Gluten-free diet: From development to assessment of a check-list designed for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services

Abstract

Gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food may jeopardize treatment of celiac patients. Considering the deficit of appropriate instruments to enable the implementation of safe production practices for gluten-free food, this study aimed to evaluate the application of a check-list elaborated for gluten cross-contamination prevention in food services. The instrument was applied in 60 Brazilian food services. Interobserver reproducibility and internal consistency of the check-list were tested. A score classification was created for establishments according to the food contamination risk assessment. Subsequent to the application and statistical analysis, the original instrument was reduced to a 30-item check-list. In the reproducibility analysis, none of the 30 items showed significant divergence among the evaluators (p > 0.05 in the Cochran Q test). The 30-item version of the check-list presented Kuder–Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) = 0.771, indicating good internal consistency. The proposed classification score is obtained by adding 1 point for each item with an “adequate” response; therefore, the final score may vary between 0 and 30 points. Establishments with up to 15 points exhibit risk of gluten contamination, while establishments with a score above 16 points exhibit low risk of contamination. The check-list displayed good reproducibility and internal consistency, suggesting that it could be a useful gluten contamination control instrument in food services.