Food allergy articles
Peanuts, a widely popular source of dietary protein eaten primarily as peanut butter, are among the world’s most allergenic foods. They are, unfortunately, being included in more and more food products, either directly or by indirect contamination of food products during manufacturing.
The inclusion of peanuts or peanut products in a food may be noted on the food label by less commonly known terms such as "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" or "groundnuts." Peanuts may also be listed as ground nuts, peanut butter, peanut oil, goober peas, artificial nuts, hydrolyzed peanut protein, mixed nuts, mandelonas, beer nuts, goober nuts and peanut flour.
There is no cure for a peanut allergy. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid all food and food products containing peanuts in any form.
Shopping Tips
- Be careful - read lists of ingredients every time you shop. Ingredients often change without warning. Refer to the list of ingredients above that could indicate the presence of peanut protein.
- Foods that may contain peanuts include cookies, chocolate bars, chili, eggrolls, Thai dishes, Satay sauces, prepared soups (especially packaged dried soup mixes), prepared and frozen desserts, hydrogenated oil, candy, protein bars, baked goods, Chinese food, potato chips, fried foods, salad dressings, macaroons, icing paste, almond paste, vegetable burgers, vegetable oil, vegetable chocolate from Europe and canned sardines.
- Generally, the less processing a food has undergone, the less likely it is to contain peanut protein. Highly processed foods with many ingredients are more likely to have had peanut added to them.
- Avoid imported foods with foreign language ingredient lists.
- Have a pad and pen with you when you shop. If you have a question about a product, write down the product name and the manufacturer’s phone number or address. Contact the manufacturer when you get home. Be direct. State that you have a food allergy and you need to know whether the product contains peanut protein.
- Breast-feeding moms should avoid eating peanuts and peanut products to prevent sensitizing their babies to peanut protein.
- Avoid bulk bins. The scoop you use in the flour may have just come from the peanut bin.
- Beware of "new nut" products. New nut products contain peanuts that are pressed and sold as almonds, walnuts and other nuts.
Eating out
- Always ask about the ingredients and the way a food is prepared before you order. Even if the restaurant is part of a chain, there can be differences between restaurants.
- Call a restaurant between meal hours and discuss the allergy with the chef.
- Order simply prepared foods. Foods such as baked potatoes, steamed vegetables and broiled meat are less likely to create problems. Avoid added sauces and flavorings.
- Avoid buffets and salad bars.
- Avoid Asian and African foods - they often contain peanuts.
- Peanut butter is sometimes used as a thickener or even to hide a burnt taste in spaghetti sauce, chili or gravy. Peanuts may be used in piecrusts.
- Ask what oil is used. Most good Italian restaurants use olive oil, but it’s best to check this out. Fondues and stir-fries often use peanut oil because of its high smoking point.
For additional references and information on managing peanut allergy, a fact
sheet is available at <http://www.msue.msu.edu/fnh/foodsafetyedmaterials/peanutsnew.pdf>.
For more information on these and other health, food, nutrition, parenting, or money management issues, contact Michigan State University at http://www.fcs.msue.msu.edu/.
MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science educators are located in all 83 Michigan counties to integrate university and community resources to help families succeed.
Written by Venu Gangur, Ph.d, assistant professor, food allergy and immunology, Michigan State University, and Carol Wruble, special projects coordinator, Michigan State University Extension.
