This Little Device Can Detect Gluten and Other Common Allergens in Your Food

If you have any food allergies, then you know how difficult it is to trust the food you're eating, especially when you're out at a restaurant or traveling. Allergen Alert could provide a solution through a fast and portable mini lab. 

Currently in development and showcased at CES 2026, the small device makes it easy to check your food while out and about. Here's how it works: Take a sample of your food, place it inside the single-use pouch, insert it into the mini lab and press a button. You'll receive your allergen results in just minutes. Currently, the device is designed to detect gluten and dairy only. Plans are in place to expand allergen detection capabilities in future iterations. 

My colleague, David Watsky, was on the floor at the big tech event chatting with brand representatives. The devices aren't yet available for purchase, but a representative says they're already being used in trials by professional chefs to help detect allergens in food before it leaves the kitchen. 

Allergen Alert can detect food and gluten allergens in a matter of minutes with a single food sample.

David Watsky/CNET

Allergen Alert is a spin-off of bioMérieux, an in vitro diagnostics company that has been working in clinical microbiology, infectious disease testing and food safety since 1963. Codeveloped with allergists and food safety experts, the device isn't just for people with food allergies, but also for restaurants, hotels, caterers, schools, hospitals and travel companies.

Food allergies can be life-threatening. People with allergies often operate with the anxiety that no matter how vigilant they are, they may still end up consuming an allergen. A tool like Allergen Alert could be a game-changer for the food industry, especially since it fits right in your pocket. 

To become an early adopter or receive a promotional demo of Allergen Alert, you can sign up here.