Gluten-free surcharge ‘unfair’
A woman with coeliac disease who was charged $4 for glutenfree bread at an Auckland cafe says the business is profiting off people’s illnesses and allergies.
Wellington woman Emma Ward said on Twitter on Sunday: ‘‘I am at a cafe in Auckland and the GF bread is $4 extra. $4! I understand it’s an extra cost but it is also super ableist.’’
The 27-year-old said glutenfree bread was quite pricey but the surcharge was usually $2.
As a coeliac she had little choice but to pay the cost.
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease that erodes the lining of the small intestine, preventing the absorption of nutrients from food. There is no cure but the symptoms can be managed by avoiding wheat, barley, rye and oats.
Stuff surveyed the menus of a number of cafes across the country on what they charged for gluten-free bread and milk alternatives.
The surcharge for bread averaged between $1 and $2. Some cafes did not charge extra.
Bestie Cafe in Auckland charged $2 for gluten-free bread with its eggs on toast, 50c extra for soy milk or $1 for oat milk in coffee.
Daily Bread, a bakery and cafe in Point Chevalier, Auckland, charged an extra $1 for glutenfree toast and toppings and $1 extra for hazelnut or soy milk.
Seashore Cabaret in Lower Hutt and Loretta in Wellington did not charge extra for glutenfree bread, however Loretta did charge 50c extra for soy milk and $1 extra for coconut milk.
In Dunedin, The Perc charged 80c extra for gluten-free bread, making Orewa’s Goodhub Eatery,
where Ward was eating last weekend, the priciest at $4 extra.
Hospitality adviser Mark Collins said $4 was ‘‘a bit steep’’.
Goodhub Eatery was approached for comment.
But Collins said the more diverse customers’ expectations were, the harder it was to give them what they want.
Marc Weir, owner of Loretta, agreed rising costs were an issue.
Deciding whether to pass on rising costs to customers was always a challenge, he said.