Food Allergy Glossary

This page was reviewed or revised on Friday, November 28, 2008.

PDF of Food Allergy Glossary (Dated Nov. 14, 2008)

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy is a response of the immune system to a component of food, usually a protein that the immune system recognizes as foreign to the body.

When a food allergy is confirmed, complete removal of all offending foods from the diet is essential.

The 10 most common food allergens are: milk, egg, wheat, corn, soy, peanut, nuts, chocolate, fish and shellfish.  This fact sheet will provide detailed information on the first six most common food allergens.

Milk Allergy

Milk and dairy products to be avoided include:

Lactic acid and lactylate do not contain milk and therefore do not need to be avoided.

Egg Allergy

All products containing egg or components of egg must be avoided including:

Other sources of egg include: eggnog, omelette, custard, soufflé, quiche, egg noodles, mayonnaise, angel food cake, Caesar salad, some salad dressings, sauces such as Hollandaise, Béarnaise, and Newburg, battered foods such as fritters, pancakes, and waffles, egg whirl and wonton soup, candy made with egg such as nougat and divinity, candy brushed with egg white to give it a shine, some ice creams, cream pies, meringue pies, meringues, pavlova, and some packaged dessert mixes.

Corn Allergy

Products to be avoided include:

Other products that may contain corn include: commercial baking powder, breads, cookies, cereals, desserts may contain cornstarch while commercial gravies and sauces may be thickened with cornstarch.

Wheat Allergy

Restricted grains and flours include:

Restricted flours, breads, cereals and crackers made from wheat include:

Peanut Allergy

Ingredients that indicate the presence of peanuts include:

Beware of vegetable oil, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil and vegetable oil shortening, that does not specify the source of the oil (i.e. corn oil shortening).

Soy Allergy

Ingredients that indicate the presence of soy protein include:

Tips when Dealing with Food Allergies

• Wash hands regularly to prevent cross-contamination when preparing foods.
• Use separate cooking equipment and utensils and keep work surfaces clean to avoid cross-contamination between foods.
• Read all food labels carefully. Ingredients in processed foods change over time.
• Become familiar with the terms on food labels which identify ingredients made from problem foods.
• Never assume that foods are free of a problem ingredient.
• If in doubt, do not use a suspected food or product.

Test Your Label Reading

These food labels have ingredients containing wheat, milk and eggs. Can you identify them?

Answers:

Label A: wheat (flour), milk (skim milk powder, sodium caseinate)
Label B: wheat (durum flour), egg (dried egg yolk)
Label C: wheat (enriched flour), milk (skim milk), egg (egg yolks)

For more information contact:

Community Health Services, 160 Exmouth Street, Point Edward, Ontario, N7T 7Z6, 519 383-8331 or toll free 1-800-667-1839.

Allergy & Asthma Information Association of Canada, 111 Zenway Blvd., Unit 1, Vaughan, ON L4H 3H9, 1-800-611-7011, www.aaia.ca

References:

Managing Food Allergy & Intolerance – A Practical Guide. Janice Vickerstaff-Joneja. 1995.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, www.inspection.gc.ca

Dated:  November 14, 2008