This section contains a list of countries. Navigating to the country will give you a brief summary of the typical food in that country, which food allergies are easiest to avoid in that country, and which are hard to avoid.
If you find any errors, please notify us – the best way is by using the comment form at the bottom of each page.
Feel free to add information as well. You can also use the contact Allergy Details form to reach me.
What Country do You Want Information About?
Most of the content on this website is driven by visitor demand. If I see that people are looking for certain information, or if people leave a comment requesting information, I try to accommodate them!
For which countries do you need allergy-related food information? Leave a comment and let me know. I will keep that in mind as I develop this section.
No related posts.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
dust mites
Please, please help. What country is the best with regard to density of dust mites?
It is a mater of climate, not politics
Dust mites do not carry passports! And even a country like Singapore, which has a fine for nearly everything (including chewing gum, and leaving the country with less than 3/4 tank of gas or something like that) can not outlaw dust mites and fine them out of existence.
What counts is the climate. The top of a mountain, which is cold and dry, is very low on dust mites. A humid, sub-tropical climate is perfect for dust mites. India, for example, has both climates.
The good news is that where ever you live, you can do quite a bit to reduce dust mites.
Check out this article on How to Control Dust Mites. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment under that article.
What countries are cold and
What countries are cold and dry (serious)? Thanks for your comments – witty!
Going to Russia
I am allergic to dairy and corn – most meat contains a corn or milk product so I avoid all. I am going to Russia and need help – everything online I have read about Russia includes some form of dairy and meat.
Thanks!
Allergen lists of each country
Could you provid me for allergen lists of each country (such as CODEX, Japan, EU and USA) ?
Thank you very much.
Extending allergy list by country
Great suggestion, and actually it is something we’ve wanted to expand on for quite a while. Limited resources have kept us focused elsewhere, but this section will be expanded in time!
Anyone who can contribute helpful information about the foods and ingredients in various countries is most welcome to contribute. If so, please leave a comment or use the contact form. Thanks!
Check this section out every so often, we’ll see what we can do to expand upon it.
taiwan
Hi there, going to Taiwan this January and would appreciate any tips on food as I am coeliac (no gluten) and travelling can be a little tricky sometimes!
thank you!
Chinese Food
I have not been to Taiwan, but I know that they have Chinese food (obviously) so I suggest that you look for rice dishes, and watch out for dumplings (may or may not be wheat-free) and yellow noodles (egg noodles, that are made with wheat). The white “anaemic-looking” noodles that are common in Chinese cooking are made of rice.
Probably your biggest challenge will be the sauces. Soy sauce in particular is made with wheat.
Hope that helps.
Italy
Please give info. about traveling to Italy with food allergies (dairy/tree nuts). Thanks! sc
Might be a challenge …
I personally have not been to Italy, so I can not advise you from personal experience. If other readers have been there, please feel free to leave a comment about it …
They are pretty heavy into pasta and bread of course. You may find that there are meat-based dishes for lunch and dinner. You might want to think about making your own breakfast though.
Traveling to Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur
I’m in need of gluten-free information for this area as I’ll be there for a conference. Any help, tips, recommendations, “to avoids”, etc would be most welcome. =) Thanks.
Malaysian food – you are in for a treat!
Malaysia (and Singapore) are a haven for gluten-avoiders.
I’ll put together an article on it. When are you going?
Mean while, some quick pointers:
The staple food is rice. White noodles are fine, yellow are egg noodles made with wheat. White noodles that look yellow because of the curry are fine.
You have choice of Indian, Malay and Chinese food. Malay is probably the safest (even some of the deserts). Indian is also safe, but watch out for the various types of bread.
Chinese is fine too, but there is more to knowing what to avoid and what you can eat.
Most people (almost everyone) speaks excellent English. They are less likely to understand “allergy” and what really is make of wheat. But you can certainly ask them what is in the food and make your own decisions from that.
Malaysia Gluten free
Hi, I’d really like to see your article on travelling gluten free in Malaysia and KL as I am coeliac and planning a trip there. Thanks!
India, nut and shellfish allergy, sulfites
I am travelling to India for the 1st time in February. I have an allergy to tree nuts, shellfish and sulfites.
How I can avoid these foods in India?
allergy to nuts-travelling to Russia
my 15 year old son visiting Russia-which foods to avoid?How do you say “i am allergic to nuts”in Russian
Allergic to nuts in Russian
Hi Jackie,
Accordording to Google Translate, this is how you write “I’m allergic to nuts” in Russian:
I’m not sure how you pronounce that though. Probably better to print this out and show it to people so they understand it, rather than attempting to say it, only to get it wrong.
Travelling to Portugal, Switzerland, France & UK
We’re planning a family trip to see friends and family in Europe. My 4 year-old son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, egg, dairy (cow, not goat) and shellfish (crustaceans). What should we be careful of (special ingredients/common dishes)? What foods are safe? Any information would be helpful.
Interesting reading…How about Thailand and Indonesia.? would it be similar to Malaysia..If you know anything about staying glutenfree there ,let me know.. kind regards Elisa
I haven’t been to Indonesia. I know they have an incredibly diverse range of cultures, so I’m sure they have incredible diversity in food to match. Safe to assume it’s mostly rice-based. Watch out for soya sauce, yellow noodles etc.
Thailand as a unique style of food that varies across the country a bit, but is still rice-based. Again, the biggest problem is soya sauce.
iif its possible,could one travel to avoid or delimit pollen allergens?if so how would you do it?thanks
For a start, when it is spring in the Northern hemisphere, it is fall in the Southern hemisphere. That should be a start. Very dry areas probably have fewer flowering plants and trees, so that might help too, but I can’t give you a definitive answer on that.