Coeliac alliance in Germany: EDEKA, Schär and Peter Maffay

In short: The coeliac alliance (the partners simply call it their “Allianz”) is a German alliance of the supermarket chain EDEKA, the gluten-free food maker Dr. Schär, the musician Peter Maffay and the children’s author Hendrikje Balsmeyer, launched on 21 April 2026 in Cologne. It wants to make coeliac disease better known. It launched with Balsmeyer’s children’s book and added an information sheet for school classes in August, and among other things it wants stricter standards in nurseries and schools. Separately, the German Coeliac Society (DZG) has submitted a petition to the Bundestag: its website shows 124,113 signatures (read on 22 October 2026).

Who is behind the coeliac alliance?

The alliance brings together the supermarket chain EDEKA, the gluten-free food maker Dr. Schär, the musician Peter Maffay and his wife, the author Hendrikje Balsmeyer. According to EDEKA’s press release of 21 April 2026, it began with the launch of Balsmeyer’s children’s book “Der unerwünschte Gast” (The Unwanted Guest) in Cologne that same day. Its aim is to bring coeliac disease “aus dem Verborgenen” (out of hiding) and to give people who live with it practical support in daily life. In the release, Peter Maffay says of people with coeliac disease: “Diese Menschen brauchen eine Lobby” (these people need a lobby).

The release puts the number affected at up to 1% of the population, around 840,000 people in Germany. According to a DZG estimate that EDEKA quotes, 80 to 90% of cases are undiagnosed.

What has come out so far?

By 22 October 2026 the partners had presented a children’s book, an information sheet for school classes and an in-store campaign:

• In the children’s book “Der unerwünschte Gast”, Hendrikje Balsmeyer tells the story of Lou and her meeting with “Frau Zöliakie” (Mrs Coeliac), illustrated by Anuki López. It was published in German by arsEdition on 23 April 2026, has 40 pages, is for ages 4 and up and costs 16 euros. On 22 October 2026 the publisher’s shop listed it as “Zur Zeit nicht lieferbar” (currently unavailable).
• According to EDEKA’s release of 26 August 2026, the class information sheet is meant to help children explain to their class what coeliac disease means. It picks up everyday school situations such as a shared breakfast, birthdays or craft materials like play dough and salt dough. The EDEKA release on school life (in German) doesn’t say where to get the sheet.
• The same release suggests a gluten-free emergency box in the classroom, with long-life snacks for spontaneous celebrations. It also announced displays with lunch boxes in selected EDEKA stores (Schär’s campaign “Glutenfreier Pausensnack für Helden”, a gluten-free break-time snack for heroes).

In April EDEKA also announced a knowledge hub on its website, plus recipes and information in its customer media, services and guidance in the EDEKA app, and social media formats. According to EDEKA (release of 26 August 2026), its range across Germany includes over 140 Schär products and gluten-free items from its own brands EDEKA Herzstücke, EDEKA Bio and GUT&GÜNSTIG. These are EDEKA’s own figures; we haven’t checked the range.

What does the alliance want to change politically?

The alliance says it wants to bring about political change in the long term. As examples, the release of 21 April 2026 names stricter standards in nurseries and schools, better financial support and standardised tests in paediatric practices, “wie sie in einigen europäischen Ländern längst üblich sind” (as has long been common in some European countries). More generally, it points to clearer rules in public institutions and more reliable routes to diagnosis. The release names no draft laws and no timetable.

What does the DZG petition want?

The DZG is not one of the alliance’s four partners and has filed its own petition with the Bundestag. It calls for a legal framework for the “verlässliche Bereitstellung glutenfreier Essenalternativen in der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung” (reliable provision of gluten-free meal alternatives in communal catering). As examples the DZG names nurseries, schools, universities, care homes, hospitals and sheltered workshops. On its petition page it points to Article 3 of the German constitution.

The DZG’s petition page shows 124,113 signatures (read on 22 October 2026). According to the DZG, the petition has been submitted to the Bundestag’s Petitions Committee and is still being processed.

For now, signing happens on paper: on its petition page (in German) the DZG offers a signature list that goes by post to the DZG in Stuttgart or, scanned, to petition@dzg-online.de. Signing online only becomes possible once the Petitions Committee has published the petition; according to the DZG, a six-week window then runs for all signatures, on paper or online. Signatures on private platforms such as change.org aren’t counted by the committee, according to the DZG.

What happened in the Bundestag?

According to the DZG, it visited the Bundestag at the end of September 2026 for an exchange, at the invitation of Philip Hoffmann and Anne Janssen. By its account, MPs from the governing parties on the health, agriculture, petitions and family committees took part, along with two Parliamentary State Secretaries. Peter Maffay was there too. The talks covered catering in nurseries, schools, canteens, hospitals and care homes, and the extra cost of gluten-free food. The DZG reports no decisions.

What does this mean for you and your child?

If you live in Germany, until the rules change you’ll keep agreeing food at nursery and school directly with the setting. The alliance’s sheet is aimed at the class, meaning the other children. For the adults around your child, we have free templates in English, German and Italian:

• About My Child: one page for everyone who looks after your child, from school to grandparents
• Gluten-Free at Nursery & Kita: the information sheet for carers of 2- to 5-year-olds
• Gluten-Free at School: the information sheet for teachers
• Gluten-Free School Start Checklist: six weeks to the first day
• If My Child Eats Gluten by Accident: the card for the fridge

According to EDEKA, the alliance’s sheet also covers play dough at craft time. How to make your own gluten-free version is in our recipe Gluten-free play dough. There’s more on nursery and school in our guides Coeliac disease at nursery and Coeliac disease at school.

Frequently asked questions

Is the DZG part of the coeliac alliance?

No. EDEKA’s release of 21 April 2026 names four partners: EDEKA, Dr. Schär, Peter Maffay and Hendrikje Balsmeyer. The DZG has filed its own petition with the Bundestag.

How many people have signed the DZG petition?

The DZG’s petition page shows 124,113 signatures (read on 22 October 2026). So far the signatures have been collected on paper lists.

Can I sign the DZG petition online?

Not yet. According to the DZG, that’s only possible once the Bundestag’s Petitions Committee has published the petition; a six-week window then runs for all signatures, on paper or online. Until then, the DZG collects signatures on paper lists.

Where can I get the alliance’s sheet for the school class?

EDEKA’s release of 26 August 2026 (“Gemeinsam für mehr Verständnis im Klassenzimmer”) presents the sheet but doesn’t say where to download it.

What age is the book “Der unerwünschte Gast” for?

The publisher arsEdition recommends it from age 4. The German-language picture book has 40 pages and costs 16 euros; on 22 October 2026 the publisher’s shop listed it as currently unavailable.

Sources: EDEKA ZENTRALE, press release “Zöliakie sichtbar machen: Allianz für mehr Verständnis, Aufklärung und Unterstützung im Alltag”, 21.04.2026 (presseportal.de); EDEKA ZENTRALE, press release “Gemeinsam für mehr Verständnis im Klassenzimmer”, 26.08.2026 (verbund.edeka); Deutsche Zöliakie-Gesellschaft, page “DZG Petition” and news item “Zöliakie im politischen Fokus: Die DZG zu Gast im Deutschen Bundestag” (dzg-online.de); arsEdition, product page “Der unerwünschte Gast”. All read on 22 October 2026.

Reviewed by How to Gluten Free, a coeliac household, not clinicians. Last checked: 22 October 2026.