Gluten-free foods aimed at kids not healthier than regular products: study

TORONTO — Despite being associated with a “health halo,” gluten-free foods marketed to children are often high in sugar and aren’t nutritionally superior to regular products aimed at kids, a study has found.

About one per cent of children must avoid foods made with gluten-containing wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats because of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that can cause serious damage to the small intestine.

But some parents opt for gluten-free foods for kids without the condition because they believe the products are healthier, said researcher Charlene Elliott of the University of Calgary.

“For many consumers, gluten-free is the new ‘better for you,”’ said Elliott, Canada Research Chair in food marketing policy on children’s health. “But when you look at the nutritional profile of packaged gluten-free foods, this is not the case.”

Parents of children with a gluten intolerance or sensitivity, along with those who purchase gluten-free products for other health reasons, need to carefully assess product labels when making purchases, she said, noting that her study found that about 80 per cent of child-targeted gluten-free products have high sugar levels.

The study, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, examined the nutritional content of 374 child-targeted products purchased from two of Calgary’s largest supermarket chains, comparing packaged food items deemed gluten-free with those that don’t make such a claim.

Elliott found that 88 per cent of the no-gluten products could be classified as having poor nutritional quality due to high levels of sugar, sodium and/or fat, based on criteria from the Pan American Health Organization. Many of these foods also had lower protein levels.

“This makes it challenging for parents of children with gluten intolerance and it also has implications for parents who mistakenly believe that gluten-free will confer health benefits,” she said, adding that gluten-free foods are typically more expensive than regular products.