“I am petitioning that food intolerances should be added to the government’s list of qualifying conditions for food vouchers, due to how similar they are to coeliac disease.”

The petition has been signed 90 times as of the time of writing, with a number of people suffering from lactose and gluten intolerances warning products are becoming too expensive.”

“Having a gluten intolerance and subsequently purchasing gluten-free products is not by choice but due to the adverse physical effects gluten has on my body,” one person wrote.

“Buying said products is very expensive, hence vouchers or subsidies would be greatly appreciated. I still buy all my gluten-free groceries out of pocket and this has become a financial burden given the current increase in prices.”

Speaking to Lovin Malta, Micallef Muscat warned that people with food intolerances often end up spending more money to buy basic food items.

“There are people with gluten intolerances who have to buy the same exact product as people with coeliac disease,” she noted.

“There are many types of daily intolerances. Some, like me, can’t even buy the lactose-free products and I must go for vegan cheese alternatives, which are costly.”

“Some have other intolerances, like meat, and they have to get vegan meat or invest in fresh produce to get their protein a different way.”

She said that although options have increased over the past few years, prices are sky-high for most alternatives.

“You’d never realise how much one consumes what one considers normal food until you become intolerant to it,” she warned.

“It adds up and it’s scary for some. Financially you end up picking and choosing what to leave out of your shopping cart because you can’t afford it that week. And you end up eating the only thing available at a restaurant that doesn’t make you ill which happens to be either not worth the money or not good-tasting.”

Cover photo: Left: Sarah Micallef Muscat (Photo – Facebook), Right: Stock image

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