Now that you have discovered your child has severe food allergies, you will enjoy the two hours it takes to get through the grocery store reading labels! Regular super markets are as likely to have safe foods as natural food markets. Many ‘organic' foods, or health foods are made with seeds and nuts, or they cross-contaminate with these in the production process, so be cautious if your child is allergic to peanuts or tree nuts!

Make sure to read ALL items on the ingredient label. We've found the disclaimer “may contain nuts” or “processed on shared equipment with nuts” on the sides of labels, or written in extremely small writing. We also call food manufacturers if they have a peanut cookie product, and we want to purchase a chocolate cookie, for example. Currently, manufacturers aren't required to list cross-contamination potential, however if you call their customer service you're more likely to get accurate information.

For this reason, we've found certain products and certain food manufacturers that we stick with. Anything new that ventures into our house is sure to be noticed by our son. He will immediately question if the product is safe and ask if I've called the company!

Some teachers or friends have asked us to create a list of safe products. I'm extremely hesitant to do this because food manufacturers change their processes so quickly. A product that is safe this month may not be safe next month. Reading the labels EACH TIME you purchase a product is a must! We've found some favorite products that suddenly turn up the “may contain peanuts” on their label.

Read labels for everything that your child eats. If you can't obtain a label, don't give it to your child! This is especially true with home baked goods.

Here are three links that give an overall view of ingredient labeling and the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (passed 7/20/2004). This Act requires: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.' This act went into effect January 1, 2006.

Reading labels for the peanut allergic child

Bear in mind that if a manufacturer makes several products with nuts, you probably don't want to purchase the one product they make without nuts.

Here are some ingredients that you want to stay away from to maintain a no-peanut diet:

Anything that says NUTS

Peanut oil – there are some people who can tolerate peanut oil, and others

who can't. The cold pressed form is usually NOT tolerated.

Peanut flour

Peanuts can show up in unsuspecting places, but they are especially prevalent in Chinese dishes, egg rolls, chocolates, candy bars, and pastries. If you can't read the ingredients – don't eat it!

I have heard that some people use peanut butter in chili, or in thickening frosting for a cake or cupcakes.

Hydrolyzed plant or vegetable protein will probably be marked if it is from peanuts. In Europe, the use of peanut protein is more prevalent so be careful if traveling! Lupine flour (used mainly in Europe) also contains peanuts.

A surprising food that has a label indicating “may include peanuts':

Plain M&M's®

Jelly Bellys (jelly beans)

It is safest to avoid all kinds of nuts even if your child is allergic to just one. The processing of nuts in foods lends itself to cross-contamination easily and isn't worth the risk.

Stay away from all your ‘standard' tree nuts, which include almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts.

Any product that says ‘nuts' must be avoided. These would include macadamia nuts to name just one. There are many kinds of nuts, so read labels carefully. Remember pistachios are a nut!

Sometimes cashews are used to make butter (cashew butter), oils or pastes. Stay away from all of these.

Eggs show up in many products – cakes, pastries, cookies, mayonnaise and egg substitutes that frequently contain just egg whites.

Milk is in so many processed foods that cooking from scratch may be a much safer alternative.

Of course, milk is in all kinds of cheeses, butter, creams and yogurt. The lactose free milks do still have milk protein, so avoid them. They are made such that the lactose-intolerant individual can digest them, but are not made for the milk-allergic.

Stay away from all shelled fish: crab, lobster, shrimp and snails. Also mollusks (clams and oysters) should be avoided.

• Worcestershire sauce

• Marinara sauce can contain anchovies

• Dressings can contain anchovies

• Hot dogs, pizza toppings, bologna and ham can all contain Surimi

• Menhaden is a type of fish caught along the Atlantic coast. It is used in products such as vitamins, soap, lipstick, paint, insect spray, and waterproofing.

Remember: if your child is allergic to only shellfish or fish, the cross contamination potential in a grocery's display case would make both unsafe.

Reading labels for the soy allergic child

Avoid anything that has ‘soy' or ‘lecithin' listed in the ingredients. This could include soybeans, soy protein, soy sauce, and soybeans. There is now soy nut butter available in my local grocery store – not a good choice for a soy allergic child!

And as with peanut oil, some children can tolerate soy oil and others can't. I'd err on the side of caution and not use soy oil.

Soy protein may be present in an ingredient such as vegetable protein or natural flavoring.

Reading labels for the wheat allergic child

To maintain a wheat-free diet, strict avoidance of the following is necessary:

• Wheat, spelt, rye, barley in flours or other combinations
• Gluten
• Distilled vinegar
• Beer
• Whiskey
• Malt
• Modified food starch
• Dextrin

Some celiacs can tolerate oats, and others cannot. Usually rice and corn are okay for the wheat allergic or intolerant child.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate wheat. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don't know the exact nature of the ingredient, don't eat it!