Allergens and other names for them
Labels can sometimes use different names for food allergens, which makes them harder to identify. Learn about the different terms used to refer to allergens so you can recognize them and—above all—avoid them if you are allergic.
Choose one of the allergens below to learn about the different terms used to refer to them and the foods they can be found in.
Note: The information on this page is not exhaustive and is provided for information purposes only.
Priority allergens and other substances with specific labelling requirements
Labels are mandatory for prepackaged foods. Priority allergens, sulphites and gluten sources must appear in the ingredient list or in a “Contains” statement located immediately after the ingredient list.
Other terms
- Anacardium nuts
- Beechnuts
- Butternuts, mixed nuts, black walnuts and hickory nuts
- Calisson (candy made from ground almonds covered in icing)
- Filberts
- Kajo nuts
- Nut meats
- Pignons
- Queensland nuts
- Tree nuts
- Foods and products that contain or may contain these allergens
- Dishes such as almond chicken, pad thai, satay, chili and trout amandine
- Dragées
- Flavoured or specialty coffees, coffee ground in grinders also used to grind walnut, hazelnut or almond coffee
- Gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut blend)
- Halva
- Hazelnut spread
- Marzipan (almond paste)
- Muesli
- Nougat (sugar paste that contains nuts) (e.g., Torrone)
- Pesto (pine nuts, walnuts)
- Pralines
- Tree nut oils
- Vegetarian dishes
Other possible sources
- Baked goods
- Baking mixes, cereals, crackers, muesli
- Barbecue sauces
- Cheese spreads
- Chocolates and cakes
- Cookies
- Deli meats (pistachios)
- Frozen desserts
- Liqueurs (e.g., amaretto, Frangelico)
- Natural flavourings and extracts (e.g., pure almond extract)
- Pie crusts
- Salad (e.g., Waldorf salad)
- Salad dressings
- Seasonings
- Snack foods (e.g., trail mixes)
Other terms
- Conarachin
- Earth peas
- Goobers, goober peas
- Ground nuts
- Kernels
- Mandelonas
- Nut meats
- Peanut-1, arachin, arachis oil
- Valencias
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Artificial nuts
- Beer nuts
- Crushed nuts
- Ethnic cuisine (e.g., satays), Thai food (e.g., curries), Vietnamese food (e.g., crushed peanuts as a topping, spring rolls) or Chinese food (e.g., Szechuan sauce, egg rolls)
- Hydrolyzed peanut vegetable protein
- Mixed nuts
- Peanut vegetable protein
- Vegetarian meat replacement products
Other possible sources
- Almond glaze
- Almond or hazelnut paste, marzipan, nougat
- Baked goods
- Cereals
- Chicha
- Chili
- Chocolate
- Cookies
- Desserts, frozen desserts
- Dragées
- Dried salad dressings and soup mixes
- Ice cream
- Pastries
- Seasonings
- Snack foods (e.g., trail mixes)
Other terms
- Atta
- Bulgur
- Couscous
- Emmer, einkorn, durum
- Farina, spring wheat semolina
- Fu
- Germ, bran, wheat flour, wheat germ oil
- Gliadin
- Globulin, pseudoglobulin
- Glutenin
- Graham
- Graham, high-gluten and high-protein flour
- Hulled wheat
- Kamut
- Seitan
- Soluble extracts of roasted wheat
- Spelt (farro, dinkel)
- Wheat albumin
- Wheat flour or whole wheat flour, enriched flour, white flour, whole meal
- Wheat starch
- Wheatgrass
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Ale
- Baking mixes and baking powder
- Beef and chicken broth (cans and bouillon cubes)
- Beer
- Bread and baked goods (e.g., cookies)
- Cakes, pie and dessert toppings
- Canned soups
- Chicory, barley
- Coated or breaded foods (e.g., nuggets, fondue Parmesan), bread crumbs
- Commercial soups
- Crepes and pancakes
- Cretons (bread crumbs, spices)
- Croutons
- Deli meats, smoked sausages and surimi
- Endosperm
- Falafel
- Gluten, wheat gluten
- Hosts (communion, altar bread and wafers)
- Hydrolyzed plant protein
- Ice cream cones
- Imitation bacon
- Malt flour, malt vinegar
- Malted milk or chocolate milk made with chocolate powder, malt liquor, malt or malt powder
- Noodles and pasta
- Sauces (e.g., chutney, soy sauce, tamari, restaurant or store-bought meals made with sauces)
- Sausages
- Seasonings and spice mixes
- Stout
- Vegetable starch
- Warm cereal drinks, cereal-based coffee substitutes, cereal extracts
Other possible sources
- Albumin
- Binding agents and fillers (meat, poultry and fish preparations)
- Candies
- Chocolate, icing sugar (starch), ice cream
- Corn starch, gelatinized starch, modified starch and food starch
- Flavours
- Ground mustard
- Herbs, spice mixes (e.g., paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili and curry powder)
- Meatloaf and pâtés
- Mustard flour
- Natural and/or artificial flavourings
- Prepared ketchup and mustard, mayonnaise
- Seasoned nuts and peanuts
- Snack foods (e.g., crackers, cereal)
- Vegetable gum
- Wheatgrass
The gluten protein in some grains (oats, wheat, spelt, kamut, barley, rye, triticale) can lead to celiac disease.
People with celiac disease or wheat allergies must be careful when using compostable or biodegradable dishes. These dishes are sometimes made with wheat fibre, which can contaminate food and cause reactions. As a precaution, opt for dishes with a “gluten-free” statement on the packaging, which means that other components, such as sugarcane fibre, were used.
Other terms
- All condiment mustards (old-fashioned mustard, Meaux mustard, Dijon mustard, hot mustard, prepared mustard, etc.)
- All parts of the mustard plant (leaves, flowers, mustard greens)
- Mustard oil
- Mustard powder
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Barbecue
- Batters and breading
- Béarnaises
- Condiments
- Cumberland
- Curries, chutneys and relishes
- Curry
- Dehydrated soup mixes
- Gravies, marinades
- Indian dishes
- Ketchup, tomato sauces
- Mayonnaises
- Pesto
- Pickles and other pickled products
- Processed cheese preparations
- Processed meat (sausages, deli meat, etc.), including hamburgers, steakettes and some fast-food products
- Salad dressings (vinaigrettes and dips)
- Sauces
- Spices for marinades
- Spices, flavourings or seasonings
- Vinaigrettes
Other possible sources
- Binding agents and emulsifiers
- Bouillons, soups
- Dehydrated mashed potatoes
- Ready store-bought meals (quiches, pizzas)
- Some appetizers
- Some baby/toddler prepackaged food
- Sprouted seeds
Other terms
- Benne, benne seeds
- Gingelly, gingelly oil, til, teel, benne oil
- Sesamol, sesamolina
- Sesamum indicum
- Sim sim
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Bread (e.g., hamburger buns, multigrain bread)
- Breadcrumbs, breadsticks, cereals, crackers, melba toast and muesli
- Dips and spreads (e.g., hummus, chutney)
- Ethnic foods (e.g., flavoured rice, noodles)
- Seeds
- Sesame oil, sesame salt (gomasio)
- Shish kebabs, stews, stir-fries
- Snack foods (e.g., sesame bars, crackers)
- Tahini, tahina
- Tempeh
- Vegetarian burgers
Other possible sources
- Herbs, seasonings, flavourings, spices
- Risotto
- Salad dressings, marinades, salads, sauces, soups
- Sausages, processed meats
- Some baked goods
- Vegetable oil (may contain sesame oil)
- Vegetable pâtés
Other terms
- Alpha-lactalbumin
- Beta-lactoglobulin
- Casein, rennet casein
- Caseinate (ammonium caseinate, calcium caseinate, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, sodium caseinate)
- Hydrolyzed casein
- Lactalbumin and lactalbumin phosphate
- Lactoferrin, lactoglobulin
- Lactose, lactulose
- Lactose-free milk
- Milk derivatives, fat, protein
- Modified milk ingredients
- Ovolactohydrolyze proteins
- Powdered milk, milk solid, skimmed powdered milk, whey powder, milk solids
- Whey and whey protein concentrate, lactose-free or demineralized whey
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Baked goods, including some types of breads and baking mixes (puddings)
- Battered and fried foods
- Broth and bouillons
- Butter flavour
- Butter oil
- Butter, clarified butter
- Buttermilk
- Caramel colouring, caramel extract
- Cereals, cookies, crackers
- Cheese
- Chocolate bars
- Chocolate, dark chocolate
- Coffee whitener and non-dairy creamer
- Cream, sour cream
- Curds
- Deli meats, smoked sausages and surimi
- Desserts (e.g., custard, frozen yogurt, ice cream, pudding, cakes, doughnuts, ice pops)
- Fat replacers
- Ghee
- Glazes (baked goods)
- High-protein flour
- Kefir
- Kumiss
- Malt-drink mixes
- Maple syrup
- Margarine
- Milk fat
- Nougat
- Pâtés, sausages
- Pizzas
- Potatoes (instant, mashed, scalloped)
- Sauces
- Seasonings
- Slow cooker meals; prepared, frozen or dehydrated foods
- Soups and soup mixes, cream soups
- Soy cheese (with casein)
- Wine
- Yogurt
Other possible sources
- Annatto (colouring that may contain lactose)
- Calcium-fortified juices
- Candy, fruit, granola bars (e.g., those containing caramel or chocolate)
- Canned tuna (e.g., seasoned or mixed with other ingredients for flavour)
- Crackers
- Dips, salad dressings
- Flavoured coffee
- Flavours, natural and/or artificial flavourings
- Seasoned fries or chips (e.g., sour cream and onion)
- Some french fries (made from potato mixture or mashed potatoes)
- Spreads
- Tofu
- Vinaigrettes
- Waxes on some fresh fruit and vegetables
Other terms
- Albumin, albumen, albumen powder
- Conalbumin
- Globulin
- Livetin
- Lysozyme
- Ovo (means “egg”) (e.g., ovalbumin, ovoglobulin, ovomacroglobulin, ovomucoid, ovomucin, ovotransferrin, ovovitellin)
- Ovolactohydrolyze proteins
- Silico-albuminate
- Vitellin
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Baked goods (including some types of bread) and baking mixes
- Battered and fried foods
- Desserts (e.g., custards, pastry cream, meringue, pudding and ice cream, icing, cream-filled pies)
- Egg substitutes (e.g., Egg Beaters)
- Fat replacers
- Fat substitutes
- Fish mixtures (e.g., surimi, used to make imitation crab/lobster meat, commonly known as “pollock”)
- Lecithin (egg or animal lecithin)
- Mayonnaise, creamy dressings, sauces (e.g., Béarnaise, hollandaise, Newburg)
- Meat products with fillers (e.g., meatballs and meatloaf, pre-prepared hamburger patties, hotdogs and cold cuts)
- Nougat, marzipan
- Pasta (fresh pasta, some types of dry pasta, e.g., egg noodles)
- Quiche, soufflé
- Tartar sauce
- Wine
Other possible sources
- Alcoholic cocktails and drinks (e.g., whipped egg white, eggnog)
- Artisanal spruce beer, malt-drink mixes
- Baby food
- Cheeses (with lysozymes)
- Eggnog
- Soups, broths, bouillons, sauces
- Whipped foam and coffee toppings
Other terms
Most common fish
- Anchovy, anchovy, basa, bass, bream, carp, eel, monkfish (angler fish, burbot), pike
- Chub, cisco, pickerel (dore, walleye)
- Haddock, halibut, smelt, sturgeon, swordfish
- Herring, mahi-mahi, orange roughy, pollock
- Cod, grouper, hake, mackerel, marlin
- Catfish (channel cat), flounder, perch, plaice
- Catfish (mudcat), pompano, white fish
- Porgy, rockfish, salmon, sardine, shark, sole
- Bluefish, tuna (albacore, bonito)
- Snapper, tilapia, trout, turbot
Most common crustaceans
- Crab, crayfish, lobster, prawn, shrimp
- Coral, tomalley
Most common molluscs
- Cockle, conch, periwinkle, squid (calamari), whelk
- Abalone, clam, limpet, mussel, octopus, oyster, quahog, scallop, snail
Other examples
- Caviar and roe (unfertilized fish eggs)
- Kamaboko (imitation crab and lobster)
- Surimi (imitation crab and lobster)
- Sushi and tarama (salted carp roe)
Foods and products that contain or may contain these allergens
- Bouillabaisse, chowder, seafood-based soups and broths
- Chitosan
- Dips, spreads (e.g., taramasalata)
- Ethnic foods, (e.g., fried rice, paella, spring rolls)
- Fisherman’s meal
- Garnishes (e.g., antipasto and caponata, a Sicilian relish)
- Gelatin, marshmallows
- Kamaboko
- Margarine or yogurt fortified with omega-3
- Pizza toppings
- Salad dressings (e.g. Caesar dressing)
- Sauces (e.g., marinara, Nuoc Mâm for egg rolls, steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce)
- Wine
Other possible sources
- Fried foods (from contaminated frying oil)
- Deli meats, smoked sausages (from gelatin)
- Appetizers and hors d’oeuvres
- Soups
Edible insects such as crickets and mealworms may trigger an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to crustaceans. For more information, visit Information for people with a crustacean allergy 
on the Health Canada website.
Other terms
- Bean curd (dofu, kori-dofu, tofu, soybean curds)
- Edamame
- Kinako
- Natto
- Nimame
- Okara
- Soya, soja, soybean, soyabean
- Yuba
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Bean sprouts
- Bread crumbs, cereals, crackers
- Breaded foods
- Chocolate
- Cooking sprays, vegetable shortening and vegetable oil
- Deli meats, smoked sausages and surimi
- Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP) and hydrolyzed soy protein (HSP)
- Imitation dairy food
- Imitation fish and meat products (e.g., surimi, imitation bacon bits, vegetarian hamburgers)
- Infant formula, nutrition supplements for toddlers and children
- Lecithin (colouring)
- Margarine
- Mayonnaises
- Meal replacements
- Mexican foods (e.g., chili, taco fillings and tamales)
- Miso
- Mono-diglyceride
- Sauces (e.g., soy, shoyu, tamari, teriyaki, Worcestershire, hoisin)
- Seasonings and spices
- Soups, broths, soup mixes and beef stocks
- Soy pasta
- Soy protein or textured vegetable protein
- Soybean sprouts
- Soybeans, soy milk, soy drinks
- Stews (gravy)
- Tempeh
- Textured soy protein
- Vegetarian dishes
Other possible sources
- Baked goods and baking mixes
- Beverage mixes (e.g., hot chocolate and lemonade)
- Canned tuna and minced hams (e.g., seasoned or mixed with other ingredients)
- Chewing gum
- Commercial cookies
- Frozen desserts
- Meat products with fillers (e.g., prepared hamburger patties, hot dogs)
- Milled corn
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) (may contain hydrolyzed protein)
- Seafood- and fish-based products
- Spreads, dips and salad dressings, mayonnaises, marinades, peanut butter
- Thickening agents, emulsifiers and stabilizers
Sources of gluten
- Barley (flour, malted barley, pearl barley, pot barley)
- Oats (flour, bran, rolled oats and whole oats)
- Rye (flour, bran, rolled rye and whole rye)
- Wheat and triticale
Types of foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Baked goods (breads, brioches, bagels, croissants, etc.)
- Battered and fried foods (onions, chicken, doughnuts, etc.)
- Beer yeast
- Beer, ale, lager
- Breakfast cereals (shredded wheat, All Bran, oatmeal, etc.)
- Cereal coffee, Postum
- Cereal or snack bars
- Cookies (dry biscuits, sandwich cookies, graham crackers, chocolate cookies, etc.)
- Cracker
- Floured or breaded meat and fish
- Infant cereal
- Licorice
- Matzah, unleavened bread
- Meatloaf and fish loaf (breadcrumbs)
- Pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, etc.)
- Pastries (cakes, pies, French pastries, doughnuts, etc.)
- Sauces, soups and desserts made with wheat flour (béchamel, meat or poultry stock, pastry cream, cream of mushroom, etc.)
- Seitan
The foods listed in the Wheat and triticale section contain or may contain gluten.
The gluten protein in some grains (oats, wheat, spelt, kamut, barley, rye, triticale) can lead to celiac disease.
People with celiac disease or wheat allergies must be careful when using compostable or biodegradable dishes. These dishes are sometimes made with wheat fibre, which can contaminate food and cause reactions. As a precaution, opt for dishes with a “gluten-free” statement on the packaging, which means that other components, such as sugarcane fibre, were used.
Other terms
- E 220, E 221, E 222, E 223, E 224, E 225, E 226, E 227, E 228 (European names)
- Potassium bisulphite, potassium metabisulphite
- Sodium bisulphite, sodium dithionite, sodium metabisulphite, sodium sulphite
- Sulphiting agents
- Sulphur dioxide
- Sulphur dioxide
- Sulphurous acid
Foods and products that contain or may contain this allergen
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer and cider
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine
- Beef stock bases and condensed soups
- Bottled lemon and lime juices and concentrates
- Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables
- Caramel colouring
- Carbonated beverages
- Cereal, cornmeal, cornstarch, crackers and muesli
- Condiments (e.g., coleslaw, horseradish, ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish, sauerkraut)
- Dehydrated, mashed, peeled and pre-cut potatoes, and frozen French fries
- Dried fruits and vegetables (e.g., apricots, coconut, raisins, sweet potato)
- Dried herbs, spices, teas
- Fresh grapes
- Fruit and vegetable juices
- Fruit fillings and syrups, gelatin, jams, jellies, preserves, marmalade, molasses and pectin
- Glazed and confit (candied) fruits (e.g., maraschino cherries)
- Pie dough
- Tomato pastes, pulps and purees
- Vinegar
Other possible sources
- Baked goods, especially with dried fruits
- Cereal bars, especially with dried fruits
- Deli meats, sausages
- Dressings, gravies, guacamole, sauces, soups and soup mixes
- Fish, crustaceans and molluscs
- Noodle and rice mixes
- Seasonings
- Snack foods (e.g., candy, chocolate bars, fruit bars, corn chips, trail mixes)
- Soy products
- Starches (e.g., corn starch, potato starch)
- Sugar syrups (e.g., glucose, glucose solids, syrup dextrose, corn syrup, table syrup)
Last update: March 26, 2024
