How to Test for Sulfite Allergies

Sulfites are a common food preservative that prevents oxidation, or browning, when foods are exposed to air and are used extensively in food and wine products in varying quantities.

How do you know if you are allergic to sulfites? Often people point to sulfite allergies when they experience a headache after drinking wine. But are sulfites the culprit? Sulfite related allergies are relatively rare according to the FDA who estimates that less than 1 percent of the population is affected. The following information will help you determine if you have sulfite related allergies.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Samples of sulfite containing foods (see resource section)

1. 
   Asthmatic Reaction to Sulfites

   In order to determine if you are allergic to sulfites you need to know the symptoms. Sulfite allergies tend to exhibit themselves as a respiratory or an asthmatic condition, not a headache as is sometimes thought. Although the FDA indicates that approximately 1 percent of the population has sulfite allergies, less than 0.4 percent of the population has severe reactions. Severe reactions include difficulty breathing and anaphylactic shock which requires immediate medical attention.

2. 
   Dried Fruit Contains Higher Sulfite Levels

   Understanding what types of food products contain sulfites and in what percentages is important. Certain foods contain higher levels of sulfites than others. Dried fruit contains typically 1000 ppm (parts per million) with the legal limit not to exceed 2000 ppm per serving. Wine on the other hand contains between 50 to 150 ppm per serving. Fresh shrimp is also known to have high level of sulfite preservatives.

3. To test whether you may have sulfite allergies, try eating only a few pieces of dried fruit, for example, 1 or 2 tablespoons of raisins or several dried apricots. These dried fruits often have greater levels of sulfite preservatives. Again, if the product is imported from outside the USA, the regulations and sulfite quantities can be very different so use caution if you believe you might have sulfite allergies. Fortunately, only a small percentage of people have severe sulfite allergies but if you suspect you or anyone of your family members might be one of those suffers, take caution and learn about which type of foods can trigger an allergic reaction.

4. See the resource section below for further information and links to learn more about sulfite allergies.

Tips & Warnings

• Foreign produced wines are not regulated as in the USA and may contain greater amounts of sulfites.
• Tannins in red wine, sugar content and dehydration are the usual suspects when it comes to the cause of a post-wine consumption “headache”.
• If you experience any of the symptoms described in the above article, seek medical attention immediately.

Resources

• More on Sulfite and Sulfate Allergies (including foods to avoid)
• Food and Drug Administration Website
• Partial List of Sulfite Containing Foods
• Wine Makers Blog - Sulfites in Wine

[Susang6]

on 3/15/2009 I'm highly allergic to many things and have no idea if one of them could be sulfite's. your tips are very useful.

[Crabcakes]

on 3/5/2009 I have sulfite-triggered asthma and would not recommend trying sulfite preserved foods if you suspect you may have an allergy, unless you are close to an Epi-pen or a hospital! Shredded coconut and candy with coconut is my worst enemy! And I used to LOVE Almond Joy candy bars!

[kskaggs]

on 2/25/2009 Good info. 5*

[lynross]

on 2/24/2009 Interesting article!

[MarieSteris]

on 2/24/2009 Very interesting article! I was not aware of this! Thanks for the info.