Do you speak allergy?
Allergies is a phrase I coined to describe the very complicated words you can come across when reading labels. According to FALCPA (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act), the 8 major allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat) must be indicated in plain language. Of course, if your allergies aren’t in the top 8, you need to read labels much more carefully. Note to readers: You will never want to support me at Trader Joe’s.
Unusual terms/foods that indicate the presence of wheat:
gelatinized starch
durum wheat
Gluten
Modified food starch
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Common wheat-containing foods: most breads, cakes, pastries, breadcrumbs, pasta, couscous, breakfast cereals, kamut, crackers, enriched flour, spelled, bulgar, farina, whole wheat flour, bran, flavorings natural, soy sauce, vegetable gum
Unusual terms/foods that indicate the presence of milk:
Caseinates
lactalbumin
Lacatalbumin phosphate
lactoferrin
Serum
lactulose
nisin
casein hydrolyzate
rennet casein
“Dairy-free” actually means milk protein exists, but “dairy-free” doesn’t.
Common Foods Containing Milk: Butter, cheese, milk, ghee, cottage cheese, curd, custard, coffee creamers, half and half, nougat, pudding, sour cream, yogurt, artificial butter flavoring, caramel candies, chocolate flour high protein, deli meats, sausages, hot dogs, margarine
Unusual foods/terms that indicate the presence of egg:
Albumin
Surimi
lysozyme
Lecithin
Common foods that contain eggs: meringue, eggnog, marzipan, pasta, nougat, marshmallows
Unusual foods/terms that indicate the presence of peanuts:
artificial walnut
beer nuts
artificial nuts
beer nuts
Walnut meat, walnut pieces
Common Peanut-Containing Foods: Obviously Peanut Butter, Peanut Flour, Enchilada Sauce, Monkey Nuts, Artificial Nuts, Egg Rolls, Goobers, Baked Foods, Candy (including Chocolate), Chili, Marzipan, Nougat
Unusual foods/terms indicating the presence of soy:
Hydrolyzed soy protein
vegetable gum
Tamari
Soy protein isolate, concentrate
Soy (albumen, flour, milk, nuts, flour)
shoyu sauce
Common foods containing soy: vegetable broth, vegetable starch, miso, tempeh, soy sauce, textured vegetable protein, tofu, edamame.