Updated with notation on whether each ingredient is gluten or dairy.
There are so many everyday household products that contain gluten. So many. Things like price stickers, stamps, envelopes, medicine, vitamins, protein shakes, energy bars, even toothpaste. Although most stamps and envelopes are now gluten free, there are still some older brands that contain gluten (a call to the company can verify this). Soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, lip balms, children’s stickers, mouthwash, detergents, lotions, moisturizers, and sunscreens can also contain gluten. Manufacturers don’t always clearly label their products “gluten free” or “dairy free”, which is why we quickly need to become a label-reading aficionado! We love Acure shampoo, face wash, moisturizer, and scrubs. Himalaya or Epic Dental Toothpaste. Health Food stores carry allergen-free brands, but I find products to sometimes be cheaper on Amazon.com
Even when I find products that I know are safe I still read the ingredients every so often, just to make sure they haven’t reformulated their product. The food labeling allergen law of 2004 does have dairy and wheat as part of their “major allergen” list, however, gluten is not just in wheat. There are a number of other gluten grains (see the list below). Wheat free does NOT mean gluten free.
Some margarine contains dairy. Look for a “D” on a label next to “K” or “U”, the “D” stands for dairy on Kosher products indicating a presence of milk protein. The kosher label is given at the manufacturing facility. Keep in mind also that the product may NOT have dairy or gluten but they run foods on the same machinery, the rabbi will still put a “D” for dairy because of cross-contamination. However, this only applies to kosher foods. Other foods, we would not know unless they state “shared on equipment with…”.
Some other foods that may contain gluten or dairy:
processed foods, prepared meals, deli meat, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, oatmeal, cereals, condiments, salad dressing, sauces, vinegars, pickles, syrups, flavorings for coffee, hummus, guacamole, marinara sauce, cocoa powder, in addition to the usual culprits of bread, pastries, etc.
Lactic acid is found naturally in sour milk but also commercially produced from whey, cornstarch, potatoes and molasses. Therefore, if listed on a product as an ingredient, you must verify its source. Vegetable based lactic acid is dairy free. Foods like bacon, cold cuts, and processed foods use lactic acid as a culture.
Here is a list of ingredients that contain gluten, and casein (the protein in dairy, lactose is the sugar found in dairy). It’s a long list.
* asterisk ingredients added January 28, 2017.
• Abyssinian Hard (Wheat Triticum) – gluten
• Acidophilus milk – gluten
• Alcohol (Spirits – Specific Types) – gluten or dairy
• Artificial Butter flavor – gluten or soy
• Avena sativa, a form of oats (there are certified gluten free oats, made by Bob’s Red Mill) – gluten
• Baking Powder (verify ingredients) – gluten
• Baking Soda (verify ingredients) – gluten
• Barley – gluten
• Barley malt – gluten
• Barley Hordeum vulgare – gluten
• Beer – gluten
• Bleached All-purpose Flour – gluten
* Bouillon cubes or powder – gluten and/or dairy
• Bran – gluten
• Bulgur (Bulgur Wheat/Nuts) – gluten
• Butter – dairy
• Butterfat – dairy
• Butter flavoring – gluten and/or soy
• Butter oil – dairy
• Buttermilk – dairy
• Broth prepackaged – gluten
• Bulgur – gluten
• Calcium Caseinate – dairy
* Caramel color – gluten and/or dairy
• Casein – dairy
• Caseinates – dairy
• Cheese – dairy
• Cheeses (hard and soft) – dairy
• Cereal extract – gluten
• Cereal Binding – gluten
• Chorizo – gluten and dairy
• Coffee creamer substitute (grain based) – gluten and dairy
• Cottage Cheese – dairy
• Couscous – gluten
• Cracker meal – gluten
• Cream – dairy and/or gluten
• Cream Cheese – dairy
• Cream Yogurt – dairy
• Croutons – gluten
• Custard – dairy
• Curds – gluten and dairy
* Cyclodextrin – gluten
• Delactosed whey – dairy
• Deli Meats – gluten and dairy
• Demineralized whey – dairy
• Dextrin – gluten
• Durum – gluten
• Edible Starch – gluten
• Einkorn Wheat – gluten
• Farina – gluten
• Fu (dried wheat) – gluten
• Galactose – dairy
• Germ – gluten
• Glutamate (Free) – gluten
• Glutamic Acid – gluten
* Graham Flour
• Gravy Cubes – gluten
• Gravy mixes (unless homemade with cornstarch) – gluten and dairy
• Ground Spices (some mixed varieties contain gluten)
• Gum Base – gluten or dairy
• Half & Half – dairy
• Hard Wheat – gluten
• Herbs with wheat fillers – gluten
• Hydrolysates – gluten and/or dairy
* Maltodextrin – usually gluten
• milk protein – dairy
• whey – dairy
• whey protein – dairy
• Hordeum – gluten
• Hydrolyzed oat starch – gluten
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP) – gluten (if sensitive to MSG avoid this, can contain 10-30% of MSG)
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein HVP – gluten
* Imitation Crab Meat – gluten and/or dairy
• Job’s Tears (aka Pearl Barley) – gluten
• Kamut (Pasta wheat) – gluten
• Lactoglobulin – dairy
• Lactose – dairy
• Lactalbumin – dairy
• Lactalbumin phosphate – dairy
• Sodium lactylate (may or may not contain casein) – dairy
• Lactoglobulin – dairy
• Lactulose – dairy
• Magnesium caseinate – dairy
• Flavorings (Chocolate, Coconut Cream, Toffee, etc) gluten and dairy
• Malt – gluten
• Malt Extract – gluten
• Malt Syrup – gluten
• Malt Flavoring – gluten
• Malt Vinegar – gluten
• Marinated Meats – dairy and/or gluten
• Miso – gluten
• Modified Food Starch (source is either corn or wheat) – gluten
• MSG – gluten
• Mustard Powder (some contain gluten)
* Natural Flavors/Flavoring – gluten and/or dairy
* Non-dairy creamer – gluten
• Oats – (make sure certified gluten free) gluten
• Pasta – gluten
• Pearl Barley – gluten
• Pepperoni – gluten and dairy
* Phytosphingosine extract – gluten
• Potassium Caseinate – dairy
• Rice Malt (contains barley or Koji) – gluten
• Rice Syrup (unless specified GF it contains barley enzymes) – gluten
* Roasted nuts (often tossed in wheat starch, should state GF) – gluten
• Rye – gluten
• Rye Semolina – gluten
• Salami – gluten and dairy
• Sauce mixes (read labels carefully, often contain wheat) – gluten
• Seitan – gluten and soy
• Semolina – gluten
• Semolina Triticum – gluten
• Scotch – gluten
• Shoyu (soy sauce) – gluten
• Small Spelt – gluten
• Soba Noodles – gluten
• Sodium Caseinate (contains MSG) – dairy
• Sodium lactylate (may or may not contain casein) – dairy
• Soy sauce (unless specified GF) – gluten and soy
• Spirits (Specific Types) – gluten
• Spelt – gluten
• Spelt Triticum spelta – gluten
• Starch (outside USA) – gluten
• Stock Cubes – gluten
• Suet (used for processed meats) – gluten
• Sulfites – gluten or dairy
* Tabbouleh – gluten
• Teriyaki Sauce – gluten and soy
* Textured Vegetable Protein – gluten
• Triticale – gluten
• Triticale X triticosecale – gluten
• Triticum aestivum (form of wheat) – gluten
* Triticum vulgare (form of wheat) – gluten
• Hard Triticum – gluten
• Udon – gluten
• Vegetable Starch – gluten
* Vegetable Protein – gluten
• Vital Gluten – gluten
• Vitamins – gluten and/or dairy
• Wheat bran – all wheat below contain gluten
• Wheat germ
• Wheat gluten
• Wheat malt
• Wheat Nuts
• Wheat Oats
• Wheat Pasta
• Wheat starch
• Wheat Triticum aestivum
• Wheat Triticum mononoccum
• Whole Wheat Berries
* Yeast Extract
Gluten Flours:
• Barley flour
• Bleached All-Purpose Flour
• Bread Flour
• Brown Flour
• Durum flour
• Enriched Flour
• Kamut
• Gluten Flour
• Graham Flour
• Granary Flour
• High protein Flour
• High Gluten Flour
• High Protein Flour
• Oat Flour
• Pastry Flour
• Pumpernickel Rye
• Rye Flour
• Semolina Flour
• Spelt Flour
• Tritical Flour
• Wheat Flour
• Wheat Pastry Flour
• White Flour
• Whole-Meal Flour
Milk derivatives:
• Milk powder
• Milk solids
• Malted milk
• Condensed milk
• Evaporated milk
• Dry milk
• Whole milk
• Low-fat milk fat
• Nonfat milk
• Skim milk
• Goat’s milk
• Milk cheese lactose
• Non-dairy creamer butter
• Pudding
• Rennet casein
• Sour Cream
• Sour cream solids
• Sour milk solids
• Whey in all forms (including sweet, delactosed, protein concentrate)
• Gelatinized starch
• Natural flavoring
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Modified food starch
• Modified starch
• Whey (all forms Whey is dairy)
• Whey Protein concentrate
• Whey Sodium Caseinate
• White Grain Vinegar – can also contain gluten, check with manufacturer
• White Vinegar – can contain gluten, check with manufacturer
For more information on food allergens and labeling: FDA Food Allergen Labeling
For information on required food labeling in restaurants: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/labrguid.html
Since the law does not require flavors to be identified by their common or usual names, some in industry have made a practice of declaring protein hydrolysates as “flavorings” or “natural flavors” even when they are used as flavor enhancers — a use not exempt from declaration. After reviewing the data, FDA concluded that protein hydrolysates added to foods as flavorings always function as flavor enhancers as well and, as such, must be declared by their common or usual name.
The source of protein in hydrolysates used for flavor-related purposes also must be identified. Previously the general terms “hydrolyzed vegetable protein,” “hydrolyzed animal protein,” or simply “hydrolyzed protein” were permitted, but the new regulation requires identification of the specific protein source, such as “hydrolyzed corn protein” or “hydrolyzed casein.”
The law also requires that the common or usual name of a food should adequately describe its basic nature or characterizing properties or ingredients. FDA reasoned that the more general terms “animal” and “vegetable” don’t meet this requirement because protein hydrolysates from different sources best serve different functions. Manufacturers select protein hydrolysates from specific sources depending on how they will be used in a product. Hydrolyzed casein is generally used in canned tuna, for example, whereas hydrolyzed wheat protein is used in meat flavors.
For more labeling information, visit the FDA website.
Be wary, it is the FDA after all, they are not the most attentive bunch for clean allergen free food. Though they say it’s required that they label the source of “natural flavoring”, they still don’t on all labels. I often see this on labels and avoid it because it can be from dairy or gluten.
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