Coeliac UK, the charity for people who need to live gluten free, has been announced as the winner of the 2020 Memcom membership excellence awards, best use of an app category, for its Gluten Free on the Move app, that makes eating out on a gluten free diet easier.
Last year, the charity won the award for its Gluten Free Food Checker app, which helps people when shopping for food and drink products. The Memcom awards celebrate the positive impact that professional bodies, trade associations, membership charities and other not-for-profit membership organisations have on public good.
Awarding Coeliac UK as the winner in the 2020 Best use of an app category, the judges said they were struck by the sheer scale and ambition of the Gluten Free on the Move app. They highlighted how it truly supports the membership community – as demonstrated by the huge take up – and it was really clear to see the intended benefits of the app for the coeliac community.
The app is exclusive to Coeliac UK’s members and helps people choose from over 7,000 venues across the UK that provide suitable gluten free options, including those that hold Coeliac UK’s Gluten Free Accreditation as well as those recommended by the charity’s network of local groups. It makes life easier to find suitable venues when planning a meal for a special occasion, wanting to find something on the go when plans change unexpectedly or needing additional guidance when travelling abroad.
Hilary Croft, Coeliac UK CEO said: “Making life easier for those living gluten free is at the heart of what we do. It is wonderful to have two of our flagship services recognised with a MemCom award which acknowledges our continuing efforts to make the content relevant to meet member needs.”
Coeliac UK is the national charity for people who need to live without gluten, whether due to coeliac disease or another medical condition. The charity provides support and resources for living gluten free while also campaigning for improvements to the gluten free sector and funding vital research into coeliac disease and gluten related conditions. Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune condition caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. People diagnosed with coeliac disease must maintain a strict gluten free diet for the rest of their life if they are to avoid very serious complications such as osteoporosis, infertility, neurological conditions and although rare, small bowel cancer.
One in hundred people in the UK has coeliac disease but around half a million people in the UK are currently undiagnosed. It still takes an astonishing 13 years on average for a person to be diagnosed.
