NEWS: Gluten Allergen Test Kit Hitting the Market in 2026
Allergen Alert are releasing an exciting new portable gluten testing kit in 2026; Image: Allergen Alert
Hey Gluten Free Fam,
Have you ever wondered how hospitality outlets actually test and validate gluten free meals? Do we know for sure if they are rigorous enough and follow best practice with the ingredients they use, or are they overlooking small details that lead to big consequences for coeliacs?
With that in mind, an interesting piece of technology is set to hit the market this year in 2026. The team at Allergen Alert has developed a portable food allergen and gluten detector they say is easy to use and “designed for everyday use.”
We’ll run our eye over this device to see what the hype is all about.
User-Friendly Portable Gluten Testing Kit Promises Accurate Readings
What is this product exactly? The Allergen Alert is a pocket-size lab the company says is built on real laboratory science. The outline from the start-up, operating as a spinoff of bioMérieux, appears promising, offering something that is not currently on shelves or easily accessible to the general public.
“Using best-in-class technology and a patented product developed from in vitro diagnostic and food safety leader,” the brand states, “the device automates and miniaturises the entire process.”
They state no expertise is needed to handle the unit, with a fully automated workflow and results delivered in minutes. Comparable to laboratory methods, this has been designed and co-developed with scientific leaders, ranging from food safety experts to patients and allergologists.
How does it work?
Step 1: Grab a sample of food that’s needed for testing gluten.
Step 2: Insert the food into the single used pouch.
Step 3: Insert the pouch into the mini lab, push the button and get the results in a matter of minutes.
Will a Portable Gluten Test Kit be Practical to All Users?
Allergen Alert believe this piece of technology will be suitable for a range of different users. This is said to include individuals and families with food allergies, restaurants, cafes, hotels and caterers, schools, universities, hospitals, corporate cafeterias and travel operators. On paper, this sounds like the perfect solution to all parties.
For professional industry members, Allergen Alert says the item is “being developed to help food service providers demonstrate care, responsibility and transparency and ensure food safety.” For individuals living with coeliac disease and other food allergies, they argue that the tool will “bring peace of mind.. reduce the risk of exposure to food allergens and gluten (with) confidence in every meal.”
However, there has to be doubts raised about its viability for the end user specifically. Objectively speaking, it’s hard to grasp the idea that individual customers will walk into a cafe, order a meal, and sit at a table with a testing kit ready to assess the ingredients after paying for the food. Practically speaking, those living with coeliac disease already feel isolated and different from their community, and it would take a particular type of person with a certain set of characteristics to feel happy and comfortable following that approach.
With this being said, the device should be seen as a potentially valuable asset to all other parties listed from the enterprise. If you’re a cafe or restaurant, a school, hospital, caterer, cafeteria or travel operator who relies on cooking and preparing meals, the Allergen Alert offers a quick testing mechanism on the premises to double-check prior to delivery to the patron.
This factor alone should give the business confidence it can be picked up on mass and utilised inside kitchens and from staff members to validate their gluten free menu listings.
Will 2026 be a Success for Allergen Alert’s Gluten Testing Device?
Prior to the actual product rollout, the jury is out on Allergen Alert’s 2026 success. Time will tell if the hospitality industry will see the incentive to have a tool of this type at their disposal and if enough coeliac consumers encourage greater levels of scrutiny to what is labelled and listed as gluten free on menus.
At A Gluten Free Family, we would love to hear your thoughts on what Allergen Alert will be releasing. The brand, with French and American input, will have a foothold in Europe and the US, with talk of a wider market release around the world. The model was selected by the CNET Group as a Winner in the Best Startup category for the Official Best of CES 2026 Awards.
Would you be interested in using a device like this, or would you like to see hospitality outlets have one at their disposal to ensure ingredients are coeliac-safe?
