It can be difficult to enjoy Christmas when you are coeliac or gluten intolerant. With over 500,000 individuals falling into that category, Dunnes Stores have teamed up with the Coeliac Society of Ireland to lead the way in demonstrating how you can have a tasty enjoyable festive season with friends and family without the fear of being ill as a result.

Dunnes stores are leading the initiative and have recently become the first Irish retailer to secure the much sought-after and internationally respected Crossed Grain Trademark for their entire own brand gluten-free range.  The certification represents safety and integrity, providing certainty that what is purchased at Dunnes Stores is manufactured to the highest standards. It also provides a quick reference point for customers when out shopping and removes uncertainty on the gluten-free status of a product.

“To be the first retailer in Ireland to receive the Crossed Grain Trademark is an honour and a privilege. All our customers are important to us and being able to reassure those who suffer particularly from coeliac disease and gluten intolerances of the highest quality and safest food products is a priority.  We want to ensure that everyone gets to enjoy Christmas, for those who are hosting and may have someone who needs gluten-free solutions to those who suffer from coeliac disease and gluten customers but want to enjoy the festive season to the maximum” –  James Wilson, Food Director at Dunnes Stores.

In addition to achieving the certificate, Dunnes Stores have partnered with the Coeliac Society of Ireland to launch the new Christmas Hub 2022 which is available online to all coeliac sufferers and those who are gluten intolerant.

Visit The Christmas Hub Here

The Hub is packed with information and practical advice from health and nutrition experts, as well as important tips, tasty recipes, and cook-along videos from top chefs. It also provides helpful hints about staying healthy over the festive season. Most importantly, there is clear information on how to prepare food safely to avoid cross-contamination with foods that contain gluten – allowing everyone to cater for guests who have to live and thrive gluten-free.

The Coeliac Society of Ireland’s chief executive Gill Brennan said, “We are excited to partner with Ireland’s leading grocer, Dunnes Stores for this Christmas initiative and we also congratulate them on attaining the Crossed Grain Trademark which is no mean feat to achieve. Christmas is a time of celebration and indulgence, and it should be no different for those who cannot eat anything containing gluten for medical reasons. Even a tiny amount of it in someone’s Christmas dinner can make someone living with coeliac disease very ill. The Gluten Free Christmas Hub is a one-stop shop for not only the estimated 102,000, coeliac sufferers and the 408,000 people who are gluten intolerant in Ireland, but also for family and friends who might be cooking for them over the festive season. Our goal is to demonstrate that it is easy to thrive during Christmas despite the many difficulties avoiding gluten poses. We are delighted that Dunnes Stores are leading the way and demonstrating how achievable this is.”