Don’t Let Your Guard Down: Many Types of Alcohol Could Be Deadly for People with Nut Allergies

As a person with a nut allergy, you may think you know to be diligent with everything you eat, but how diligent are you with what you drunk? Many people have no idea that many alcoholic drinks actually have peanuts and other tree nuts in them. Read on to learn more about them and how to stay safe. If you have this or another type of food allergy and you want the opinion of the professionals, contact Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group at 805-658-9500 to make an appointment.

Beverages aren’t under the same rules set out by the FDA

The FDA has numerous rules that make it a requirement for a company that produces food with nuts, or that’s produced in a facility that works with nuts, to disclose this information on the packaging. There is no such requirement when it comes to alcoholic beverages.

Today some alcoholic beverages use nut flavorings, yet these drinks aren’t regulated under labeling laws. As a result, you may need to take it upon yourself to contact the manufacturer to find out definitively if certain liquors or ingredients have nuts in them. For example, “natural flavoring” could easily include nuts. Today wine makers, distillers, and beer makers can voluntarily list food allergens in their products but the key word is voluntarily – they are not required to do so.

Alcoholic beverages don’t have to list ingredients

Many drinks, such as a bottled coffee drink, will have a label that offers information like nutritional value and most ingredients, which should include the most common allergens. However, it’s unlikely that your alcoholic beverage is going to have this same labeling. You may find that the manufacturer of a particular alcoholic beverage has ingredients listed on their website but they’re not required to do so.

Beware of cross contamination

During your food allergy testing, you likely found out exactly what you’re allergic to. Just like you wouldn’t assume that a piece of bread without nuts was necessarily produced without nuts, you must also think about cross contamination with drinks. This is especially true of a mixed drink. One tip is to simply skip the garnish. Why? Because common garnishes, such as maraschino cherries, are often processed with or flavored with almond extract.

Some of the most common alcoholic drinks with nuts or nut extracts

This is not a comprehensive list and not every type of these liquors will necessarily have nuts in them. However, these are some of the types you should keep your eye most closely on.

• Amaretto
• Creme de noyaux
• Creme de noix
• Frangelico
• Galliano
• Kahana Royale
• Nocello
• Beefeater
• Bombay Sapphire
• Harp Lager
• Phillips Dirty Squirrel
• Southern Comfort
• Eblana
• Nocino

If you’re not sure if you’re allergic to nuts, or if you suspect you have another type of food allergy, then we strongly urge you to get tested right away. All you have to do is contact Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group at 805-658-9500 to set up an appointment.