Key takeaways:
- Some compostable packaging made from wheat and other cereals can release gluten into gluten-free foods, even under everyday conditions.
- European studies, including new 2025 research, confirm that gluten migration from cereal-based packaging is significant enough to breach regulatory thresholds.
- With no allergen-labeling requirements for packaging materials, gluten-free consumers face an unseen risk unless regulators and suppliers improve transparency.
Biodegradable packaging was supposed to be the uncomplicated win. Swap out plastic, slot in something plant-based and move on.
And for a while, that’s exactly how it played out. Cafés tossed out their old clamshells, supermarkets leaned into ‘eco-friendly’ trays and takeout spots started stacking shelves with compostable everything. No one really questioned what any of this stuff was made from beyond the vague promise that it wasn’t petroleum.
Then came the curveball. A handful of these compostable plates and bowls – the ones made from cereal fibers, wheat bran, even old pasta cuttings – weren’t behaving the way people assumed. Instead of quietly holding food, they were leaking gluten into it, turning a safe gluten-free meal into the opposite.
The issue came into sharper focus in 2023 when Italy’s coeliac society tested wheat-bran tableware commonly sold as biodegradable. Researchers placed Crescenza cheese and a freshly heated gluten-free lasagna onto the dishes for around 30 minutes. Both foods had tested well below the gluten threshold beforehand. After contact, the cheese measured 45mg/kg and the lasagna exceeded 80mg/kg – levels far above what’s permitted for gluten-free labeling. The only variable was the packaging itself.
Dutch and Spanish coeliac associations ran their own versions of the test, using their local biodegradable tableware made from cereals. Same story.
A more recent study published in 2025 reinforced these concerns, confirming that gluten migration from cereal-based packaging isn’t limited to isolated cases or specific brands. Researchers again found that gluten can transfer from biodegradable materials made with wheat derivatives into foods that should remain gluten-free, with levels high enough to breach regulatory thresholds. The study concluded that cereal-based biopolymers pose a measurable risk for unintended allergen exposure, particularly when used with warm or moist foods – effectively validating the earlier Italian, Dutch and Spanish findings and underscoring the need for clearer oversight of these materials.
The biodegradable packaging boom
* EU restrictions on single-use plastics have pushed cafés, caterers and foods ervice operators to adopt compostable bowls, plates and cutlery as direct replacements for items now withdrawn from the market.
* The EU’s newer Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) strengthens recycling and waste-reduction requi rements, which has further accelerated the shift toward alternatives with clearer environmental credentials.
* In the UK, the Plastic Packaging Tax has had a similar effect by increasing costs for plastic packaging that contains insufficient recycled content, making bio-based or non-plastic options more financially viable.
* Across the supply chain, ESG expectations continue to rise. Retailers seek demonstrable reductions in plastic use; investors scrutinize sustainability reporting; and consumers respond to visible signs of progress. Compostable packaging often becomes the most straightforward way for brands to signal improvement.
* Europe’s biodegradable plastic packaging market remains relatively small at around $0.7 billion, but analysts expect it to more than double by 2030.
* Globally, demand for eco-friendly food packaging is growing rapidly, with forecasts placing the sector above $350 billion by the end of the decade.
* Despite representing only a small share of total packaging, biodegradable formats exert an outsized influence because they dominate in high-visibility areas such as takeaway, convenience and foodservice.
The ironic rise of gluten as a packaging ingredient
While coeliac groups are urging caution, packaging researchers are increasingly excited about gluten as a raw material. In the lab, gluten behaves beautifully. It forms thin films with great oxygen resistance. It can be blended with natural additives to act as an antimicrobial barrier. It’s biodegradable. It’s flexible. In short, it’s exactly the sort of thing scientists dream about when they’re trying to invent next-generation packaging.
Academic papers praise gluten’s potential as a backbone for ‘active’ packaging that can help keep food fresher for longer. Others highlight its film-forming abilities, arguing that gluten could become a strong alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
But those possibilities only go so far without a framework that acknowledges gluten as an allergen. A packaging film made from wheat might work brilliantly from a sustainability perspective yet be completely inappropriate for gluten-free products. Without labeling, segregation or regulation, the risk is obvious. The very technology meant to solve environmental problems might end up creating new problems for medically vulnerable consumers.
The regulatory blind spot
But here’s the thing most people didn’t realize: there’s no requirement to label packaging for allergens. All of this would be far less alarming if packaging followed the same allergen rules as food. But it doesn’t. Food has to declare allergens plainly. Packaging doesn’t have to declare them at all. Even when the packaging is made from a top-tier allergen like wheat.
A compostable plate made from wheat bran can look exactly the same as one made from bamboo and there’s literally no indication of which is which.
The Italian researchers also contacted food companies to confirm the composition of their biodegradable packaging. While 77% of companies used non-gluten materials, the remaining 23% initially couldn’t confirm whether their packaging contained gluten, underscoring just how limited visibility is in this part of the supply chain.
The Italian Coeliac Society’s survey showed how murky things have become. A gluten-free sandwich in a gluten-free facility, handled by trained staff, can still end up unsafe because it’s sitting in the wrong compostable tray.
Food companies spend enormous resources avoiding precisely this scenario. Yet the packaging industry is still operating as if its materials never pose allergen risks. The result is a regulatory grey zone big enough to create real harm.
“We believe companies should be sure that allergens are not unintentionally introduced into gluten free products through the food containers. Especially since sustainability is becoming an important market driver leading to increased use of compostable packages”, said Giuseppe Di Fabio, president of the Italian Coeliac Society. “For this reason, we have already started a number of actions to protect celiacs in Italy: dissemination of guidelines for celiacs, information both to FCMs producers and both users (food companies and caterers) and we are confident that we will be able, together with the other Celiac and allergic Associations and the AOECS, to address the national and European Institutions to finally regulate this so sensitive issue.”
No one is suggesting we abandon compostable packaging. It’s too embedded in environmental targets, consumer expectations and supply chain planning. But we can’t keep treating bio-based packaging as if it carries no safety questions of its own.
Food companies can start closing the gap right away. Ask suppliers what their materials are made from. Push for documentation. Treat packaging like an ingredient. If something contains gluten, it shouldn’t be anywhere near gluten-free lines, full stop. That’s already the rule for everything else in a gluten-free facility.
Regulators have an equally clear step to take. Require allergen disclosure for packaging materials. It doesn’t need to be complicated. A simple declaration – wheat-based, cereal-based, not suitable for gluten-free foods – would help enormously. Consumers shouldn’t need a
Where gluten hides in ‘green’ packaging
* Some compostable packaging is produced from wheat bran, wheat straw, pasta byproducts or blended cereal fibers. These materials retain their natural gluten content throughout processing.
* Under typical conditions – particularly when food is warm or contains moisture – gluten can migrate from these materials into the food in contact with them, as demonstrated by recent European testing.
* Cereal-based compostable items are most commonly used in disposable tableware, including plates, bowls and trays found in cafés, takeaway outlets, catering operations and event settings.
* Because allergen disclosure is not required for packaging, wheat-derived products are visually indistinguishable from alternatives made from bamboo, bagasse or cellulose. Users have no reliable way to differentiate between them.
* Only recently have some food businesses begun requesting detailed material information from their packaging suppliers, revealing long-standing gaps in traceability and allergen awareness within this part of the supply chain.
Studies:
Sousa C, Heredia A, de Arcos L, et al. Potential Transfer of Toxic Gluten from Biodegradable Tableware to Gluten-Free Foods: Implications for Individuals with Gluten-Related Disorders. J Agric Food Chem. 2025 Nov 5;73(44):28386-28394. https://doi.10.1021/acs.jafc.5c07516
Jingwen Xu, Yonghui Li. Wheat gluten–based coatings and films: Preparation, properties, and applications. Journal of Food Science. Volume88, Issue2, February 2023. Pages 582-594. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.16454
