The provision of gluten-free meals in school catering is intended for consumers who request it with a medical certificate. However, implementing gluten-free catering is not a simple task. In our research, we examined the surfaces of school kitchens and, unfortunately, detected the presence of gluten on many surfaces where it should not be present. With the help of the education and practical training we introduced, we optimized food handling practices and observed that such cleaning measures significantly reduce gluten contamination. As a result of the intervention, a significant proportion of the kitchens examined proved to be fully suitable for serving gluten-free meals. Our results confirm that attention should be paid to monitoring the presence of gluten in school kitchens, and the introduction of thorough cleaning practices can significantly contribute to the creation of a gluten-free environment.
More details about the research can be found in the Food Control journal.
András Bittsánszky PhD
