What does “Free From” mean?

Eat Me Allergy Free Food understands that cutting through the confusion of ingredient lists, additive numbers and indecipherable words is vital when choosing food for people with allergies. All is not always as it seems.

At Eat Me, when we say our food is free from allergens, we mean it. As such, we have carefully selected ingredients that do not contain any of the baddies, no matter how hard they try to disguise themselves.  After all, who knew that bal ahar was another name for wheat?

We would also like to help you when it comes to your everyday shopping, by providing you with the following lists of ingredients which you might encounter on food labels, but might not recognise as the bad guys.

Wheat Free

The following are the name of ingredients which commonly occur on food labelling which may contain wheat. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

*sugars such as glucose, glucose syrup, dextrose, even if derived from wheat, rarely cause a reaction in children with a wheat allergy.

Common foods which contain or may contain wheat:

• Cereal and grain products – pasta, noodles, rye bread, semolina, croutons, breakfast cereal.
• Meat, fish, poultry and alternatives – BBQ chicken seasoning, meat and fish pastes, some processed meats.
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – some chocolate, some ice blocks, ice cream cones, liquorice, chewing gum, marshmallows, many lollies (eg jubes, toffees).
• Sauces, soups and dressings – many sauces, most gravies, commercial casserole bases and simmer sauces, stock powder and liquid, soup mixes, cup-a-soup, thickened soups, soups with noodles or pasta.
• Baked goods – most baked products such as breads (eg yeast, sourdough, flat, chapatti), biscuits, pastries, cakes, crumpets, muffins, fruit pies (including the filling).
• Miscellaneous – Battered food, some canned foods, chips, crisps and potato wedges, some custard powders, pancakes, stock powder and liquid, thickeners of wheat origin (additive numbers 1400-1450), playdough, yeast extract spreads (eg vegemite).

Two-thirds of children with an allergy to wheat potentially also react to rye and may react to all sources of gluten (eg wheat, rye, barley, oats, triticale).  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these grain types.

Gluten Free

Gluten is a specific protein found in commonly consumed grains, especially wheat, but also rye, barley, oats, triticale and spelt. As such, it may be found in any of the ingredients and products listed in “Wheat Free”.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these grain types.

Dairy Free

The following ingredients are or may contain cow’s milk.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

Common foods which contain or may contain cow’s milk:

• Milk, other dairy foods and alternatives – all types of milk including fresh, whole, and semi-skimmed, long life, A2, UHT, condensed and evaporated. Butter, margarine, cheese, infant formulas based on milk, cream, fromage frais (fruche), malted milk powder, sour cream, soy cheese, vegetarian cheese, whipped cream, yoghurt, yoghurt fruche.
• Cereal and grain products – some processed breakfast cereals, muesli.
• Meat, fish, poultry and alternatives – most processed meats, including meat loaf, schnitzel, chicken loaf, chicken nuggets, crumbed meats, meat pies, sausages, sausage rolls, some canned fish.
• Egg products and dishes – custard, eggnog.
• Beverages – drinking chocolate, eggnog, calcium enriched fruit juices, chocolate beverages, milkshakes, flavoured milks, beverage whitener (eg coffee whitener).
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – some types including butterscotch, caramel, toffee, carob, chocolate, nougat, sherbet. Ice cream, milky ice blocks, puddings, custards, (diet) mousse, Dutch pancakes.
• Sauces, soups and dressings – creamy sauces, creamy soups, salad dressings.
• Baked goods – cakes, biscuits, pastry, croissants, crumpets, muffins, sausage rolls, shortening, cheese biscuits and cheese flavoured snack foods (eg crisps).
• Miscellaneous – battered food, chutneys, mashed potato, instant mashed potato, pancakes, pickles, relishes, spreads, pastes, stock cubes and powders, natural flavouring.

Egg Free

The following ingredients are or may contain eggs. Avoid these ingredients and all types of eggs (eg hen, duck and goose) if following an egg-free diet. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

*Lecithin may be derived from egg but rarely causes an adverse food reaction. Check with your doctor or dietician.

Common foods which contain or may contain eggs:

• Egg products and dishes – all raw and cooked eggs regardless of cooking method used, frozen eggs, powdered egg, omelettes, quiche, frittatas, mayonnaise.
• Cereal and grain products – egg pasta, egg noodle.
• Beverages – eggnog, malted drinks, some milk drink mixes.
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – all types of confectionary, custards, puddings, certain ice blocks, macaroons, meringue, mousse, pavlova, ice cream, doughnuts, royal icing (eg on traditional Christmas and wedding cakes).
• Sauces and dressings – sauces in general, including béarnaise, hollandaise, tartar, mayonnaise, salad dressings.
• Baked goods – cakes, pastry, biscuits, commercial icing on cakes, quiche, doughnuts, glazed rolls/pastries/buns, marzipan, soufflés, glazed fruits.
• Miscellaneous – battered foods, fritters.

Soy and Legume Free

The following ingredients are or may contain soy. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients, unless specified.

Other legumes, such as lentils, dhal, yellow peas and chickpeas, can also cause allergic reactions.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any legumes.

*Several studies indicate that soy (bean) lecithin and soy (bean) oil are frequently tolerated by individuals who are soy allergic.

Common foods which contain or may contain soy:

• Soy and soy products – soy infant formula, soy butter, soy milk, soy drinks and shakes, soy sauce, soy seed, soy yoghurt, soy cheese, soy oil, tofu, tempeh.
• Cereal and grain products – breakfast cereals, most regular breads (including wheat, rye, rice and cornbreads).
• Meat, fish, poultry and alternatives – sausages, processed meats.
• Confectionery and sweet dishes – many types of confectionery, frozen fruit desserts, fruit ice cream substitutes, fruit sorbets, soy ice creams.
• Baked goods – many baked goods including breads, rolls and buns (including wheat, rye, rice and corn types), biscuits, cakes (commercial).
• Miscellaneous – many south-east Asian (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese) dishes and ingredients, batters, canned beans, miso, teriyaki sauce, many vegetarian products.

Nut Free

If you or your child has a peanut allergy, it is safer to avoid all nut products as many people  who react to peanuts also react to tree nuts (other nuts). Tree nuts include: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts.

The following ingredients are or may contain peanuts. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients:

*Arachis oil may be used in food products and also in certain cosmetic and pharmaceutical products such as aftershave or eczema cream – highly sensitive individuals may react to arachis oil from these sources. Always check with your pharmacist that the product does not contain arachis oil or nut products.

Common foods which contain or may contain peanuts:

• Peanut and peanut dishes and products – all types of peanuts, satay sauces, peanut butter.
• Cereal and grain products – some breakfast cereal bars, muesli bars.
• Meat, fish, poultry dishes and alternatives – chilli con carne, some Asian dishes and curries.
• Confectionary and Sweet dishes – certain sweets, chocolate, ice cream, nougat, praline, marzipan, macaroons.
• Baked goods – many baked goods such as biscuits, cakes (including those with marzipan icing).pies, pastries, etc. Cheese cakes, marzipan, praline.
• Miscellaneous – chocolate nut spreads, many south-east Asian (Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese) dishes, foods from buffets and delicatessens, vegetarian products, pesto, tree nut (other nut) products may also contain peanuts.

Seafood Free

The major groups of seafood which can trigger allergic reactions are:

Vertebrates

• Scaly fish (eg. salmon, cod, mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, tuna, trout, haddock, John Dory)

Invertebrates

• Crustaceans (eg. prawns/shrimps, lobster, crab, crayfish, yabbies)
  Molluscs (eg. snail, abalone, clams, oysters, mussel)
  Cephalopods (eg. octopus, cuttlefish, squid, calamari)
  Gastropods (eg. sea slugs, garden slugs, snails)

The term "shellfish" is used to encompass both "shelled" fish (eg. oysters) as well as crustaceans

The following ingredients are or may contain fish or seafood. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients:

Allergic individuals should also carefully read the labels of medication, cosmetics, creams and ointments, as some of these products contain fish and shellfish.  

Allergenic Fruit and Vegetable Free

Fruit and vegetable allergies are less common than the above listed allergies, however they do exist and make processed food purchasing difficult.  The fruit and vegetables most likely to cause allergic reaction are listed below.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients, unless specified:

 *Lemon, tomato and onion are present in some Eat Me Allergy Free Food

Artificial Colour, Artificial Flavour and Preservative Free

Artificial colours, flavours (herbs, spices) and some preservatives can trigger reactions. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients, unless specified:

 * Contained in the desiccated coconut used in Slice of Heaven

References:

Anaphylaxis Australia; www.allergyfacts.org.au

Daalmeyer, K. and Ravlic, J.;  www.additiveeducation.com.au

Nutricia Australia (2002); Practical Shopping Guide.

Statham, B. (2001); The Chemical Maze; Possibility.com