Work

Unmasking Hidden Gluten: Evaluating the Compliance of Gluten-Free Products and Consumer Exposure in Lebanon

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • 9.6% of products exceeded 20 ppm; 13% showed 1-20 ppm gluten contamination. • Local products had 18.5% non-compliance vs. 1.6% for imported items. • 40% of contaminated items bore food safety system logos, exposing system gaps. • Bread and snacks made up most gluten contamination cases. • 92% of buyers were celiac or buying for celiacs, heightening health risk. Our study aims to determine gluten levels in gluten-free products marketed in Lebanon and to assess the consumption frequency of non-compliant products among gluten-free shoppers. Following a thorough market screening, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted on identified gluten-free (n=115) stock-keeping units (SKUs) marketed in the country, including 54 local and 61 imported products. Gluten was quantified with the RIDASCREEN® R5 ELISA; levels > 20 ppm were deemed non-compliant. A qualitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was administered to a sample of 66 gluten-free shoppers for the intake frequency of each non-compliant SKU. Eleven SKUs (9.6%) exceeded 20 ppm, while another 15 (13%) fell between the 1 ppm quantification limit of the kit and 20 ppm. Non-compliance was markedly higher in local products (18.5%) than in imports (1.6%). Forty percent of the contaminated local SKUs and the sole contaminated import bore an FSMS logo, indicating implementation gaps. Bread (6/43) and snack/bars (4/30) accounted for most infractions; a single oat-based “other grain” also tested positive. Although 87% of products were analytically compliant, the FFQ revealed 8 daily and 11 weekly consumption events involving contaminated SKUs. Notably, 65% of respondents were celiac, and 27% purchased for celiac relatives, increasing clinical risk. Lebanon’s retail gluten-free sector is largely compliant, yet a substantial risk persists in domestically produced breads and snack items. Strengthened regulatory surveillance, dedicated production lines for high-risk categories, and targeted consumer education must be enforced to safeguard medically vulnerable populations and uphold ethical standards.

Source: Journal of Food Protection

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100655