Bread and breakfast cereals are at the heart of the British diet and provide the nation with a good source of essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin D and fibre. That's why achieving an adequate intake of these vital nutrients can be a challenge for people with coeliac disease, as so many staple foods contain gluten.
In recent months several misleading press article have appeared accusing gluten free food manufacturers of excessive charging for delivering prescription products. Members of the BSNA provide these products to the NHS at a fixed and consistent price and they never charge extra administration or delivery charges because these are already paid for by the manufacturers.
The recently revised Gluten-Free Prescribing Guidelines 2011 recommends that people with medically diagnosed coeliac disease should have access to a reasonable amount of basic staple gluten-free foods on prescription to assist them in managing their condition.
Gastrointestinal disorders, such as coeliac disease, are reported to account for around ten percent of NHS clinical work. However, despite being one of the most common long term chronic conditions, the prevalence of coeliac disease is still not formally recorded by the NHS. Consequently, it's not surprising that coeliac disease is not always well managed in general practice.
The long awaited Food Information to Consumers Regulation was published in November 2011. This new Regulation will result in changes to most food and drink labels, including those of specialist nutrition products. The majority of these label changes will need to be made by December 2014 in accordance with the transition periods for the Regulation.
The European Commission's proposal to revise the current legislation for Foods for Particular Nutritional Uses (PARNUTs), known as the 'PARNUTs Framework Directive', has been under discussion by the European Council of Ministers since October 2011 and the Polish Presidency of the Council has issued a report on the progress to date as part of its handover to the new Danish Presidency which will take over from 1 January 2012.
The European Commission published a proposal to revise the current legislation for Foods for Particular Nutritional Uses (PARNUTs), known as the 'PARNUTs Framework Directive', in June 2011. The Commission proposal is now under discussion by the European Council of Ministers.
The largest ever survey of 3,500 people with coeliac disease found that 79% rated having access to a regular supply of essential gluten-free foods via the NHS helped them adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet. Overall the findings of this survey confirmed the long term value for the NHS in providing a foundation of support for coeliac patients.
The UK Department of Health has launched a consultation on the proposals put forward by the European Commission for the revision of the current legislation for Foods for Particular Nutritional Uses (PARNUTs), known as the 'PARNUTs Framework Directive'.
BSNA is pleased that the Welsh Government has refuted recent reports in the press which exaggerated the cost to the NHS of gluten-free products on prescription.
These reports in the national press had suggested that a loaf of gluten free bread costs the NHS in Wales £32. This figure appears to have been arrived at following a misinterpretation of NHS prescribing statistics - which show the total number of prescriptions dispensed, rather than the total number of loaves prescribed.