Top Allergens: Places Where They Hide

By:
in Basics, Food Allergy, Newly Diagnosed

Allergen

Where It Hides

Alternate Names

Peanuts
  • chocolate/candy bars-barbecue sauces
  • Asian-style dipping sauces (particularly Szechuan)
  • curry sauces
  • egg rolls, spring rolls
  • trail mixes
  • Ice cream (peanut butter flavor or “Reese’s” ice cream)
  • Certain body-care products and makeups use peanut derivatives or peanut oil
  • dog food or biscuits
  • non food: bird seed, bird feeder, ant traps
  • arachidic acid
  • arachis oil
  • peanut oil
  • peanut butter
  • hydrolyzed plant protein
  • hydrolyzed protein
  • hydrolyzed vegetable protein
  • mandelona nuts
  • cacaheuta
  • Earth nuts
  • ground nuts
  • goober nuts
  • mani
  • Nu-Nuts
  • ontjom or onchom (Indonesia)
  • Valencias (Valencia is a variety of the peanut plant.)
  • kernel paste
  • mandelonas
Tree Nuts
  • baked goods, crackers
  • cereals
  • granola bars, trail mixes
  • marzipan
  • calisson (marzipan-type candy)
  • Pad Thai
  • satay sauce
  • curry sauces
  • chili and trout amandine
  • gianduja and giandula (chocolate blended with hazelnuts)
  • tree nut oils
  • pralines
  • salad dressings
  • spreads: almond paste, nut butters, chocolate-nut spreads (Nutella)
  • nougat (e.g. torrone)
  • pesto (often has pine nuts)
  • liqueurs (e.g. Amaretto usually contains almonds)
  • natural flavorings and extracts (e.g. almond extract)
  • anacardium nuts
  • filberts (hazelnuts)
  • nut meats
  • pinon
  • Queensland nut (macadamia)
Milk, Dairy
  • artificial butter, butter flavor, butter oil
  • baked goods, e.g. cakes, cookies
  • battered or fried foods
  • broths and bouillons
  • caramel coloring or flavoring
  • chocolate, candies
  • crackers
  • coffee whiteners
  • custards, puddings
  • deli meats, hot dogs
  • dips and salad dressings
  • egg and fat substitutes (Opta, Simplesse)
  • high-protein flour
  • lactose-free products (don’t confuse wth ‘dairy-free’; many contain milk protein)
  • malt drink mixes
  • margarine (look for dairy-free brands)
  • sausages and deli meats
  • soy or rice cheese
  • soups and soup mixes
  • potatoes (instant, mashed and scalloped potatoes)
  • ghee (clarified butter) and butter fat
  • kefir
  • Kumiss (fermented milk drink)
  • medications
  • tuna fish (some canned brands)
  • beta-lactoglobulin
  • casein, rennet casein-caseinate (ammonium caseinate, magnesium caseinate, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, potassium caseinate)
  • delactosed or demineralized whey
  • whey and whey protein concentrate
  • dry milk, milk solids
  • hydrolyzed casein, hydrolyzed milk protein
  • lactalbumin and lactalbumin phosphate
  • lactose
  • lactoferrin, lactoglobulin
  • milk derivative, fat and protein
  • modified milk ingredients
  • dental supplements (e.g. Recaldent)
Eggs
  • baked goods, e.g. cookies, cakes
  • challah and gluten-free bread
  • crackers
  • fat replacers (e.g. Simplesse)
  • mayonnaise
  • meat products with fillers like meatballs or meatloaf
  • nougats, marzipan candy
  • pasta (fresh but also some dried pasta “may contain” eggs)
  • quiche, soufflé
  • salad dressing, creamy dressings
  • sauces, for example, Bearnaise, hollandaise, Newburg, tartar
  • soups and soup mixes
  • eggnog, whiskey sour
  • fish mixtures (surimi) used imitation crab and lobster meat
  • foam and milk toppings on coffee
  • anesthetic, for example Diprivan (propofol), though usually considered safe.
  • some vaccines (although CDC says flu vaccines are egg-free since 2021)
  • craft materials
  • hair-care products
  • medications
  • albumin/albumen-conalbumin-globulin
  • livetin
  • lysozyme
  • ovo (means egg), for example, ovalbumin, ovomucin, ovotransferrin
  • silico-albuminate
  • vitellin
Fish and Shellfish
  • ethnic foods: fried rice, paella, spring rolls, sushi (California rolls)
  • caponata (Sicilian relish)
  • gelatin, marshmallows
  • pizza toppings
  • salad dressings
  • sauces, for example, marinara, steak and Worcestershire
  • spreads, for example, taramasalata (fish)
  • deli meats, hot dogs (from gelatin)
  • compost or fertilizers
  • lip balm/gloss
  • pet food
  • deep fryers (used to cook fish, shrimp as well as other foods)
  • glucosamine and some calcium supplements (shellfish)
  • Omega 3 supplements
  • kamaboko
Fruits, Vegetables (Oral allergy syndrome or IgE-mediated allergy)
  • flavorings and spices
  • colorings
  • salads (may contain raw fruit or vegetables)
  • spreads
  • yogurts
  • natural rubber latex (latex-fruit syndrome links fruits and vegetables to latex, a serious allergen)
  • flavoring, natural/artificial flavoring
  • color, natural/artificial color
Soy / Legumes
  • baked goods, bread, cookies
  • cereals, crackers
  • canned goods
  • chewing gum
  • imitation dairy food (imitation cheese, imitation milk, imitation ice cream)
  • infant formula
  • margarine
  • mayonnaise, other spreads, dips
  • meal replacements
  • meat products with fillers (e.g. burgers); deli meats
  • miso
  • nutrition supplements (check labels; many companies are now making and labeling their products as soy-free)
  • sauces (tamari, shoyu, teriyaki, Worcestershire)
  • simulated fish and meat products
  • soups, bouillon
  • tempeh
  • vegetarian and vegan dishes
  • vegetarian burgers
  • vitamin E
  • thickening agents
  • cosmetics and soaps
  • medications
  • bean curd (dofu, kori-dofu, soybean curds, tofu)
  • edamame
  • kinako
  • natto
  • nimame
  • okara
  • soya, soja, soybeans, soyabeans
  • soy protein (isolate and concentrate)
  • vegetable protein
  • textured soy flour (TSF)
  • textured soy protein (TSP)
  • textured vegetable protein (TVP)
  • yuba
  • lecithin (not all allergists say soy lecithin needs to be avoided; ask your allergist)
  • mono-diglyceride
  • monosodium glutamate (MSG) may contain soy
  • garbanzo beans (chick peas)
Sesame, Other Seeds:
  • baked goods, e.g., breads, cookies, pastries, bagels, buns
  • Bread crumbs, bread sticks, cereals, crackers, melba toast, muesli
  • dips, p√¢tés, spreads, e.g., hummus, chutney
  • dressings, gravies, marinades, salads, sauces, soups
  • ethnic foods, e.g., flavored rice, noodles, shish kebabs, stews, stir fry
  • flavor(ing)
  • herbs, seasoning, spice
  • margarine
  • processed meats, sausages
  • risotto (rice dish)
  • sesame oil, sesame salt (gomasio)
  • snack foods, e.g., bagel/pita chips, candy, granola bars, halvah, pretzels, rice cakes, sesame snap bars
  • tahini
  • tempeh
  • vegetarian burgers
  • cosmetics and soaps
  • sauces
  • benne/benne seed/benniseed
  • gingelly/gingelly oil seeds
  • sesamol/sesamolina
  • sesamum indicum
  • sim sim
  • Tahina
  • tahini
  • Til
  • vegetable oil
Mustard:
  • sauces
  • salad dressings
  • gravies
  • dips
  • prepared meat products (sausages, hamburger patties)
  • spice mixes
  • natural flavoring
  • spices
Sunflower Seeds:
  • animal food, specifically bird
  • vegetable oil
  • breads
  • crackers
  • sunflower seed spreads
  • trail mixes
  • pay attention to the labels on other seed spreads (or nuts, if there are no allergies to nuts) as they may be made on the
  • same equipment or in the same facility as sunflower seed spread
  • cosmetics/soaps
In cosmetics, the Latin name is: Helianthus annuus
Sulfites:
  • alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer and cider
  • vinegar and wine vinegar
  • wine
  • baked goods with dried fruits
  • bottled lemon/lime juices
  • canned/frozen fruits, vegetables
  • cereal, cornmeal, cornstarch, crackers
  • condiments: horseradish, ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish and sauerkraut
  • dehydrated potatoes, and frozen French fries
  • dried fruits and vegetables, e.g. apricots, raisins, sweet potato
  • dried herbs, spices
  • deli meats, hot dogs and sausages
  • dressings, sauces, soups
  • fresh grapes
  • fruit syrups, gelatin, jams, jellies, preserves, molasses and pectin
  • fruit and vegetable juices
  • starches, (e.g. corn starch, potato starch)
  • sugar syrups: glucose, syrup dextrose, corn syrup, table syrup
  • tomato pastes, purees
  • fish, crustaceans and shellfish
  • granola bars, especially with dried fruit
  • noodle and rice mixes
  • snack foods
  • soy products
  • E 220, E 221, E 222, E 223, E 224, E 225, E 226, E 227, E 228 (European designations)
  • potassium bisulfite or metabisulfite
  • sodium bisulfite
  • dithionite
  • sulphite or sulphites
  • sulphur dioxide
  • sulfiting agents
  • sulphurous acid

Other Foods

Corn:
  • alcohol
  • artificial flavorings and sweeteners (like aspartame and xylitol)
  • baking powder
  • confectioner’s sugar (corn starch)
  • margarine
  • Olestra/Olean cooking oil
May contain corn (not always):

  • acetic acid
  • citric acid
  • alpha tocopherol
  • ascorbates
  • ascorbic acid
  • dextrose (also found in IV solutions in hospitals)
  • fumaric acid
  • gluconate
  • glucose
  • glycerol
  • xantham gum
  • MSG
  • Saccharin
  • maltodextrin
  • maize (this is another name for corn)
Beef:
  • broth/bouillon
  • sauces
  • products containing meat flavoring
  • imitation meat products
  • soups
  • tomato sauces
Garlic & Onion:
  • soup mixes
  • prepared soups
  • dips
  • chips
  • crackers
  • sauces
  • prepared meat products like sausages
  • spice mixes
  • most likely these will be hidden under “spices” or “flavoring”
Kiwi:
  • juices
  • syrups
  • spirits
  • fruit shakes
  • fruit cocktails
  • mixed dried fruits
  • ice cream
  • yogurt
  • pudding
  • breakfast flakes
  • energy bars
  • flavoring powders or essences
  • fruit sauces
  • candy
  • Chinese gooseberry