What Are Major Food Allergens?

While more than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, the law identifies the eight most common allergenic foods. These foods account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions, and are the food sources from which many other ingredients are derived.

The eight foods identified by the law are:
Milk Eggs Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod) Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp) Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans) Peanuts Wheat Soybeans

These eight foods, and any ingredient that contains protein derived from one or more of them, are designated as “major food allergens”.

Gluten free grain

Evidence shows that sorghum is a safe food for people with coeliac disease, according to new research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The new study, which was undertaken by researchers found molecular evidence that sorghum lacks the proteins dangerous to people with coeliac disease.

People with coeliac disease must avoid wheat, barley and some other grains, because the gluten proteins in those grains triggers an immune reaction that can cause abdominal pain and discomfort, constipation, diarrhea and other symptoms. The only treatment for coeliac disease is lifelong avoidance of gluten.