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Introduction: The gluten-free products (GFP) market has shown sustained growth, driven by increasing diagnoses of coeliac disease and a rising consumer base. In Latin America, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted constraints in access to GFP, as well as a less favourable nutritional profile compared with conventional food baskets. Nevertheless, the published evidence in this area remains limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the nutritional quality of gluten-free products available in the Chilean market.
Methods: We conducted an analytical market study using the online catalogues of the two largest retail chains in Chile (together accounting for >75% of the national market). All products labelled “gluten-free” were collected. Data were extracted on energy, macronutrients, price, and the presence of front-of-package warning labels. Comparisons were also performed against gluten-containing homologous products (n = 186).
Results: A total of 210 gluten-free products were analysed, predominantly Snacks/Bakery (50.9%) and Breads/Cereals (30.9%). The most frequent warning label was “High in calories” (41.4%), followed by sugars (17.1%). Compared with homologous products, gluten-free breads/cereals had lower protein and higher carbohydrate content (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.01, respectively); gluten-free flours had lower energy, fat, and sodium (p < 0.0001, p < 0.01, and p < 0.0001); gluten-free pasta had lower protein and fat (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001); and in Snacks/Bakery, differences were observed for energy, fat, and carbohydrates (p < 0.01). GFP prices differed significantly by retail chain (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: The GFP supply assessed in this study exhibited a distinct nutritional profile relative to its gluten-containing counterparts. Both the nutrients involved and the magnitude of differences varied across product groups; therefore, these products cannot be considered fully homologous, nor can the observed nutritional differences be generalised across categories.
