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If you are sensitive to gluten, or, worse yet, have celiac disease, you need to steer clear of biodegradable, compostable dishware and utensils. Pharmacy researchers at the University of Seville now report in an American Chemical Society peer-reviewed journal that certain biodegradable plates and cups contain wheat-related proteins that leak into presumably gluten-free foods.

Six of the 8 biodegradable tableware brands contained wheat. Although plate-borne wheat proteins were transferred to solid food when their concentration were high, liquids served in the biodegradable cups readily picked up the wheat antigens.  Transfer of the antigens was higher when the food and the tableware were heated and was related to the time during which foods contacted the dishes and cups.

Unfortunately, biodegradable, compostable products are not required to list their ingredients on packaging.  Given this gap, if you have a wheat or gluten allergy or celiac disease, best to avoid these products altogether at the takeout counter. Not all biodegradable contain wheat, but you don’t want to play dish roulette.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c07516

#biodegradable #dishware #wheat #gluten #celiac