If you are dairy-free, reading labels is a must. It would be easier if by law Australian companies had to have a clear allergen statement- but this is not the case. There is potential for confusion.
Foods sold in Australia have to legally indicate SOMEWHERE on the label if it contains dairy. It is common for foods to sport an allergen statement which clearly tells you if dairy is present, but not always.
Dairy is one of the top allergens that have to be declared according to Australian law. The other top allergens are egg, soy, wheat, fish, seafood, tree nut, peanut and lupin.
When dairy is present in a food, it may occur for the following reasons:
- Dairy may be in a food as an actual ingredient
- An additive may be used which is made from dairy
- Dairy may have been used as a 'processing agent' so won't be an actual ingredient
Any of these mean that the food contains dairy and need to be avoided if following a dairy free diet. This is especially important of dairy allergies as small amounts can cause significant, and for some, life threatening consequences.
How can you tell if a food contains dairy?
1. Allergy Statement or a 'contains...' statement
Many companies have always opted for a statement which spells out clearly if any allergens such as dairy are present in an allergen statement.
As of Feb 25 2024, this is actually mandatory and will be phased in over the 2 years from this date.
2. Ingredient list with dairy ingredients declared/bolded
Other ways dairy can be declared is via the food ingredient list. All packaged foods, by law, have to have a food ingredient list. Ingredients are listed from greatest to smallest by weight.
All dairy ingredients need to be listed
As of Feb 25 2024, dairy ingredients will need to be bolded in the ingredient list. As per above, this will be phased in over 2 years.
For example: Uncle Toby's Oats- berry quick sachets
Ingredients: Whole Grain Rolled Oats ( 74%), Sugar, Skim Milk Powder, Blueberry Fruit Pieces [Blueberry (1.9%), sugar, tapioca starch, Humectant (Glycerol), Vegetable Gum (pectin), Rice Flour, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Wheat Flour], Freeze Dried Berries (1%) [Raspberries, Strawberries], Flavour.
The Allergens are bolded: oats, wheat and milk.
An allergen statement would need to declare these 3 allergens.
The following words all mean dairy and would have to be declared:
A2 milk
butter
butter fat
buttermilk or cultured buttermilk
casein or caseinate (eg ammonium caseinate, rennet casein))
cheese
chocolate
condensed milk
cream
curds
custard
evaporated milk
ice-cream
lacto acidophilus
lactalbumin
lactoglobulin
low fat milk
malted milk
milk
milk solids
non fat milk solids
milk powder
nougat
skim milk
sour cream
rennet
whey or whey powder or whey protein or whey solids or sweet whey
yoghurt
NOTE re lactose: Lactose = milk sugar and does not contain the protein however there can be some contamination with milk protein. Lactose in medications is considered safe.
What about 'may contain' statements?
"May contain' statements cause such confusion! This statement is voluntary but at the end of the day is not at all useful. This is why..
The idea behind the "May contain..." statement is to indicate if there is a risk of accidental contamination of an allergen such as dairy.
This is what actually happens:
1. Companies may evaluate risk of allergen contamination of their products
Proper evaluation guides the company as to the risk of dairy contamination. Consequently a 'may contain' statement may or may not be declared depending on the assessed risk.
This information is very useful for the consumer.
2. Companies may choose not to evaluate risk of allergen contamination of their products
These companies may choose not to evaluated the risk of dairy contamination and so either no risk statement is made or they may decide to make a 'may contain' statement just in case. Note: the statement is not made on a basis of proper evaluation to determine actual risk.
This information is not at all useful to the consumer.
At the end of the day, a product without the 'may contain' statement may carry the same risk as another product with the 'may contain' statement- there is currently no way of the consumer being able to determine actual risk.
Until it can be a requirement of law for all companies to properly assess their risk and make a risk statement accordingly, this claim is not at all useful.
Whether you avoid a food based in this claim is personal preference only.
Take Home Messages
AWAYS check ingredient lists each and every time you buy food as ingredients can (and do) change without warning. This is especially important for dairy allergy.
When avoiding dairy, companies will have to provide this information using an allergen statement and bolding the dairy ingredients in the ingredient list.
The 'may contain' statement offers little value in determine actual risk of dairy contamination and at this point in time remains a personal preference choice.
References
1 National Allergy Strategy. Milk Allergen card, 2015. Accessed from: https://allergyfacts.org.au/images/pdf/milkf.pdf. Accessed on: 26/5/19
2. Personal communication: FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand), Scientist/researcher, May 2019.