If you’re a parent of a child with allergies like I am, chances are you’re also a label reader. Knowing your child’s triggers in foods and body care products can make life a whole lot easier. Avoiding these ingredients can be the difference between a good week and a week filled with constant itching and irritation. When my little one was first diagnosed with sensitivities to food, I became the queen of reading labels! I would scan pretty much everything I gave my child for those ingredients that I knew were troublesome –but sometimes things were still rough. It turns out that a few of the ingredients I was on the hunt for had a variety of names. Some people say that the food and cosmetic industry does this to fool us, others say it’s just a preference of the company who manufactures a product. Either way, you have to know all the ways a trigger ingredient might be labeled if you want to be on the safe side.
Today, I’d like to share some of the most common alternative names for allergens out there. Print this out or take a picture for your phone – you’ll thank me later!
Remember this list is limited and the food industry is constantly changing – so it’s worth reviewing and researching further if a product you love has these ingredients or others you’re aren’t familiar with on the ingredients label.
Seafood
Barnacle
Krill
Surimi
Eggs
Albumin
Lecithin
Globulin
Artificial or natural flavoring
Fat substitute
Protein substitute
Ovalbumin
Ovovitellin
Surimi
Peanuts
Arachis, Arachic
Nut flavoring
Peanut oil
Nuts
Goobers
Peanut protein
Nut protein
Milk
Butter
Casein, Caseinate
Cheese
Cream
Curd
Lactose
Galactose
Diacetyl
Ghee
Hydrolysates
Lactate
Lactulose
Lactic
Lactyc
Lactalbumin
Rennet
rennet casein
Soy
Edamame
Shoyu
Soy protein
Kyodofu
Miso
Okara
Kinnoko
Soy protein
Miso
Tamari
Tempeh
Textured vegetable protein
Wheat
Flour
All-purpose flour
Natural flour
Bran
Bread crumbs
Bulgur
Gluten
Enriched Flour
durum
einkorn
emmer
farina
seitan
semolina
spelt
sprouted wheat
triticale
vital wheat gluten
As you can see, these lists are pretty extensive and there are even more alternatives than what you see here. If anyone in your family has a mild to severe ingredient allergy, it’s worth digging in and putting these names to memory in addition to doing ongoing research for new names. We’ll also share updates with you here on ScratchMeNot to help take the guesswork and frustration out of keeping your family healthy and safe!