Food intolerances: the ingredient names behind your triggers
Most intolerance triggers never appear on a label under the name you know. This guide lists the label names worth recognizing for nine common topics — and shows how FoodBuddy surfaces them when you scan.
FODMAP
FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates found in many everyday ingredients. On labels they hide behind sweeteners, fibers, and flavor bases rather than the word “FODMAP”.
Label names to recognize: inulin, chicory root fiber, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), honey, agave syrup, glucose-fructose syrup / high-fructose corn syrup, wheat and rye ingredients, onion powder, garlic powder — and polyols such as sorbitol (E420), mannitol (E421), xylitol (E967), maltitol (E965), isomalt (E953).
With the FODMAP interest area active, FoodBuddy highlights these terms in a scanned list and shows which dictionary entry each match comes from.
Gluten
Gluten-containing cereals must be emphasized in EU ingredient lists, but derived ingredients still take practice to spot.
Label names to recognize: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, semolina, bulgur, couscous, farro, seitan, malt and malt extract (usually barley), brewer’s yeast. “Gluten-free” is a regulated claim in the EU (max. 20 mg/kg).
Lactose
Lactose is milk sugar — and it travels far beyond obvious dairy, especially in baked goods, sauces, and processed meats.
Label names to recognize: lactose, milk, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, whey, whey powder, buttermilk, cream, condensed milk, milk solids, curd. Note: casein and caseinates are milk proteins — relevant for milk allergy, largely separate from lactose content.
Histamine
Histamine itself is rarely printed on a label — it forms during aging and fermentation. What you can spot are the fermented and aged ingredients where it typically occurs.
Label names to recognize: yeast extract, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sauerkraut, cured or fermented meats (salami, ham), aged cheese, fermented soy products.
Fructose
Fruit sugar shows up as a sweetener in countless processed foods.
Label names to recognize: fructose, glucose-fructose syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, apple or pear juice concentrate, agave syrup, honey, invert sugar syrup, sorbitol (E420).
Salicylates
Salicylates occur naturally in many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices — they are virtually never declared as such. The practical approach is recognizing the ingredients that typically carry them, such as berry preparations, tomato concentrates, and spice blends. FoodBuddy surfaces those ingredient names so you can look further.
Oxalates
Oxalic acid is likewise a natural component, concentrated in ingredients like spinach, rhubarb, beetroot, cocoa, and several nuts and seeds. Labels list the ingredient, not the oxalate — FoodBuddy connects the two.
Purines
Purine-rich ingredients to recognize on labels include yeast extract, meat extract, broths and stock concentrates, anchovies, sardines, and offal-based ingredients.
Tyramine
Tyramine builds up in aged and fermented foods. Watch for aged cheese, cured and air-dried meats, yeast extracts, fermented soy (miso, soy sauce), and long-matured products.
Using FoodBuddy as your intolerance scanner
FoodBuddy lets you switch on exactly the topics above — nine interest areas, each with its own sensitivity level — and then scan any ingredient list or search the product database. Matches are highlighted with the reason for each match (direct, keyword, or unconfirmed), including the alternative names an ingredient hides behind. Everything runs offline on your device; how matching works is documented openly in our methodology.
Related: Food allergies on labels · Reading labels while grocery shopping · FODMAP label guide