Hidden Allergens: Read This Before You Take a Bite

There’s more to avoiding food allergens than skipping the edible items that clearly contain them. Sure, you know your peanut-allergic niece is going to need to skip the traditional recipe for “Ants on a Log” (aka: raisins trekking across a piece of celery filled with peanut butter). You know your egg-allergic nephew is going to need to avoid the quiche at the family brunch next week and daughter’s friend isn’t going to be able to slice into the ice cream cake because of her milk allergy. That’s a great start, but it is just a start.

If you’ve been reading our blog or walking the allergy path for a while, you also know that reading labels and asking questions is an integral part of allergy management. You should be reading labels on everything, every time. Sure, you may not think about your shellfish allergy when you reach for a glucosamine pill for your achy joints, but there are shellfish-derived ingredients in some glucosamine products that could become an issue for an allergic person.

We’ll say it again: read every label, every time, to be sure the products you’re eating and using are safe for you and your allergic family and friends. The following list of potential ‘hiding spots’ for allergens, however, can also help remind you to stay on your toes and scanning ingredient lists and warning labels. Remember, the law requires packaged foods to be labeled clearly for peanut, tree nut, egg, soy, wheat, milk, shellfish, fish, and sesame. That will help with your label reading. Those laws don’t extend to prepared foods sold at restaurants, buffets, and markets, nor to potential allergens beyond that list. You’ll need to ask questions and the following list should help you hone in on some specifics.

Sauces and Toppings

Asian-style dipping sauces, curry, and barbeque sauce recipes can include peanut. Pesto often contains pine nuts (which can be an issue for tree-nut-allergic folks.) Satay, curry, salad dressings, spreads like nut butters, natural flavorings, and oils may also contain tree nut proteins. Likewise, milk can be an issue with ghee, kumiss, broths, butter flavoring, dips and dressings, and other related products. Eggs can be a common component in some fat replacers, creamy dressings, and sauces like Bearnaise, tartar, alfredo sauce, and…