I have had a number of people ask me recently to read labels for them to be sure that they were safe for "allergies" in our case a peanut allergy in particular. I'm happy to take the time to ready them, and show people what to look for. As a matter of fact I just happy people are considering her allergy at all.
I thought I would share today how we read food labels for allergies. I would like to start by introducing Gina Mennett Lee, M.Ed., a food allergy consultant, allergy mom, and blogger.
She put out a poster that illustrates just how we read food labels in our home. It is a three step process that makes reading labels a little easier on us rushed parents.Step 1:
Look for the "Contains:" statement, usually at the bottom of the ingredients list. If your allergen is listed here stop looking and put it back.
Step 2:
Look for "May Contain" or "Processed in a plant with". If your allergen is listed here stop and put it back. Remember in the US not all companies report for cross contamination, it is currently not required by law.
Step 3:
If you have not found your allergen in steps 1 or 2 you must read each individual ingredient in the ingredients list.
This simple 3 step process saves time and effort while you are in a busy grocery store trying to decided if something should come home with you or not. My Husband and I have been using these steps for the last 6 months with great success.
I would like to give a special thanks to Gina Mennett Lee for putting together such a great illustration of these 3 steps. (For more information on Gina Mennett Lee please click on the link.)
