What parents should check on every new packaged food
A short, repeatable checklist for introducing a new product when your child avoids an allergen, so nothing important gets missed.
New products are where mistakes creep in, because the usual safe item has been swapped for something unfamiliar. A short checklist, used every time, removes most of the risk.
1. Check the allergen emphasis first
Scan the ingredients for the bold allergen names. If your child’s allergen is there as an ingredient, the product is out, no further reading needed.
2. Read the full ingredients list for aliases
Bold covers the 14 majors. If you avoid a derivative or something outside that list, read the whole panel for the hidden names.
3. Decide on “may contain” deliberately
Cross-contamination warnings are a personal-risk call. Whatever you decide, be consistent, and make sure everyone caring for your child applies the same rule.
4. Note the brand and date
Recipes change. Keep a short record of products you have cleared and when, so you re-check rather than assume.
Keep one rule set everyone uses
The biggest risk is not the label, it is two adults applying different rules. Write the avoid list down once and share it with everyone who shops or cooks, grandparents, partners, childminder, school, so the same decisions get made whoever is holding the packet.
Get the free Allergen Label Decoder
One page for reading any food label fast: the hidden names, the "may contain" grey area, and what UK and US law must declare.
Common questions
Should grandparents and carers follow the same checklist?
Yes. The most common slip-ups happen when someone else does the shopping or cooking. A single shared rule set, in writing, prevents most of them.