The Eight Major Food Allergens (and some others)

This blog is mostly about partying on despite food allergies. My kid loves ‘party food’ and has had to eliminate several major foods from her diet.  I want to educate the world about how to entertain those who have food allergies or sensitivities so I do not have to send “safe” party food to every event she attends.  Along with tips for entertaining, a little education might be helpful.  This is one of those educational entries.  PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER THIS MEDICAL ADVICE.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY ALLERGY CONCERNS, NOT WITH A FRIENDLY BLOGGER.

There are eight foods types that are thought to be responsible for 90% of allergic reactions.  These eight are WHEAT, DAIRY, SOY, EGGS, TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, FISH, and SHELLFISH.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that food manufacturers list the eight major food allergens if they are present in the food being produced.  These ingredients must be listed in simple English and are often in bold at the end of the ingredient list.  This allows for quick and easy checking of these eight.  This is important because certain allergens will show up where we least expect it.    We got two bars of specialty soaps from different friends at Christmas-both had soy in them. We can find dairy-free dark chocolate, but chocolate without soy lecithin is much harder to come by.   There is a fish gelatin in the marshmallows we use.  We do not have to avoid fish, but others do, so I keep it in mind.  We are hunting for a different marshmallow now. 

Also important to know - manufacturers are not required to list possible cross contamination. This means that if the allergen is not supposed to be in the food, but may have snuck in from another conveyor belt, the manufacturer does not have to say so.   Some do put warnings after the ingredient list-“this product produced in a plant that also processes peanuts”.  However, not all manufacturers do, so parents have to know the severity of the allergy (which parents often find out all too quickly) and make calls to manufacturers if necessary.  People with severe food allergies may politely grill the host of any party before they put anything in their mouth or their child’s mouth. Be understanding, as a severe allergic reaction puts a damper on your party.   

If an allergy or sensitivity is not one of the big eight, you have to become a very informed consumer. Some things, like strawberries, do not often “hide” in foods.  Other ingredients can be more elusive. For example, corn is a ubiquitous ingredient hiding under a variety of labels. Corn is not considered a major allergen, but some people are finding they are sensitive to it.  Corn is everywhere.   Not only is high fructose corn syrup in many sweet foods, corn meal is often under your frozen pizza.  And did you know that corn starch is the base for most baking powder?  Corn starch is also mixed with powdered sugar (check the label, it’s listed if it is).   So if a baked good lists baking powder, then likely there is corn in it.  If there is icing, there is likely corn syrup and corn starch in it.  Worse, many obscure indredients (such as citric acid or vitamin E) are typically ‘derived from corn”.    This can cause reactions in some very allergic people  Even corn-fed beef is a problem.  Corn is tough.  The more research we did, the more evident it became that we could not reliably help people spot ‘hidden corn.’  We will have to simply educate people about the problem.

Sesame is the fasted growing allergen in the country. The scientists are speculating it is because we are consuming so much more of it. Sesame reactions, like peanut reactions, can be huge, so parents of kids with sesame allergies are pretty cautious. And those little sesame seeds are sprinkled everywhere it seems. We are off sesame at our house due to a sensitivity.  So even the gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free stuff has to be scoured for sesame.  We have to ask to have sushi made without the sesame seeds.  The poor guys are so used to sprinkling in the sesame that they often have to re-make it twice because they tossed it in again.

Then there are the strange ingredients that we eat without really knowing what they are.  We see maltodextrin in lots of processed foods.  If you do not have food allergies or sensitivities, you do not give it much thought.  However, for people entering this new world of food allergies, your curiousity is immediately peaked. Suddenly, you are holding a treat your child wants and googling maltodextrin on your smart phone.  You will find it is usually derived from corn, sometimes from wheat.  You make a decision from there.  Often it is to find a treat without maltodextrin.  When you realize there is corn starch in your child’s hair gel, you start to feel like you are fighting a losing battle.  But you are not. You are learning.  Soon you take very little for granted and you start to count your blessings.  You understand food better.  It’s hard in this land of plenty to fully appreciate how important that is. 

I will talk a little  more in depth about the major allergens, but decided to put them in their own posts.