Gluten Testing Is Only One Part of Food Safety

What happens behind a gluten-free label?

Written by: Melissa Secord, National Executive Director, September 18, 2026

When you see “gluten-free” on a food package, you should be able to trust it. But how do we know a food is gluten-free? Is one food test enough? What happens before the food reaches the store?

A new research paper, Gluten Analysis and Regulation: Scientific, Analytical, and Economic Dimensions of Gluten-Free Assurance, looked at how gluten is found and measured in food. It also looked at food rules, testing systems and the cost of getting a test result wrong. The paper shows that testing is important, but one test cannot tell the whole story.

Safe gluten-free food depends on many steps. These include safe ingredients, trained staff, clean equipment, good food-making practices, proper testing and clear labels.

Why can gluten be hard to find?

Gluten is not one simple protein. It is a large group of proteins found in wheat, rye and barley. Different grains have different types of gluten. Food processing can also change gluten and make it harder for some tests to find. ‘

For axample:

Baking can change the shape of gluten proteins.
High heat and pressure used to make cereals and snack foods can make gluten harder to remove from a food sample for testing.

Fermentation can break gluten into smaller pieces. Fermentation is a process that uses yeast or bacteria to change a food, such as when making beer or soy sauce.

Fat and sugar can make it harder to separate gluten from the rest of the food.

Different test kits may react to gluten in different ways.

This means the same food may produce different results when tested with different methods.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers looked at results from labs that tested the same food samples. The labs often had similar results when they tested simple foods that had not been heavily processed.

The results were less consistent for foods that were baked, fermented, high in fat or made with many ingredients. Some tests found less gluten than researchers expected to find. Other tests gave a higher result. Different test kits sometimes gave very different results from the same sample.

This matters because test results are used to make decisions about food safety, recalls and gluten-free labels. The answer is not to stop testing. The answer is to improve how food is sampled, tested and checked.

One test is only one part of food safety

A food test gives information about one sample at one moment in time. Gluten may not be spread evenly through a batch of food. A small amount could be present in one area but not another. The result can also be affected by how the sample is collected and prepared. This is why a finished food test cannot stand alone.

A strong gluten-free food-safety system should include:

Checking ingredient suppliers

Knowing where gluten could enter the food

Preventing gluten cross-contact

Cleaning equipment properly

Training staff

Checking recipes and labels

Choosing the right test for the food

Fixing problems when they are found

Cross-contact happens when gluten gets into a food by mistake. It can happen during growing, shipping, storage or food production. The best system works to prevent cross-contact before it happens. Food safety and quality experts often use a simple motto: “Start clean. Stay clean.”

What does the Celiac Canada trademark mean?

Celiac Canada helped create the Gluten-Free Certification Program more than 15 years ago. Today, the program is operated through the BRCGS Global Standard Gluten-Free. BRCGS runs the certification program and manages the use of the Celiac Canada trademark on approved products sold in Canada.

The BRCGS program looks at the full gluten-control system in a food-making site. It does not rely only on testing one finished product. Independent auditors look at how the company:

Buys and checks ingredients

Prevents gluten cross-contact

Cleans equipment

Trains staff

Tests food when needed

Tracks products

Manages labels

Responds to problems

Approved products made under this system may carry the Celiac Canada trademark. The trademark does not mean that every package has been tested. It means that the company has a full gluten-control system that has been checked by an independent third party. This gives consumers another layer of trust.

What does this mean for you?

This research does not mean you should stop trusting recognized gluten-free claims. It shows why strong food-safety systems matter. Testing is one part of that system. Safe ingredients, trained staff, clean equipment, clear labels and independent checks are also important.

Research like this can help food makers, labs, certifiers and governments improve how gluten is controlled and tested. Trust does not come from a symbol or one test alone. It comes from all the work happening behind them.

Transparency note: BRCGS paid costs linked to submitting this research paper for publication. One of the authors works for LGC Group, which includes BRCGS. The paper was reviewed by experts before it was published.