Other names for food allergens
Food labels tell you what ingredients are in a food. However, sometimes they use uncommon terms for an allergy-causing food or substance (allergen). The following table provides terms you may see on a food label for common allergens and foods that may contain the allergen.
Common food allergy terms Allergen Other names Often an ingredient of: Wheat
- Gluten
- Bran
- Bulgur
- Couscous
- Cereal extract
- Cracker meal
- High-protein flour
- Semolina
- Spelt
- Simplesse
- Soups
- Bread, pasta, white flour, cookies, crackers
- White vinegar
- Alcoholic beverages
- Ice cream
- Some baking powder and soy sauces
- Coffee substitutes made with grains
- Instant beverages made with malt
Milk, cow's milk protein
- Casein, sodium caseinate, potassium caseinate, rennet casein, magnesium caseinate
- Milk solids
- Curds, delactosed whey, demineralized whey, whey protein concentrate
- Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactose
- Butter, artificial butter flavor, margarine
- Cheese
- Custard
- Sour cream, yogurt
- Brown sugar, chocolate
- Lunch meats, hot dogs
- High-protein flour
Eggs
- Albumin
- Globulin
- Ovalbumin, ovomucin, ovomucoid
- Lysozyme
- Simplesse
- Mayonnaise, salad dressings, sandwich spreads
- Bread
- Ice cream
- Egg-based glaze on baked goods
Corn
- Corn meal
- Corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Grits
- Vitamin C
- Adhesive on stamps and envelopes
Sulfites No alternative terms, but sulfites are contained in many foods. Read labels carefully.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Fruit juices
- Bakery items, pizza crust, waffles
- Pickles, olives, wine vinegar, horseradish, pickled vegetables, relish
- Trail mix and other dried foods, coconut
- Gelatin, frosting, jam, jelly, hard candy, sugar
- Gravies, stuffing, noodles, rice mixes
- Fish and shellfish
- Tortilla and potato chips
- Vegetable juices, canned and frozen vegetables
Peanuts
- Cold-pressed peanut oil
- Mixed nuts
- Hydrolyzed plant protein
- Vegetable protein
- Baked goods (pastries, cookies, Danish)
- Chocolate, marzipan, nougat, candy
- Chili, soups
- Chinese and Thai dishes
Soy
- Textured vegetable protein
- Miso
- Soy sauce, shoyu sauce, tamari
- Tempeh, tofu
Fish
- Anchovies
- Caviar
- Roe
- Anchovies
- Caviar
- Roe
| Author: | Bets Davis, MFA | Last Updated: March 9, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition Harold S. Nelson, MD - Allergy and Immunology | |
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