National Coeliac Day is celebrated in Spain on the 27th of May.

Mercadona adheres to National Coeliac Day

26 may 2017
  • Mercadona adheres to the National Coeliac Day initiative as a way of acknowledging the needs of this group of people.

The 27th of May is National Coeliac Day, and to mark the occasion, Mercadona has decided to join the different initiatives that have been put in place to provide visibility and acknowledgement towards the special alimentary and nourishment needs of this group of people. 

Coeliac disease is a long-term autoimmune disorder that occurs in individuals that are genetically predisposed to it; it is induced upon exposure to gluten (a protein that may be found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut® and triticale) and it produces an atrophy of the small intestine’s villi, which affects its ability to absorb nutrients from food.

For years, Mercadona has been highly committed towards the people suffering from coeliac disease. The company currently has on offer an ample selection of products that are free of this protein - specifically speaking 1,040 Gluten-free products, all clearly identified in the labelling. Like with the rest of the selection, Mercadona strives to offer products of the utmost quality, at the lowest possible price, while delivering a service of excellence.

Within Mercadona’s Gluten-free product selection, especially noteworthy is the hard work put in by the pasta, bakery and patisserie sections, as well as frozen products, where new Gluten-free products have been introduced.

At the same time, the company also continues to work on the improvement and identification of Lactose-free products, in order that our “Bosses” (clients) may purchase in all product categories.

In line with this, Mercadona does not neglect other allergies and/or special nutritional needs that other people have, and to this end, it works in conjunction with the products’ manufacturers, so allergens are eliminated wherever possible. Failing this, the company endeavours to identify the allergens on the labelling in a clear, simple manner. In addition, Mercadona places a free customer support service at its clients’ disposal for channelling any queries or suggestions, which are sent directly to the manufacturers of the products.

Coeliac associations with whom Mercadona collaborates

Mercadona has collaborations in place with over 17 national, autonomous community and provincial coeliac associations, and it participates of the different initiatives and activities organised both by these associations and the organisations that support coeliacs.

Throughout the year, Mercadona collaborates in the creation of training content by organising activities such as theatre plays, carnival and camps, as well as visits to producers to further people’s knowledge about how a gluten-free product is prepared, and participating in trade fairs, seminars and other training and informative events. And - it goes without saying - the company also partakes of National Coeliac Day.

By way of example, last weekend, Mercadona supported an initiative by the Catalonia Coeliac Association, where it celebrated its 40th anniversary and International Coeliac day in Barcelona’s Fòrum, which was attended by a great number of people and families. Similarly, this weekend, Mercadona is set to collaborate with a number of initiatives organised by the different autonomous community coeliac associations - federated through FACE - including the annual race organised by ACEPA in Asturias to raise awareness among society, the banquet organised on occasion of this date by ACEGA in Galicia, or the actions organised by ACECAN (Cantabria), ACERI (La Rioja), ACNA (Navarra), ACECALE (Castilla y Leon), Aragon (ACA), ACIB (Balearic Is.) and others, as well as the solidarity race organised by the Coeliac and Gluten-Sensitive association of Madrid. 

In the context of its commitment towards coeliacs and in acknowledgement of these joint activities, whose objective it is to improve the lifestyles of these people, on this, Coeliac Day, Mercadona has decided to showcase its support towards FACE’s initiative, whose aim this year it is to demand an early diagnostic of the condition.

The company is currently offering a selection of 1,040 Gluten-free products, and it aims to see this number grow.