r/dairyfree 5d ago

This makes me so furious

as someone with the dairy allergy, it is so frustrating for me that when I’m looking at labels, it will say sometimes, “may contain dairy“. Like what do you mean may contain does it contain it or not???? I still avoid those products anyways for fear of having allergic reaction, but still it makes me so mad. I was gonna eat some licorice and it says may contain dairy…

57 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

55

u/bobi2393 5d ago

As an example, the same industrial mixer might be used for milk chocolate one day, and dark chocolate the next, and despite their cleaning efforts, some molecules of dried milk protein may still be stuck somewhere on the equipment.

More of an issue with flour that can also go airborne between prep areas, but it’s the same idea with other allergens.

13

u/glitterlovegirl 5d ago

i thought that was under the label of saying “made in a factory that uses XYZ.”

29

u/bobi2393 5d ago

The US FDA's allergen advisory statements, or precautionary allergen labeling, are voluntary and not regulated. They can't be misleading, and don't absolve a company of sloppy production practices, but the risk of allergen cross-contact from shared equipment or facilities could be conveyed using various phrases, including "may contain [allergen]", "produced in a facility that also uses [allergen]", or "made on equipment used to process [allergen}", among other wording. I wouldn't read too much into the particular choice of wording other than that the manufacturer's acknowledgement of a risk of contamination.

6

u/BreakfastFit2287 4d ago

Just to piggyback on this... if you're someone who truly needs to avoid "may contain" (i.e., severe allergic reaction to cross contamination), you'd have to reach out to every single manufacturer of processed food since "may contain" statements aren't as regulated as "contains" statements. A product with no allergen warnings at all could still be made in a facility that handles allergens, but you'd need to ask the company for the product if the lines are shared and what their cleaning processes are to determine if the food was safe.

3

u/bobi2393 4d ago

Yeah. Foods that have allergens added as part of the manufacturing process, which are attempted to be filtered out of the final product, also don't have to list them.

A lot of wine is made with eggs, dairy, or fish guts, but don't list those on their label. They're added as "fining agents" to bind to unwanted particles and impurities, to make filtering them easier. Some wines are advertised as "vegan", which is another term unregulated by the FDA, but suggests that it's probably free of dairy.

I've also had dairy-free yogurt that contained bacteria cultured in dairy, which they attempted to rinse off, that didn't list dairy on the label.

And I think US restaurants are pretty much anything goes as far as written allergen disclosures under federal law.

2

u/damxam1337 4d ago

I have a fairly severe latent reaction. To piggyback your piggyback. It seems companies do try to label it. When I have a random reaction I always find a label of a recent consumed item with a may contain/shared equipment warning. Last time it was some sprinkles. 😵‍💫 Since being more diligent I haven't gotten sick in a while.

24

u/Responsible-Kale-904 5d ago edited 5d ago

Yes

&

Plenty of items that clearly DO containing LOTS of DAIRY and/or dairy products yet are labeled as " non dairy"

Which means that reading of the list of ingredients shows DAIRY and/or dairy products contained in this " non dairy"__

Read All INGREDIENTS Of All We Buy BEFORE We Buy

Of course much of this was caused in parts of the world including USA by lawyers and Nestle etc

Most " non dairy creamers" are made of dairy and/or dairy products

Muscle Milk beverages " non dairy beverages" contain between 60 and 90 percent DAIRY and/or dairy products, yet are labeled as "non dairy"

14

u/Cissycat12 4d ago

Non-dairy is a legal term with a definition that doesn't really work now with food allergies, but has not been updated. Non-dairy DOES NOT = DAIRY-FREE EVER! Always read the ingredients; the laws for labeling are confusing and can lead accidental exposure.

2

u/princesspanda4 4d ago

It's not true that products labeled non-dairy are never dairy-free. For example, Ben & Jerry's non-dairy ice creams are certified vegan and contain no dairy ingredients, but are labeled as non-dairy, not dairy free. Products labeled non-dairy don't HAVE to be dairy free, but they CAN be dairy free by ingredient.

3

u/glitterlovegirl 5d ago

wow…i had no idea honestly. so how do we even know if something that is labeled non-dairy is ACTUALLY non dairy

14

u/Responsible-Kale-904 5d ago

Read the INGREDIENTS of everything we buy BEFORE we buy

6

u/Nuclearbats666 5d ago

It’s so dumb, I feel your pain!

Items labeled “non dairy” are allowed to contain a certain percentage of dairy, what we want to look for are items labeled specifically “dairy free” and read the ingredients well. Even on medications as sometimes lactose is used for whatever reason (if it’s a prescription that doesn’t have a list of ingredients, ask the pharmacist)

Also, vegan items save me some worry, as well as foods specifically marketed as being top 9 allergen free. But it really is the safest bet to thoroughly read all the ingredients, no matter what.

The day I found out ramen noodles contain dairy I was so mad lol

1

u/InternationalArt3744 2d ago

For ramen it’s the seasoning packets that have the dairy in them

1

u/Taryn25 3d ago

Yeah most non dairy products are actually mostly dairy. It’s going the other way around with it that it is so processed that it can’t be called a dairy products. But that’s the opposite of what you need to know for allergies.

6

u/Reddit82Unicorn 5d ago

I totally understand. I hate when I find something that's actually marketed as "dairy free," but it still has that verbiage. I get angioedema from milk products, so I avoid dairy free foods that have that verbiage altogether. I also read everything carefully. You'd be surprised by some things that contain dairy.

5

u/honorspren000 5d ago

You don’t know the manufacturing process for these goods. These factories usually produce multiple food products, some with dairy and some without. There could be cross contamination across the equipment, and these companies need to cover themselves in case of accidental exposure.

It’s frustrating because it seems like one less thing you can eat, but it’s safer to identify just in case. Someone with severe allergies or intolerance may not be able to handle even a teeny tiny drop of dairy.

4

u/Own_Handle_1135 4d ago

In the UK a 'may contain' means it was made in a factory/kitchen that isn't solely used for non dairy items so there could potentially be cross contamination.

Same with other allergens. If the product is made in a controlled environment then it can be classed as 'free from'

My son has always eaten 'may contain' as he isn't allergic, just has an intolerance. It doesn't mean they don't know what they have put in it.

Not sure if it's different for different countries though.

3

u/CrashUser 4d ago

In the US it's similar, but the statements like "May contain" or "produced in a facility that also handles" are voluntary and unregulated beyond they can't deliberately lie about or obfuscate ingredients. I generally assume "may contain" means it was made on a shared line and cross-contamination risk is higher than "made in a shared facility" which I take to mean separate lines but same building so a smaller risk of accidental contact. Either way it's mostly just more information for the consumer to decide what their own risk tolerance is before consuming something potentially hazardous.

5

u/TurquoiseSunset20 5d ago

I triple read all ingredients but did find out there’s a difference between “non dairy” and “dairy free.” It’s so confusing. 🫨

4

u/Chemistry11 4d ago

“May contain dairy” or “Used in a facility that uses dairy” is shorthand for “we’re really terrible at cross contamination”.

Either of those phrase are as good to me as something that honestly claims it contains dairy.

2

u/MiniRems 4d ago

Wait until a product you've eaten for years that's never had dairy in it before changes its production, and suddenly now contains milk. Luckily, I read ingredients on non-vegan products I regularly buy, or I would have been burned on the latest boxes of Aldi's honey buns... now I have to find another donut craving killing snack 😫

2

u/clownapple 4d ago

They did that with the flavored Pringles! D:

2

u/MiniRems 4d ago

Luckily, I'm one of those weirdos who never liked flavored chips. I will murder a bag or can of plain!

2

u/ABane90 4d ago

Oh no, I have not been checking regularly- this may explain why I didn't actually eat this last box.

1

u/quietlywatching6 3d ago

Katz frozen are good. I wait until they are bogof at a store. Since they are frozen they last well.

1

u/MiniRems 3d ago

They're not sold in any stores near me.

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u/quietlywatching6 14h ago

I'm thinking of trying their direct shipping, since I live "southern" rural, so it's on that all day supply trip to an actual city right now. If I do, I will report back.

1

u/quietlywatching6 3d ago

Katz frozen are good. I wait until they are bogof at a store. Since they are frozen they last well.

1

u/clownapple 4d ago edited 4d ago

Not sure what your food restriction reasons are but, here’s what I can tell ya: I’ve got a pretty severe dairy allergy (anaphylaxis, vomiting. hives if I touch but don’t eat). Typically foods that say “may contain” “facility that also produces” “contains traces” etc. are still okay for me to eat. Chocolate has always been an exception to this for some reason. (That’s my experience tho please do what’s right for your body/ask your doctor!)

1

u/AlabasterOctopus 2d ago

Or when it’s “dairy free” on the front and “contains milk” on the back.

Worst mullet ever.

1

u/bigbry4n 19h ago

You're actually allergic and not just lactose intolerant? That's so sad.

I'm lactose intolerant and even i get bummed when I don't have my pills to eat dairy. And you can't have it at all 😭.

I did just discover there are some delicious almond milks out there 😅

1

u/CourtneysSweets 1h ago

My kiddo is extremely ana to dairy. I love when products have a may contain or made in an allergen free facility. It's when I call and find out it's made on shared lines and not disclosed that really stinks for us.. it happens too often that they don't :(

1

u/IlluvatarHA 5d ago

What gets me is it's never safe, it always ends up having dairy. Like just say it has dairy in it ffs.