Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2024 - 30

REALIGN TO NINE: FOCUS ON FOOD ALLERGIES
EVERY 10 SECONDS
a reaction to a food allergen
results in a trip to the
emergency room.
served as tahini, or in hummus. Other
names for sesame are benne; gingelly;
halvah; sesame flour, oil, paste,
seed; sesamol; sesamum indicum;
sesemolina; sim sim; and til (FARE,
" Sesame " ).
TICK.
#8 Soy: Roughly 1.9 million Americans
have been diagnosed with a soy
allergy, many of whom are infants
and children. Soybeans come from the
legume family and are edible beans.
Soybeans are not as readily consumed
in American cuisine, but are popular
in Asian cuisine-including Chinese,
Indian, and Thai foods. Soy products
(soybean oil and soy sauce), however,
are common ingredients that may
be found in food items. In addition,
with an increase in plant-based diets,
soy is being used to improve the
protein content of vegan/vegetarian
food products in the marketplace.
Other names to look for on the label
include edamame, miso, natto, okara,
shoyu, soy, soya, soybean - albumin,
cheese, fiber, flour, ice cream, milk,
nuts, sprouts, yogurt, curd, granules,
concentrate, isolate; soy sauce,
tempeh, tamari, tofu, and texturized
vegetable protein or TVP (FARE, " Soy " ).
TICK.
#7 Wheat: Approximately 2.4 million
Americans have been diagnosed with
a wheat allergy; again, most often
reported in children. A person with a
wheat allergy is allergic to the protein
found in wheat, which causes an
immune response (often called an
IgE response) releasing antibodies
that trigger the reaction. Most grain
products in the U.S. have wheat as
an ingredient. There are numerous
aliases for wheat; here are some
common names to look for on the
label: bulgur, durum, emmer, farina,
farro, flour (various types), hydrolyzed
wheat protein, couscous (FARE,
" Wheat " ).
TICK.
#6 Fish (with fins): Around 2.6 million
Americans have been diagnosed with
a finned fish allergy. Out of the more
than 20,000 different species of fish,
there are four that `rank` at the top
for allergies in the United States:
salmon, tuna, catfish, and cod. Often,
it is believed that shellfish and fish
with fins are in the same family,
however, they are not closely related.
Being allergic to fish does not mean
that there is also a shellfish allergy.
However, more than half of people
who are allergic to one type of finned
30 NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | JULY-AUGUST 2024
fish are allergic to another type of
fish. In addition, there is a larger risk
of cross-contact between fish and
shellfish, since they are often packed
and processed with each other (FARE,
" Fish " ).
TICK.
#5 Egg: Approximately 2.6 million
Americans have been diagnosed with
an egg allergy. Many are infants and
young children, however, most (~70
percent) of those children will outgrow
the food allergy. Most of the protein
found in eggs is contained in the white
of the egg and not the yolk. However,
even if one is careful to separate the
egg into the two parts, it is nearly
impossible to ensure that all of the
protein from the white will not be
present in the yolk. As such, people
with an egg allergy should avoid eggs
altogether. Here are some alternative
names to watch for: albumin,
apovitellin, egg (dried, powdered,
solids, white, yolk) lysozyme,
ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovomucin,
ovovitellin, surimi, and vitellin (FARE,
" Egg " ).
TICK.
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2024
