Egg allergy is the most common immune-mediated food allergy in infants and young children. The good news is though that egg allergy is generally considered to have a good prognosis- parents can expect their children to outgrow the allergy before their school years. The dietitian’s concern with avoiding egg in one’s diet is that it causes a significant dietary restriction as eggs are a very good, inexpensive source of protein, among other nutrients.
Egg is one of the most allergenic of all foods mainly due to the proteins in the white part of the egg called ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin. These allergens are also present in the egg yolk but in much smaller quantities. This is why often those allergic to eggs can tolerate egg yolk more than egg white.
Often the most common reason for allergic individuals to ingest a hidden allergen is when a food is contaminated. For example, foods are manufactured in the same factory as an allergen, prepared using the same utensils, or even fried in the same oil. Because of this it is sometimes not enough to just know that a food or food product contains egg. Hidden egg and egg ingredients in food are important to know as sensitivity to a food can occur even with the consumption of minute quantities of egg. And even if egg is not labeled on a food label it is still possible that egg is present but labeled by an uncommon and unfamiliar term. Loopholes in food labeling regulations in South Africa are to blame for poor labeling of food allergens.
To help parents of egg-allergic children we have compiled a list of foods/food products that contain eggs, as well as terms to look out for on food labels for hidden egg.
Foods and food products that may contain egg
- Baked goods
- Baking mixes
- Batters
- Bouillon
- Breakfast cereals
- Cake flours
- Cookies
- Creamy fillings
- Custard
- Egg (dried, powered, solids, white, yolk, dehydrated)
- Egg noodles
- Eggnog
- Egg wash on scones, breads, pretzels, etc
- French toast
- Hollandaise sauce
- Ice-cream
- Lemon curd
- Macaroni
- Malted cocoa drinks e.g. Ovaltine, Ovalmat
- Marshmallows
- Marzipan
- Mayonnaise
- Meringues
- Muffins
- Noodles
- Nougat
- Ommlettes
- Pancakes
- Processed meats e.g. meat balls, meat load, sausages
- Puddings
- Salad dressings
- Sherbet
- Soufflés
- Soup
- Spaghetti
- Sweets
- Sweets e.g. fondant, creams, marshmallows, truffles
- Tartar sauce
- Turkish delight
- Waffles
Uncommon and unfamiliar terms on food labels that indicate the presence of egg
- Albumin (albumen)
- Binder
- Coagulant
- Egg, dried
- Egg, powdered
- Egg, white
- Egg, whole
- Egg, yolk (egg yellow)
- Emulsifier
- Globulin
- Lecithin
- Livertin
- Lysozyme
- Ovalbumin
- Ovamucin
- Ovomucoid
- Ovovitellin
- Vitellin
It is generally recommended that children with egg allergies should also avoid eggs from other poultry, such as duck, turkey, goose and quail. However, eating chicken will not cause a reaction.
References
Koplin JJ et al. Can early introduction of egg prevent egg allergy in infants? A population-based study. 2010. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 126; 807-813.
Savage JH et al. The natural history of egg allergy. 2007. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 120: 1413-1417.
Steinman HA. “Hidden” allergens in food. 1996. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 98 (2) 241-250.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Do you have a food allergy? www.foodallergy.org
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