I can't seem to find a definite answer to the question, "Should a person with a shellfish allergy avoid sea salt?" I had been told once by an allergist that it could cause an allergy reaction and to avoid it. I would really like to know the answer. I am also allergic to peanuts/tree nuts and have been looking for allergy-free snack items. I go to web sites of companies which are listed on this site, and in allergy magazines, and every one of them have snacks which contain sea salt! How can they advertise these products as being free of the top allergens when they use sea salt? They list that they are free of nuts, eggs, milk, shellfish, etc. Yet, sea salt comes from the sea where the crustaceans also live. So, how can I buy a snack item and feel it is, as advertised, allergy-free?
Shellfish Allergy & Sea Salt
Posted on: Mon, 05/18/2015 - 2:31pm
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I too have an allergy to crustaceans, although I have never wondered about my salt and been lucky enough not to have a problem.
I found this information on how sea salt is harvested: http://www.thekitchn.com/come-along-on-a-159478
They claim that the shellfish die off and are rinsed away leaving only salt behind. If you are still concerned about your salt look for Kosher salt. Kosher standards are very strict about separating meat/fish/milk and preserving the production line purity right down to the kitchen prep and serving. There are specific policies for removing insects and infestations.
When my daughter was allergic to milk, we used only Kosher Parve foods. We knew that there would be no milk products on that line.
Thanks for your reply. I am not concerned about my salt, as such, but with the claims that these products are allergy free when they contain sea salt which some allergists say a person with seafood allergies should NOT eat. I have had a minor reaction to two products which contained sea salt. One was a mashed potatoe product and the other was a chip. I was not allergic to any ingredients listed and that was the only thing I could figure out was the connection to the sea, and thus, shellfish. Luckily these reactions were very minor compared to my other allergy reactions. It worries me that others may ingest sea salt and have more severe reactions if they are allergic to shellfish. I have seen so many doctors vary on opinions of this. I wonder if there are any studies out there on the subject?
hello, I had a severe reaction to a soup I bought , they change to sea salt and only two spoons and I end at ER and spend a day at the hospital from anaphylaxis, I´m sure it was the soup because that´s the only thing I had.
I also have a severe reaction with strong itching from things with carragenan ,its a thing that comes fron algae and is use to bond ice creams, coffee creamers, jam and lots of foods I have to avoid.
good luck I hope you are not as allergic as I am.