium
We use a variety of nutrient-rich ancient grains like sorghum, teff, millet, and brown rice. These aren’t as widely grown or milled as wheat, which makes them harder to source and more expensive.
To put it in perspective: sorghum flour from our supplier costs 68% more than organic whole wheat flour. Some of our other flours cost more than double. That alone has a huge impact on the final product price.
3. Even Naturally Gluten Free Foods Cost More
Take oats, for example. Oats are naturally gluten free, but unless they’re grown and processed in entirely gluten free environments, they risk contamination. That’s why gluten free oats can cost three times more—they require dedicated fields, separate processing facilities, and strict testing protocols.
4. Innovation Is Expensive (but essential)
Gluten free dough behaves completely differently to regular dough. If you’ve tried baking gluten free at home, you’ll know exactly what I mean! Creating consistent, high-quality products takes innovation—and the solutions aren’t always off the shelf.
Custom equipment that can handle our recipes often comes with eye-watering price tags (think £200,000 for a single piece of kit). As a small business, those costs are hard to absorb, but necessary to keep improving quality and consistency.
So, What’s the Solution?
There isn’t a simple one—but as gluten free continues to move into the mainstream, we’re hopeful. The more demand there is, the more likely it is that suppliers will innovate, scale up, and reduce costs across the board.
In the meantime, please know that we’re always working behind the scenes to bring you the best gluten free bakes at the fairest possible price—without ever compromising on safety or quality.
Thank you for supporting what we do.
Rana, Alexander & The Team