Growing Up Gluten-Free: My Journey Through University with Celiac Disease
August 14, 2026
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Written by Melissa Secord, National Executive Director of Celiac Canada, June 24, 2026
Celiac Canada is participating in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s consultation on Canada’s Next Policy Framework for agriculture and agri-food. This may sound like a technical policy process, but for people living with celiac disease, it is deeply connected to everyday life.
For our community, food security is not only about having enough food. It is about having access to food that is safe, affordable, reliable and medically necessary.
For Canadians with celiac disease, gluten-free food is not optional. It is the only treatment for a serious autoimmune disease. That means safe gluten-free grains, ingredients and foods must be part of Canada’s food security conversation.
Canada is developing the next framework that will guide federal, provincial and territorial agriculture policy, programs and investments. These decisions can affect what crops are grown, how foods are processed, how supply chains are supported, how innovation is funded, and how Canadian products reach domestic and international markets.
Celiac Canada is participating because gluten-free food begins long before it reaches the grocery shelf. It starts with seed selection, crop rotation, harvesting, transportation, storage, milling, processing, testing, labelling and certification.
At every point in that chain, gluten cross-contact can occur. For people with celiac disease, that risk matters.
Our message to government is simple: Canada has an opportunity to become a global leader in safe gluten-free grains, ingredients and value-added foods, while improving food security for Canadians who rely on gluten-free food for medical reasons.
In our submission, Celiac Canada encouraged governments to recognize medically necessary foods as part of food security. We also urged Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to consider safe gluten-free grains and foods as part of Canada’s broader priorities around innovation, resilience, sustainability, trade and economic growth.
We highlighted that Canada already has many strengths that could support this work, including oats, pulses, specialty crops, food safety expertise, research capacity, certification systems and a trusted global reputation for safe food.
We also emphasized that gluten-free foods are part of a growing global market. Supporting this sector is not only important for consumers with celiac disease; it is also an opportunity for Canadian farmers, processors, manufacturers, exporters and rural communities.
Celiac Canada continues to hear from people across the country that gluten-free food is becoming harder to afford and, in many communities, harder to find reliably.
Recent Celiac Canada-supported research with Toronto Metropolitan University and Harper Adams University found that many gluten-free consumers are shopping across multiple stores, changing what they buy because of cost, and looking more actively for Canadian-made gluten-free products.
This reflects what our community has been telling us for years. Gluten-free foods are often significantly more expensive than their gluten-containing equivalents. Many families must make difficult choices, and some people reduce the quality, quantity or variety of food they purchase because of cost.
For someone with celiac disease, this is not a simple grocery inconvenience. It can affect health, nutrition, household budgets, school lunches, social inclusion and quality of life.
Canada’s National Food Security Strategy uses the theme “More Choice. More Control. More Canada.” Celiac Canada believes this goal fits our community very well.
For people with celiac disease:
This is especially important during a time of trade uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions, inflation and market volatility. When imported products become more expensive or less available, Canadians who require gluten-free food have fewer safe alternatives.
Building stronger Canadian gluten-free supply chains would help protect consumers and create new opportunities for Canadian agriculture and food manufacturing.
Celiac Canada recommended that the Next Policy Framework support safe gluten-free grains and ingredients as a value-added agri-food opportunity.
This could include:
We also recommended that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada work with Celiac Canada and sector partners to convene a renewed national gluten-free grains and ingredients value-chain working session. This would bring together farmers, processors, manufacturers, laboratories, researchers, certification bodies, retailers, exporters, patient organizations and governments to identify barriers and build a shared plan for growth.
Celiac Canada’s goal is not simply to increase the number of gluten-free products in Canada. Our goal is to help improve access to products that are safe, reliable and trusted.
Celiac Canada has a long history of advancing gluten-free food safety, certification and consumer trust, including through work that helped support the development of the Global Standard Gluten-Free. This type of recognized standard uses a preventive, risk-based approach to gluten control across manufacturing, supplier approval, product control, labelling, training, testing and verification.
This matters because gluten-free safety cannot rely only on final product testing. Strong systems are needed throughout the supply chain to reduce the risk of gluten cross-contact before it happens.
As international guidance on precautionary allergen labelling and Codex standards continues to evolve, Canada has an opportunity to help producers and processors meet high expectations for evidence-based gluten control, clear labelling and consumer protection.
When we participate in consultations like this, we are working to make sure the needs of people with celiac disease are visible in national food policy.
Too often, gluten-free food is misunderstood as a lifestyle choice. For our community, it is medical treatment. That distinction must be reflected in food security, agriculture, affordability and innovation policy.
By bringing the patient voice into agri-food discussions, Celiac Canada is helping governments and industry understand that safe gluten-free food depends on the entire food system. It depends on farmers, processors, transporters, manufacturers, retailers, regulators, researchers and certification systems all working together.
Celiac Canada believes Canada can be a world leader in safe gluten-free grains, ingredients and value-added foods.
With the right investments, Canada can support health equity, improve affordability, strengthen domestic food security, create opportunities for farmers and processors, expand export markets, and give people with celiac disease greater confidence in the food they depend on every day.
Celiac Canada will continue to work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, industry partners, researchers and the gluten-free community to advance meaningful improvements to Canada’s food system.
Our community deserves safe food. Our farmers and food innovators deserve support to grow this sector. And Canada has the opportunity to lead.
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