Food Allergies and Intolerances

Summary

Not everything we eat agrees with us. About 4% to 8% children and 2% to 3% of adult New Zealanders are affected by food allergies. A food allergy can take minutes or hours to develop, involves the immune system and can trigger an attack. Food allergies are often connected with foods such as nuts, milk, eggs and shellfish. 

Intolerant means a person is unable to eat a food without having problems afterwards. A food intolerance does not involve the immune system. Someone intolerant may have a bad reaction to a food because they can’t process it normally.  The symptoms may take longer to develop. Food intolerances are often connected to milk foods and foods that contain gluten. 

People who are allergic or intolerant to certain foods can read the packaging of food products to make sure they avoid unwanted reactions.

What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

Food allergies happen when someone’s immune system over-reacts to a substance (called an allergen) in their food by making a special group of antibodies which produce the symptoms of an allergy. Allergies can take minutes or hours to develop and be mild or severe. Many of us grow out of allergies but some last for life. It can take only a tiny amount of allergen to cause a reaction – eating something that has been in contact with an allergen (like a nut biscuit on a shared plate) can trigger an attack in a very sensitive person.
Food intolerances don’t involve the immune system. Someone intolerant may have a bad reaction to a food because they can’t process it normally: with lactose intolerance the enzyme which breaks down lactose often isn’t working well. For most intolerances we need to eat a certain amount of a food before symptoms appear, so people can often eat small amounts of a trigger food and their symptoms take longer to develop than with allergies.

What foods cause them?

Eight food types cause over 90% of food allergies: Peanuts, tree nuts (nuts like almonds, brazils, hazelnuts, walnuts), cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Sesame and lupin (a legume often used in imported gluten free foods) are common allergens# in NZ.

Common foods causing intolerance or sensitivity include: lactose (in milk and its products), salicylates (natural preservatives in a range of foods), sulphites (added preservatives), amines (made during plant ripening and aging) and glutamate (in many proteins in foods).

Wheat can cause an allergy on its own, especially in young children. The gluten (in wheat and other grains) can also cause an allergic immune response (known as coeliac disease) in some people, or an intolerance response (non-coeliac gluten sensitivity).

What do food labels have to say about allergens?

Our Food Standards Code (FSC) requires food labels to identify and name certain substances like common allergens# (or their products) if they’re used in foods or to process them. They will be listed in brackets, in normal or bold font in ingredient lists, and also on a separate line after the words “Contains” like on this label from a chocolate ice cream bar.

 

Why not check out a range of labels to see where and how else allergens can appear?

 If you’re allergic or sensitive to something less common (like cinnamon or mustard) you’ll need to read ingredient lists carefully as they don’t have to follow these rules.

What do “may contain traces of” and similar words on labels really mean?

Food manufacturers may also put voluntary statements (“precautionary statements”) on their packaging. They’re phrases like: “may contain”, “may contain traces of”, “manufactured in a plant that also processes”, “manufactured on equipment that handles”, “produced in a factory handling”, “produced on the same production line as products containing” followed by the name of common allergens. They all mean that although the manufacturer didn’t add or use the named allergen – and there may be none present in a food – they can’t guarantee that what you’re eating hasn’t been contaminated with it. For someone with a severe food allergy it’s best to avoid products with such warnings as even the tiniest bit of cross-contamination can cause a serious reaction.

Some foods are made to replace or reduce substances people are sensitive or allergic to (like gluten or lactose). Even if they claim to be “X free”, it’s still a good idea to check their ingredient lists, statements, and that they’re not usually made up by adding a trigger food.

What can you do to deal with food allergies?

What do food labels have to say about possible allergens?

Our Food Standards Code (FSC) requires food labels to identify and name common allergens# (or their products) that are used in foods or to process them. They will be listed in brackets, in normal or bold font in ingredient lists, and also on a separate line after the words “Contains” like this: 
Frooze Balls – Ingredients: Dates, Dry Roasted Peanuts (33%), Coconut, Salt. Contains Peanuts.
Milk Chocolate Drink – Ingredients: Contains milk as indicated in bold type. Reduced fat milk, milk solids, sugar, fructose, cocoa (0.6%), flavour, stabiliser (407), vitamins A & D.
Breakfast Cereal – Ingredients: Cereals (67% [wholegrains (57%) (wheat, oats), corn, wheat bran] …barley malt …wheat fibre …wheat dextrose … Contains cereals containing gluten.
Fishfingers – Ingredients: Hoki (55%), Classic crumb (45%) [vegetable oils, water, wheat flour …gluten…soy protein concentrate …colour(160b)]. Contains Fish, Wheat, Gluten and Soy.
Garlic crackers – Ingredients: Enriched Wheat Flour (wheat Flour, Niacin …), Sunflower oil …Whey Powder (Milk)…Yeast. ! Allergen advice. Contains: Gluten and Milk. May be present: Soybeans and Sesame Seeds.
Chick peas – Ingredients: Chick peas. May contain nut traces.

Why not check out a range of packets to see where and how else allergens can appear?

If you’re allergic to something less common (like cinnamon or mustard) you’ll need to read ingredient lists carefully as they don’t have to be identified as allergens.

What do “may contain traces of” and similar words on labels really mean? 

Food manufacturers may also put voluntary statements (“precautionary statements”) on their packaging. They’re phrases like: “may contain”, “may contain traces of”, “manufactured in a plant that also processes”, “manufactured on equipment that handles”, “produced in a factory handling”, “produced on the same production line as products containing” followed by the name of common allergens. They all mean that although the manufacturer didn’t add or use the named allergen – and there may be none present in a food – they can’t guarantee that what you’re eating hasn’t been contaminated with it. For someone with a severe food allergy it’s best to avoid products with such warnings as even the tiniest bit of cross-contamination can cause a serious reaction.

Some foods are made to replace or reduce substances people are sensitive to (like gluten or lactose). Even if they claim to be “X free”, it’s still a good idea to double check their ingredient lists and that they’re not usually made up by adding a trigger substance. 

# NZ Food Standard 1.2.3 says common substances that must be identified include cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt), crustacea (crab, prawn, shrimp, crayfish), eggs, fish, milk, peanut, soybean, sesame, tree nuts other than coconut, lupin (from 26/5/18), or sulphites (at concentrations over 10 mg/kg).

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References

Allergy New Zealand, nd. ‘What is the Difference Between a Food Allergy and a Food Intolerance?” and “Reading Food Labels and Sourcing Safe Food”.  Retrieved from: http://www.allergy.org.nz/Allergy+FAQs/What+is+the+difference+between+a+food+allergy+and+a+food+intolerance.html  and http://www.allergy.org.nz/Allergy+help/Reading+food+labels+and+sourcing+safe+food.html 19 September 2017.
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Standard 1.2.3, Information Requirements – Warning Stastements, Advisory Statements and Declarations”. Retrieved from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00418 19 September 2017.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand, n.d. “Food Allergies”. Retrieved from: http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/consumer/foodallergies/Pages/default.aspx 19 September 2017.
Ministry for Primary Industries, 9 September 2017.” Food Allergies”. Retrieved from: http://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety/pregnant-and-at-risk-people/food-allergies/ 18 September 2017.
Ministry of Health, July 2012. “Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children and Young People (Aged 2–18 years): a Background Paper. Partial Revision February 2015.” Retrieved from: http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/food-nutrition-guidelines-healthy-children-young-people-background-paper-feb15-v2.pdf 19 September 2017.

Useful links

Allergy New Zealand. http://www.allergy.org.nz/
Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ, “Food Complaints” http://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety/food-safety-for-consumers/food-complaints/

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