How to Read a Nutrition Label When You Have Alpha-Gal

Understanding nutrition labels is essential for anyone who wants to make an informed decision about the foods they eat. But when you have alpha-gal syndrome, knowing how to read a nutrition label can be the difference between a delicious meal or snack and an emergency room visit.

While the FDA mandates that several of the most common food allergens must be listed on food labels, alpha-gal isn’t one of them. At least not yet. So while it’s easy for folks with a dairy allergy to look for the telltale milk bottle icon or for people with a wheat allergy to spot a sprig of grains, there is no icon for us alpha gals. Additionally, many products that claim to be plant-based or non-dairy can still include byproducts that are animal based, including those marked “vegan.” (More on vegan labels below.)

In a Sage Alpha Gal survey of people in the alpha-gal community, 91% said they always or usually read ingredient labels because of alpha-gal syndrome. And honestly, that tracks. When “natural flavors” can send you into detective mode and “plant-based” does not always answer the alpha-gal question, grocery shopping gets complicated fast.

The same survey found that 81% selected natural flavors or flavorings as one of the most confusing, frustrating, or concerning label terms, and only 14% said they usually trust vegan or plant-based labels by themselves.

Key Takeaways

• Reading food labels with alpha-gal syndrome means looking beyond meat. Mammal-derived ingredients can show up in gelatin, glycerin, rennet, dairy ingredients, broths, and vague terms like “natural flavors.”
• Most alpha gals rely on label reading. In a survey of people in the alpha-gal community, 91% said they always or usually read ingredient labels because of AGS.
• Vegan and plant-based labels are not a free pass. Only 14% of people in the alpha-gal community said they usually trust vegan or plant-based labels by themselves, so the full ingredient list still matters.
• Grocery shopping takes more time after AGS. In the survey, 83% said grocery shopping takes longer, and one alpha gal summed it up well: “Everyone thinks it’s ‘just avoid red meat,’ but it’s so much more complicated than that.”

Before We Get to the Good Stuff

Medical disclaimer: The information provided on Sage Alpha Gal is based on my personal experience living with alpha-gal syndrome. Although I cite and link to expert sources, nothing published here is medical advice. Because alpha-gal sensitivities vary by person, my alpha-gal is not necessarily your alpha-gal, so be sure you understand your dietary restrictions and work with your healthcare provider as needed.

Affiliate disclosure: Sage Alpha Gal is a reader-supported site, and this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a teeny tiny commission at no additional cost to you. That income helps offset the costs of running this site. You can read all of the legal blah blah blah (as my little niece says) on the full disclosure page.

What is a Nutrition Label?

A nutrition label is an informational panel found on food packages. It includes important information about the calories, serving size, nutritional content, and ingredients. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires food manufacturers to follow certain labeling and manufacturing requirements if their products include one of these common food allergens:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Crustacean shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans
• Sesame

But if you have alpha-gal, it’s not so easy to separate products that are safe from those that might make you sick. That’s why I walk through exactly how I evaluate foods step-by-step inside my Eating Well with Alpha-gal guide.

Understanding the Basics of a Nutrition Label

A food label comprises two separate sections: the nutritional information panel and the ingredients list. The nutritional information panel displays data such as serving size, calories, and the quantity of fat, carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrients in each serving. The ingredients list is typically found apart from (and frequently beneath) the nutritional information panel.

The list of ingredients details each component of the food product using its standard or familiar name. The ingredients are arranged in descending order based on their weight, meaning the heaviest ingredient is listed at the beginning, while the lightest ingredient is mentioned last.

How to Read a Nutritional Label When You Have Alpha-gal Syndrome

Let’s get to the tips that will help you read a nutrition label when you have alpha-gal. These guidelines have helped me since my alpha-gal diagnosis in March 2021.

1. Know Your Tolerance Level

Alpha gals have different sensitivities to foods, and they can change over time. While all alpha gals need to avoid mammalian meats – like hamburger, bacon, and lamb chops – not everyone reacts to dairy or mammalian byproducts like gelatin, collagen, and glycerin. And alpha gals may have different reactions to these ingredients ranging from gastrointestinal issues to anaphylaxis.

If you don’t react to dairy, you can likely continue consuming products like skim milk, cheese, yogurt, and even ice cream. However, I recommend always choosing vegetarian cheeses when you have alpha-gal so that you’re not consuming varieties made with animal rennet. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reports that most people with alpha-gal can tolerate “moderate, lean dairy.” But highly reactive alpha gals will need to avoid ingredients beyond pure meat products including bone broth, gelatin, and whey.

Sage Advice: As you work with your physician,  this free food allergy trigger tracker can help you understand your tolerance level.

2. Always Read the Label

Even if you’ve eaten the product or sipped the beverage many times before, always read the label before you take a bite. Why? Because ingredients and manufacturing processes can change at any time and without warning. This means that the turkey bacon that was safe last month or even last week may not be OK today.

Label reading is not just a newbie habit. In my Sage Alpha Gal survey, 91% of people in the alpha-gal community said they always or usually read ingredient labels because of alpha-gal syndrome — even those who have been living with AGS for a while.

It’s also not safe to assume that a collection of products made by a single manufacturer is entirely alpha-gal friendly. For example, regular STARBURST original chews are not alpha-gal friendly because they include gelatin. However, mini STARBURST candies are made with pectin and carnauba wax and are generally alpha-gal friendly.

3. Watch for “Hidden” Ingredients That May Cause an Alpha-Gal Reaction

Although you know to avoid beef, pork, and other mammalian meats, alpha-gal allergy triggers aren’t limited to those obvious ingredients. They can be found in all sorts of other ingredients like collagen, gelatin, and glycerin.

In my Sage Alpha Gal survey, 81% of people in the alpha-gal community selected natural flavors or flavorings as one of the most confusing, frustrating, or concerning label terms. So if that vague ingredient makes you pause in the grocery aisle, you are very much not alone.

So in addition to ruling out obvious alpha-gal triggers, like beef and pork, you may also need to watch for ingredients that may be mammal-derived or may matter depending on your personal sensitivity level, including:

• bone broth, meat broth, stock, or bouillon, unless you can confirm the source
• carrageenan
• collagen, unless it comes from a verified non-mammal source
• flavorings, natural flavors, or smoke flavoring, especially in savory foods
• gelatin, unless you can verify it comes from fish or another non-mammal source
• glycerin or glycerine, unless it’s specifically listed as vegetable glycerin
• lard or tallow
• marshmallows (unless they are made with fish gelatin, pectin, agar-agar, or another verified non-mammal gelling ingredient)
• meat extracts
• mono- and diglycerides
• whey, casein, milk, or other dairy ingredients (like butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream), depending on your personal tolerance
• rennet or enzymes in cheese (even if you are not sensitive to dairy)

Sage Advice: If reading every label in detail is exhausting, try the Fig app. Not only is it programmed to help folks with alpha-gal syndrome avoid foods that will make them sick, but it can be customized to your sensitivity level. (Learn more about the Fig app in tip #8 below.)

4. Know That Some Allergy-Inducing Ingredients Aren’t Required to Be Listed

While food in the United States is regulated by the FDA, alcoholic beverages are governed by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Try saying that fast three times after a glass of Merlot! That means that your favorite beer is subject to different labeling requirements than the bag of chips and jar of dip you purchase to eat while you sip your suds.

Why do you care? Because some brewers, winemakers, and distillers use gelatin (which is an allergy trigger for some alpha gals) to clarify their products. Fortunately, there’s Barnivore. Use this free app to identify beer, wine, and liquors that are vegan friendly, and you’ll know you can raise a glass without an allergic reaction.

Fun Fact: According to this article at Wine Spectator, there has been some push by the TBB to reconsider its current alcoholic beverage rules, but for now beer, wine, and spirit manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on their products.

5. Be Mindful of Cross Contamination

If you are a highly reactive alpha gal, in addition to carefully reading the ingredients list, you’ll also want to watch for statements that indicate the potential for cross contamination. For example, a bar of dark chocolate may not include milk in the ingredients list. But if it’s made using the same manufacturing equipment that produces milk chocolate bars, there may be trace elements of milk in the dark chocolate bar.

These “may contain” warnings typically appear below the ingredients list with phrases like:

• “Made on equipment with …”
• “May contain traces of …”
• “Made on equipment that also processes …”

6. Don’t Automatically Trust Foods Labeled as Vegan

Products labeled “vegan” or “plant-based” can be a helpful starting point, but I never treat those words as an automatic alpha-gal green light. In my Sage Alpha Gal survey, only 14% of people in the alpha-gal community said they trust vegan or plant-based labels by themselves. Most of us still read the full ingredient list because vegan and plant-based products may still contain carrageenan or other ingredients that matter for our personal sensitivity level.

Since there is currently no federal legal definition of “vegan” in the United States, food manufacturers can use the term in different ways. For more confidence, look for products certified by Vegan.org, The Vegan Society, or VegeCert.

7. Let an App do the Heavy Lifting

While you can absolutely read nutrition labels to ensure that your food is alpha-gal friendly, it does take time and energy to do this for every single item you place in your grocery cart. That extra time is real. In my Sage Alpha Gal survey, 83% of people in the alpha-gal community said grocery shopping takes longer after AGS, and 56% said it usually takes at least 20 extra minutes.

Plus, there’s always a chance you’ll overlook an ingredient (especially on products with a long list of them). Or, you may not know what’s in a “natural flavoring” that can trigger a reaction.

When you use an app like Fig, you can let it do a lot of the work for you. One thing that I love about this tool is that you can select your level of alpha-gal sensitivity by ticking the foods you need to avoid:

• Mammalian meats
• Mammalian by-products
• Gelatin
• Dairy products
• Carrageenan and algae
• All of the above

So if you are an alpha gal that can safely consume dairy or who isn’t bothered by carrageenan, you can leave those options unchecked.

Once you have the app set to your alpha-gal sensitivity level, simply scan the barcode of any grocery store item to quickly identify foods that are alpha-gal friendly (or rule out the ones that aren’t) using a stop light system of green (can eat), yellow (limit this), and red (avoid).

Common Questions About Reading Food Labels with Alpha-Gal

A meal plan won’t eliminate label reading, but my monthly alpha-gal meal plans give you 30 recipes each month so you have a starting point before you shop.

What Helps You Read Labels with Alpha-Gal?

What food label term makes you pause the longest? Do you have a grocery shopping tip that helps you avoid hidden alpha-gal triggers? Share your experience in the comments so another alpha gal can learn from it.

About the survey: Sage Alpha Gal conducted an informal online survey of 87 people in the alpha-gal community. Participants included people diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome and people who shop or cook for someone with AGS. Percentages are based on self-reported responses and may not represent everyone with alpha-gal syndrome.

Thank you for sharing!