Plant-based oils can come from many different types of plants and seeds, including:
The name of any oil used in the ingredients must be stated on the label of pre-packaged foods.
There are 14 major food allergens in the UK, and these must be emphasised on ingredients labels (in bold for example), so that people with allergies can easily spot them. Foods that are not in the top 14 don’t need to be emphasised but they do need to be listed.
If you have an allergy to a food, you will usually need to avoid oils made from it and any foods that contain it, so always check the ingredient label. Sometimes, whether you need to avoid the oil will depend on whether the oil is refined or unrefined. If you are not sure, it’s best to avoid it.
The oils used in pre-packed foods are usually refined. The refining process removes the proteins to the point where they are barely detectable. As it is the proteins that cause allergic reactions, fully refined oils are unlikely to cause a reaction.
Soya and peanut oils have been researched and are known to be low risk. While other refined oils are probably low risk too, more research is needed to know for sure.
Unrefined oils have only been lightly filtered and have not been through the same amount of processing. They are sometimes used to add flavour to foods. Unrefined sesame oil and peanut oil can be used in dressings and marinades for example. As these still contain their proteins, they are more likely to cause a reaction.
Peanuts are a type of legume and one of the 14 major allergens in the UK. Peanut oil must always be emphasised on ingredients lists, in bold for example, whether the oil is refined or unrefined.
Soya oil is made from soyabeans, a type of legume, and is sometimes used in foods such as salad dressings, margarine and spreads. Soya is one of the 14 major allergens in the UK so it usually needs to be emphasised on food labels.
Soya oil has been researched and has been through a full risk assessment. The European Food Safety Authority declared in 2007 that “it is not very likely” that fully refined soya oils would trigger a serious allergic reaction in people with soya allergy.
Fully refined soya oil does not have to be emphasised on ingredients labels but it still needs to be listed. It is the only plant-based oil from the top 14 allergens that doesn’t have to be emphasised if it’s been refined.
Unrefined soya oil is more likely to cause reactions and must be emphasised in the ingredients list. It may be listed simply as soya oil.
No other plant-based oils have been researched to test whether refining them makes them safe for people with allergies to those foods. Some refined oils could potentially cause a reaction if they still contain traces of protein – sometimes traces of protein can be left behind after processing. Speak to your GP or allergy specialist about whether you need to avoid oils made from your food allergen.
Coconuts are not nuts but are ‘drupes’, which is a type of fruit with a hard stony covering. They grow on coconut trees which are members of the Palm family.
Coconut oil is usually a cold-pressed oil. This is unrefined so it’s possible it could cause an allergic reaction in people with a coconut allergy.
Sesame is one of the 14 major allergens. Sesame oil is usually unrefined so is likely to cause an allergic reaction for people with a sesame allergy.
Tree nuts are included in the list of 14 major allergens. Some tree nut oils, such as walnut oil, are unrefined so they could cause allergic reactions in people with tree nut allergies.
Some tree nut oils are refined and would be less likely to cause an allergic reaction. Because there’s not enough research to know for sure, it’s safest to avoid the oil if you have an allergy to a tree nut.
Shea nuts are the seeds of the fruit of Shea trees which grow mainly in Africa. Shea nut oil, also known as shea nut butter or shea butter, is used in some foods such as chocolate, sweets and ice cream.
It is a refined product and does not contain any detectable proteins. It is not thought to cause allergic reactions and no cases of allergy to shea nut or shea nut butter have ever been reported.
There have not been any good quality studies to answer this question. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic grade refined plant-based oils are usually highly purified so the evidence would suggest they are unlikely to pose any risk. But because this is not certain, you might prefer to avoid these products if you have an allergy to the food the oil is made from. The names on cosmetics and toiletries are often in Latin.
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