What does “Free From” mean?

Eat Me Allergy Free Food understands that cutting through the confusion of ingredient lists, additive numbers and indecipherable words is vital when choosing food for people with allergies. All is not always as it seems.

At Eat Me, when we say our food is free from allergens, we mean it. As such, we have carefully selected ingredients that do not contain any of the baddies, no matter how hard they try to disguise themselves.  After all, who knew that bal ahar was another name for wheat?

We would also like to help you when it comes to your everyday shopping, by providing you with the following lists of ingredients which you might encounter on food labels, but might not recognise as the bad guys.

Wheat Free

The following are the name of ingredients which commonly occur on food labelling which may contain wheat. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

*sugars such as glucose, glucose syrup, dextrose, even if derived from wheat, rarely cause a reaction in children with a wheat allergy.

Common foods which contain or may contain wheat:

• Cereal and grain products – pasta, noodles, rye bread, semolina, croutons, breakfast cereal.
• Meat, fish, poultry and alternatives – BBQ chicken seasoning, meat and fish pastes, some processed meats.
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – some chocolate, some ice blocks, ice cream cones, liquorice, chewing gum, marshmallows, many lollies (eg jubes, toffees).
• Sauces, soups and dressings – many sauces, most gravies, commercial casserole bases and simmer sauces, stock powder and liquid, soup mixes, cup-a-soup, thickened soups, soups with noodles or pasta.
• Baked goods – most baked products such as breads (eg yeast, sourdough, flat, chapatti), biscuits, pastries, cakes, crumpets, muffins, fruit pies (including the filling).
• Miscellaneous – Battered food, some canned foods, chips, crisps and potato wedges, some custard powders, pancakes, stock powder and liquid, thickeners of wheat origin (additive numbers 1400-1450), playdough, yeast extract spreads (eg vegemite).

Two-thirds of children with an allergy to wheat potentially also react to rye and may react to all sources of gluten (eg wheat, rye, barley, oats, triticale).  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these grain types.

Gluten Free

Gluten is a specific protein found in commonly consumed grains, especially wheat, but also rye, barley, oats, triticale and spelt. As such, it may be found in any of the ingredients and products listed in “Wheat Free”.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these grain types.

Dairy Free

The following ingredients are or may contain cow’s milk.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

Common foods which contain or may contain cow’s milk:

• Milk, other dairy foods and alternatives – all types of milk including fresh, whole, and semi-skimmed, long life, A2, UHT, condensed and evaporated. Butter, margarine, cheese, infant formulas based on milk, cream, fromage frais (fruche), malted milk powder, sour cream, soy cheese, vegetarian cheese, whipped cream, yoghurt, yoghurt fruche.
• Cereal and grain products – some processed breakfast cereals, muesli.
• Meat, fish, poultry and alternatives – most processed meats, including meat loaf, schnitzel, chicken loaf, chicken nuggets, crumbed meats, meat pies, sausages, sausage rolls, some canned fish.
• Egg products and dishes – custard, eggnog.
• Beverages – drinking chocolate, eggnog, calcium enriched fruit juices, chocolate beverages, milkshakes, flavoured milks, beverage whitener (eg coffee whitener).
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – some types including butterscotch, caramel, toffee, carob, chocolate, nougat, sherbet. Ice cream, milky ice blocks, puddings, custards, (diet) mousse, Dutch pancakes.
• Sauces, soups and dressings – creamy sauces, creamy soups, salad dressings.
• Baked goods – cakes, biscuits, pastry, croissants, crumpets, muffins, sausage rolls, shortening, cheese biscuits and cheese flavoured snack foods (eg crisps).
• Miscellaneous – battered food, chutneys, mashed potato, instant mashed potato, pancakes, pickles, relishes, spreads, pastes, stock cubes and powders, natural flavouring.

Egg Free

The following ingredients are or may contain eggs. Avoid these ingredients and all types of eggs (eg hen, duck and goose) if following an egg-free diet. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients.

*Lecithin may be derived from egg but rarely causes an adverse food reaction. Check with your doctor or dietician.

Common foods which contain or may contain eggs:

• Egg products and dishes – all raw and cooked eggs regardless of cooking method used, frozen eggs, powdered egg, omelettes, quiche, frittatas, mayonnaise.
• Cereal and grain products – egg pasta, egg noodle.
• Beverages – eggnog, malted drinks, some milk drink mixes.
• Confectionary and sweet dishes – all types of confectionary, custards, puddings, certain ice blocks, macaroons, meringue, mousse, pavlova, ice cream, doughnuts, royal icing (eg on traditional Christmas and wedding cakes).
• Sauces and dressings – sauces in general, including béarnaise, hollandaise, tartar, mayonnaise, salad dressings.
• Baked goods – cakes, pastry, biscuits, commercial icing on cakes, quiche, doughnuts, glazed rolls/pastries/buns, marzipan, soufflés, glazed fruits.
• Miscellaneous – battered foods, fritters.

Soy and Legume Free

The following ingredients are or may contain soy. Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any of these ingredients, unless specified.

Other legumes, such as lentils, dhal, yellow peas and chickpeas, can also cause allergic reactions.  Eat Me Allergy Free Food does not contain any legumes.

*Several studies indicate that soy (bean) lecithin and soy (bean) oil are freque