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“Patients who require a strict gluten-free diet for their treatment should be able to trust that food labelled as ‘gluten-free’ is what it says it is.”
The researchers tested supermarket-bought noodles, muesli bars, chips, rice snacks and dry pasta that were promoted as “gluten-free”.
Seven samples from six manufacturers contained gluten at levels of up to 49 parts per million (or 49 milligrams per kilogram), the researchers found.
“We found that 2.7 per cent of foods labelled ‘gluten-free’ were not compliant with the national standard of no detectable gluten,” the report said.
“Two [products] contained gluten at levels exceeding the less strict Codex Alimentarius CODEX (Europe) and Food and Drug Administration (United States) thresholds for ‘gluten-free’ labelling.”
The report authors said the levels of gluten detected in the products were generally low.
However, one type of gluten-free pasta contained more than 3 milligrams of gluten in a standard single serve.
That level of gluten “could be harmful [for coeliacs], especially if consumed frequently”, the report said.
The researchers notified the manufacturers of products containing detectable gluten and urged them to conduct more frequent testing to improve detection.
“The findings indicate that gluten contamination does occur in packaged food available in Australia, and is generally not restricted to a single batch of food,” Dr Tye-Din said.
“In addition, many of the items that failed the test were produced in dedicated gluten-free factories, so gluten contamination of externally sourced ingredients may be a factor and should be carefully examined,” he said.
The study follows findings in May from the same group of researchers, whose survey of 128 Melbourne eateries found many foods promoted as “gluten-free” contained detectable gluten.
“Our findings indicate that inadvertent gluten ingestion is more likely when dining out than when consuming manufactured ‘gluten-free foods’,” the report said.
“Nevertheless, more frequent gluten testing, feasible for many companies, would reduce the risk for people with coeliac disease.”
Megan Gorrey is a reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald. She was previously a reporter at The Canberra Times.
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