Number of people claiming disability benefits for food intolerances up 500% in 5 years as 120 ailments see cases surge

THE number of people getting disability benefits because of food intolerances has risen by 500 per cent in five years.

Claims are even being granted for writer’s cramp, tennis elbow and acne.

Some 120 ailments have seen claims for personal independence payments at least double since 2021.

They include payouts for sleep apnoea, bed-wetting and stress reaction disorders.

Meanwhile, there was a 257 per cent rise in payments made to those whose disability was not even recorded by officials.

Last night, former Tory minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke raged: “A food intolerance doesn’t stop you from going to work.

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“People with no legitimate claim are ripping off the public, and the Government is letting them do so.”

PIPs are under scrutiny as Britain’s surging annual welfare bill of £333billion has exceeded Treasury revenues from income tax for the first time.

They are intended to help with the extra costs of living with medical conditions.

Those with food intolerance get up to £114 a week because of the amount of time it takes to prepare meals while following a specialist, GP-recommended diet.

In 2021, just 12 people received the benefit for food allergies but the total is now 78 — at a cost to the taxpayer of £1,000 a day.

ADHD, autism and anxiety are among the leading triggers for payments but 4,500 people are on PIP for being obese.

The Department for Work said: “These claims, which represent a small proportion of PIP, started increasing several years ago. We are fixing the broken system we inherited.”