Seafood Allergy, Worcestershire sauce

[LandLover]

I'm an adult who has suffered from seafood allergies for most of my life. The wife and I cook at home most meals but do eat out 1-2 times per week. We are also fans of many of the cooking/foodie shows on th e food network. It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned Worcestershire sauce has fish in it.

Watching all these cooking shows I have come to learn that people put this stuff in EVERYTHING! BBQ sauce, cheese sauce, hamburgers......things you would never expect to have seafood ingredients in them.

Has anyone else noticed/dealt with this? I'm getting nervous about foods I used to think we're safe.

[Macabre]

Yes. But Worcestershire sauce has anchovies rather than shellfish.  With fish, you can be allergic to certain types and not others. So anchovies may not be a problem for you. 

If you have a Kroger, their version doesn't have anchovies--at least it didn't a year ago (we don't live near a Kroger anymore). Trader Joe's has a vegan version. I haven't called to see if its safe for our other food allergies, but it may be an option for you.

Do you avoid grilled and fried things at restaurants?  I have found that to be best for me. Also If I get a boiled pasta dish I ask if they use the same water for their lobster ravioli, should I also see that on the menu.

[forvictoria]

From what I have read anchovies although not a shellfish has the same protein as shrimp that causes the allergic reaction, as does dust mite and cockroaches.

[CMdeux]

Anchovies feed primarily on krill and other tiny crustaceans, which I've seen hypothesized as a reason why they tend to be allergenic for people with SFA.

[spacecanada]

You can find fish-free Worcestershire sauce.  In Canada, Safeway brand does not have anchovies as an ingredient, although I am unsure about traces or cross contamination.  I am certain other fish-free brands exist out there.

[Jessica]

I got the impression that the OP is more worried about encountering dishes made with it when he's eating out, not at home. A lot of people don't know that most worcerstershire sauce has fish in it. I would hope restaurant workers would but I don't know if I'd bet on it.

[tigerlily]

Thanks for this thread! We gave up on an anchovy-free sauce. TJ vegan Worcestershire sauce would be a new find. I'll give TJ another email with the SKU. Sigh. I so wish FALPCA covered "may contains".

[Jessica]

Lately I've been subbing soy sauce for worcestershire and no one in my family has noticed.

[alcat]

Soybean oil is okay here is the more information about allergy for children...
Did you know? 1 in 13 children in a classroom suffer from a particular food allergy. Food allergy test for children[/url] is very different from the adults. Fortunately, the ALCAT food allergy test can help detect and help children with at the right time. Thousands of doctors and pediatricians recommend you to take the ALCAT test.  for more info please contact.

[SilverLining]

I prefer my science proven.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALCAT_test

The ALCAT test, or antigen leukocyte antibody test, is one that claims to measure adverse reactions to dietary substances. It was created by American Medical Testing Laboratories and is now marketed by Cell Science Systems (also known as ALCAT Diagnostic Systems) of Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The test is not supported by research and is not considered to be a reliable medical diagnostic tool; since it has not been appropriately validated it is not a suitable guide for therapeutic decisions.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In a position statement, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy classified the ALCAT with other forms of cytotoxic tests as inappropriate tests, saying of them
"These results have been shown to not be reproducible, give different results when duplicate samples are analysed blindly, don't correlate with those from conventional testing, and 'diagnose' food hypersensitivity in subjects with conditions where food allergy is not considered to play a pathogenic role."[7]