One of the most insidious problems for those with food allergies and celiac disease is cross-contamination. From buying a food from a plant that uses peanuts to eating oatmeal grown in a field next to a wheat field, cross-contamination is a serious health risk. But you can take steps to minimize this risk.

Dedicated Mill

When you buy soy, potato, millet, or any other type of gluten-free flours, look for the words “dedicated mill” on the label. This means that the mill only produces that particular kind of flour, so there is less chance of cross-contamination with gluten. If your allergies are severe, you may even want to find a company that purchases raw produce from farms that do not rotate their crops.

The same is true for peanut and nut allergies. If a nut-free candy is made in the same plant as one that has nuts, cross-contamination becomes a real issue. Look for products from companies that guarantee nut-free manufacturing environments. And be on the lookout for recalls, too; mistakes do happen.

Clean Kitchens

If you have a severe allergy, the foods you eat must come from clean kitchens. This doesn't mean bacteria free, but it means free of cross-contamination. In restaurants, oil that was used to fry fish can then contaminate the potatoes that are fried next.

With peanut allergies, more than any other allergy, reaction to an incredibly tiny amount of the protein can be spectacular and very serious. Cross-contamination can be caused by using the same spatula to transfer peanut cookies and sugar cookies to a cooling rack. Concentrations as low as 1 in 10,000 can trigger the immune response.