Dive Brief:
- On Oct. 20, 6SensorLabs will begin taking pre-orders for Nima, a handheld device that consumers can use to test for gluten in food. The product will ship in spring 2016.
- To use the Nima, a person places one-eighth of a teaspoon of food or liquid into a single-use capsule, and then screws on a cap to grind up the food sample. A fluid in the capsule takes protein from the sample. The protein interacts with a test strip. Within two minutes, Nima displays a happy face for no gluten or sad face for gluten. Nima will integrate directly with a consumer's mobile device, allowing the recording and sharing of the results of each tested meal.
- According to 6SensorLabs, NIMA is 99.5% accurate, per about 2,000 tests that compared its sensitivity to various foods to that of other available consumer gluten tests. The company intends to publish these results before dishing out Nima next spring.
Dive Insight:
Although at-home gluten tests are available, they typically require a multi-step process that includes using a test tube. The Nima is designed for consumers to use discreetly when eating away from home, so they don't have to pester food servers or party hosts about whether a food contains gluten.
With a pre-order price between $179 and $199 and a regular price of $249, and with a monthly subscription for a dozen capsules costing $47.95 in pre-order, NIMA isn't cheap. But it could be highly useful for people with Celiac disease, wheat allergy, or a gluten sensitivity.