Here is a partial list of foods that can contain sulfites.
Note that all fermented products, such as beer and wine, contain natural sulfites. They can also contain added sulfites.
According to Quality Attibutes and Their Measurement in Meat, Poultry and Fish Products By Albert Marchant Pearson, sulfites are excellent at preserving the colour of fresh meat. It is supposedly illegal to use for this purpose in the US, but still happens. It is legal to add sulfites to pork sausages in the UK. Apparently, sulfites can also reduce the incidents of salmonella growth in meat.
- Apple cider
- Apples (dried, glazed, dehydrated, canned or frozen)
- Apricots (dried, glazed or dehydrated)
- Baked goods
- Beer (Alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
- Breads
- Candy
- Canned fruits and vegetables
- Cereal
- Cheese, blue *
- Cheese, soft (some types)*
- Chocolate bars
- Cider (Alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
- Coconut (dried or dehydrated)
- Coleslaw
- Condiments
- Cookies
- Cornmeal
- Cornstarch
- Crackers
- Deli meat
- Dextrose syrup
- Dressings
- Dried fruit
- Fish
- Frozen fruits and vegetables
- Fruit bars
- Fruit filling
- Fruit juice
- Fruit syrup
- Gelatin
- Glazed fruits
- Glucose solids
- Glucose syrup
- Grape juice (regular or sparkling)
- Grapes (fresh) – safe in some countries
- Grapes (glazed)
- Gravies
- Guacamole
- Herbs (dried)
- Horseradish
- Hot Dogs
- Jams
- Jellies
- Ketchup
- Lemon juice/concentrate
- Lettuce (fresh) – safe in some countries
- Lime juice/concentrate
- Maraschino cherries
- Marmalade
- Meat (even fresh meat, depending on preparation)
- Mincemeat (dried or dehydrated)
- Molasses
- Muesli
- Mushrooms (canned or frozen)
- Mustard
- Noodles
- Olives (canned)
- Onions (pickled)
- Papaya (dried or dehydrated)
- Pastries
- Peaches (dried or dehydrated)
- Pears (dried or dehydrated)
- Peas (canned or frozen)
- Pectin
- Peppers (canned or frozen)
- Perfume*
- Pickled foods
- Pickles
- Pineapple (dried or dehydrated)
- Potato chips
- Potato starch
- Potatoes (dehydrated, frozen french fries, dehydrated, mashed, peeled, pre-cut)
- Raisins (dried or dehydrated)
- Relish
- Rice mixes
- Sauces
- Sauerkraut
- Sausages
- Shellfish
- Shrimp (fresh/frozen)
- Snack foods
- Soft drinks
- Soup mixes
- Soups
- Soy products
- Spices
- Starches
- Sugar beet starch
- Sugar syrups
- Tea
- Tomatoes (dried, sun dried, dehydrated, canned, frozen or paste/pulp/puree)
- Tortilla chips
- Trail mix
- Vegetable juices
- Vinegar, wine vinegar
- Waffles
- Water (bottled)
- White grape juice
- Wine (Alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
Foods with Naturally Occurring Sulfites
According to one of our readers, here is a partial list of foods with naturally occurring sulfites. I have not verified this list.
*
- Grapes and all related products
- Peanuts and all related products
- Cabbage and all related products
- Brussel Sprouts
- Pork
- All Soy
- Molasses
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Garlic
- Peppers
Note that it seems odd that pork would have naturally occurring sulfites, however the reader that suggested this reports that she reacts to all pork, even when cooked at home. It could be that it contains sulfites, or that she is sensitive to pork. Please share your own experience with pork: does it cause you problems or not?
Personal Care Products
The following may contain sulfites. Check each item/brand that you use with the manufacturer before using.
(Note: not a complete list. You should check all your personal care products, including soap, makeup etc.)
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
Please leave a comment if you notice anything that is missing
* Items marked with and asterisk have been suggested by readers by I have not personally verified them.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
@Margaret,
I have allergic reation to aspartame too! as well as sulfites, and msg and yeast and I dont even know what else. It is super annoying. Sometimes it gets to the point where I am afraid to eat or drink anything. I am havng a little reaction as we speak. Itchy skin and some shortness of breath. I just took a benadryl, I hope it works. I dont even know what caused it. I ate spaghetti last nite with beef and I did have lots of breadsticks and I had a huge bagel yesterday as well. I usually seem to get a delayed reaction. Or maybe its dose dependant.. IdK.. but I can tell you that I dont even take cold medicine. Almost all cold meds make me feel like my heart is racing and leave me in a near coma fog. I drink ginger root tea, it really helps to lower inflammation. and the warm liquid helps with congestion. Apparently u can make your own tea with ginger root, just peel the ginger root and slice it up and boil it in water for 15 mins, and add some lemon .
Hey Lisa,
I cannot tolerate just any kind of pasta sauce. NO BREAD or BAGELS that is what is causing your shortness of breath. I have had asthma my whole life 46 years and when I figured out I had a sulfite allergy my asthma has all but gone away. It’s been great. I have found some bread recipes I can tolerate making my own, but nothing store bought. Same with the sauce. I cannot tolerate Sugar at all so anything with sugar is off limits. Just some thoughts!
Does anyone know what to take for a chest cold if you have a sulfite allergy? I also am allergic to sweeteners such as sorbitol and aspartame, etc. Please help !
Broccoli, when cooked creates its own sulfites.
Red Kidney Beans- canned.
Wheat Thins- crackers.
sir/madam
i want to know the normal conc of sulfite in food ,beverages,fruit juices,pharmaceuticals.
This would vary widely for each item. You will have to research each specific food etc. individually.
Feel free to share what you come up with by leaving comments here!
I have an allergy to all of those foods, including being lactose intolerant. I am living on organic chicken& fresh and fresh lettuce. I am so allergic to sulfites. I do have bacterial overgrowth in my small intestine, and h-pylori, which I cant get rid because I have an an allergic reaction to EVERY antibiotic. Does anyone have any food suggestions for me, I am going to fade away!!!!:((((((Any info would be appreciated:)
Hi Lucy,
Perhaps taking too much antibiotics in the first place is the cause of your problem.
You should not try to get rid of bacteria in your intestine, you should try to introduce the correct bacteria that is beneficial to digestion. ‘Good’ bacteria will hold the bad stuff in check.
Try some good probiotics.
Garlic, garlic, garlic… Almonds, cranberries, blueberries, ginger.
Be creative in adding these ingredients in with your meals.
Be carefull with ginger and cinnamon… Too much can cause chest pains and shortness of breath!
How much is too much?
I’ve never experienced this problem and I eat quite a bit of both at times.
I think how much is too much depends on the person. I just remember having alot of chest pains and shortness of breath for close to a year. My girlfriend told me that you can actually overdose on cinnamon or ginger. (and I used both in raw/organic form quite a bit, most everyday)
So I was curious and looked on the internet and found out that indeed you can over dose on them. Indeed, even drinking too much water can make you sick I suppose.! So I have cut down on my intake, and the problem seems to be getting much better.
Try eating yogurt that has probiotics. ALso any fresh fruit or veggie should be ok. use a juicer so you can make your own and dont have to deal with additives. Lots of juicer recipes on the web. Salmon filets are great to eat and I also drink bengal spice tea, it is lovely, has cinnamon, . carob, ginger, and doesnt even taste like tea! It tastes like heaven!!
Onions and garlic contain sulfites and cause significant reaction for me.
I have serious effects of being allergic to sulfites. I have never had a problem with onions and garlic. They are in my diet everyday. Are you sure it’s a sulfite allergy?
same here! I have trouble with beer, and wine and yeast, or anything that says contains sulfites on the package, but I have never had trouble with garlic or onions.
I have sulfite and corn intolerances, onions and garlic are a big part of them too! There are sulfites or sulfate in both onions and garlic, if you don’t react then you may have a different sensitivity level than others. I have a hard time figuring out how to add flavor to food w/out onions or garlic!
I struggle with the same problem. My Dr. explains that garlic and onions contain a sulfur compound that for me, create a significant reaction. I went into mourning for some time after figuring out how sick I got from my beloved garlic and onions. I use lots of herbs. I have an herb garden in the kitchen in winter, outside during the summer, then harvest and dry as much as I can. Organic herbs and spices are too expensive for me. When making pasta sauce, I use lots of fresh basil, thyme and oregano. I put rosemary stem in roasts. Italian parsley has much more flavor than curly. Marjoram, sage and tarragon are among my favorites as well. In some dishes, I put the dried herbs in 1/2 cup of hot water before adding them to the dish. It livens up the flavors. I have yet to find a good substitute for onion and garlic, but there is no reason not to have flavor. You’ll need to make you own chicken and vegetable stock. All store brands I’ve seen have garlic and/or onions. Please let me know if you find any other ideas. I’m always looking.
You can use fresh lemon too.
Hi I was wondering if certified organic Broccoli, Cauliflower, lettuce,carrots and fruit juices are ok. I was also wondering about organic apple cider vinegar. If you can eat organic lettuce what can you use as dressing? I’ve heard that lettuce is o.k. to eat and then I heard that it contains natural sulfites , is this true. Thank you for you time.
Organic is supposed to be free of added sulfites. I have not yet found a grape juice I can drink. It’s not the fruit or vegatables that’s the problem, usually it’s the additives. Most drinks have high frutcose corn syryp, soy or other ingredients that have sulfites in it. If manufacturers use a product that contain sulfites, they are not required by law to report it on their label. Most organic manufactureres are good about it. You will need to make a lot of things yourself. I’m experimenting with salad dressings that use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. Please post if you find anything.
I am new to this, but have read that rice vinegar is safe. If true, that would be a good base for a salad dressing, as well as the fresh lemons.
I believe that I have a sulfite allergy what can you drink…is water o.k. Can you drink pure juice from health food store i.e.(cranberry juice). Is all fruit except grapes o.k. and which vegetables..i.e. carrots,corn?
Yes, water is OK! In fact, nothing is better than water. Most other things that you drink are sort of like negative water (in other words, cause you to be more thirsty).
As for pure juice, there is no such thing. Pure and 100% do not take on their dictionary definitions in the marketing world.
Always check each flavor and each brand before you drink it. It doesn’t matter where you buy it.
Fresh vegetables are fine. If they are frozen, preserved, or you eat them in a restaurant, that’s a different matter. You have to check in each case.
I am going to disagree with you on the water – in some cases. many brands of bottled water have sulfites added to them – keep the Dasani away from me! As far as tap water goes, sulfites are added to tap water to prevent the pipes that bring the water to your home from rusting internally. Additionally, if the water is filtered, almost all filters in this country are made from coconut – which of course have sulfites in them. The best I think you can do is unfiltered tap water or well water. I have even considered buying one of those machines to take the impurities out of the water – but those are EXPENSIVE.
Interesting that sulfates are added to the city water supply. I haven’t found a reference to that after a quick search on the internet, although apparently it is used in boilers and steam equipment, including equipment used for food production.
Some filters may be made with coconut, but I expect you’d be fine with a solid block activated carbon filter, which actually works, unlike the many cheap filters like Britta. Reverse osmosis is very expensive. Sold block activated carbon is almost as good, but not quite (does not remove fluoride for example)
Hello, I know some bottled water adds sulfites to it, but what about purified water from a water store that uses the reverse osmosis? Thank you, kary
If it is bottled, then never mind the source, you are well advised to call the bottling company and ask them.
get a juicer and make your own fresh juice! There are lots of recipes on the web!
All bottled water has Sulphates. Check the label. When I have one to many bottles I have a attack.
Could someone explain to me why somethings on these list do not list any of the ‘sulfite’ names in their ingredients yet they are still on this list for sulfites? I have looked up lots of information regarding sulfites and I’m totally confused about what I can and cannot eat when looking at ingredient list to make sure that there isn’t anything I shouldn’t be eating. Please help
For example… cereal or waffles, what are in these kinds of foods that have to do with sulfites
Some of the sulfites occur naturally in things (soy). Others are not required to add sulfites to their list of ingredients. The feds only require someone list on their ingredients if it rises above a certain level so most baked goods have sulfites to make it look pretty, but don’t have to tell you about it. Also, the feds do not require listing if they use an ingredient that already had sulfites when they added it. So, corn syryp, corn starch, high frutcose corn syryp, corn oil don’t have to tell you about the sulfites in them. Corn is soaked for 2 days in sulfites in order to extract all the goodies that people make from corn. Any potato, frozen or dehydrated is doused in sulfites and because of some silly law suit are exempt from including it in their products. You have to be a well educated consumer depending on how you respond to sulfites, if it’s an allergy or a sensitivity, and know the things that have sulfites and avoid those that you are unsure of. It’s really a pain!
Thanks for the additional info.
When you say “…are exempt from including it in their products.” do you mean ingredients?
Just wondering if the things that others mentioned have infact been found to have sulfites that can cause allergies in some folks? Have hives that are driving me nuts and Dr said to avoid sulfites along with other stuff.
I suggest you try cutting out all of the suggested foods and see what happens. Assuming you see an improvement, and I hope you do, you can try bringing in some of the foods you think you can’t live without. If your symptoms come back, you can decide if the symptoms are worse than not eating that particular food or the other way around.
I know it’s tough but it’s worth it if you see the results.
It would be nice to know if the foods naturally have sulfites or if it is just a food that commonly have sulfites added. For instance, right now I don’t know if you mean I shouldn’t eat any apples at all (even if I grew them myself in my back yard and new everything that went on them), if I could eat organic apples, if I should be on the look out for sulfites on an ingredient list if I see apples, if I should just assume that apples in an ingredient list have sulfites added like I do for molasses and dried apricots, etc.
Good question Abbie.
Yeast naturally produces sulfites, so fermented products, such as wine, naturally contain some sulfites.
Other products, for example the apple products (dried, glazed, apple cider etc.) have sulfites added to them. Wine and beer frequently have additional sulfites added to them, over and above natural levels.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are fine to the best of my knowledge.
Fresh and organic apples are not problematic. Any packaged apples unless listed as organic, I assume they contain sulfites much like Apricots and molasses.
Tempeh
toothpaste, garlic
Your list of possible bad food items covers more than it leaves out. It is raw data without the specifics for each food the info is useless. A list of the top five and why would have been more useful. I think you gave it a good shot but missed the target
Hi Ron,
Some people like an explicit list of foods that contain sulfites. It is of course impossible to have a complete list, but at least it illustrates the kinds and variety of products that have sulfites in them for one reason or another.
Speaking of reasons, that sounds to me what you are looking for: see this article on sulfites and tell me what you think.
I agree Ron,
I have developed a severe problem with sulfites and do not know what to eat. I appreciate this much more than the top few because I already know those and need more help than that.
I have had so many question’s about my allergies.I am allergic to gluten,sulfer/sulfites,yeast and pork.This site has answered many of my concerns.Keep up the good work.
thank you
Joy
sulfites
Processed meats, such as deli meats/cold cuts, hot dogs and sausage contain sulfites.
sulfate allergys
cheese ,stuffings, because of the vignar aND SULFATES
Concentration
It would be nice if you could mention the amount of sulphites in your list ; I’m sure some only have a trace whereas others are more of a danger ?
Sulfites Concentration
It would be good to know the concentration.
It varies from one brand to the next. Some brands may have none.
The point it to watch out for these and similar foods.
You may want to call the manufacturer of the brands you buy for more details.
Feel free to share your results here!
Eggs contain sulfites.
Eggs contain sulfites.
Lots of rotisserie chickens
Lots of rotisserie chickens have been injected with marinade containing sulfites
I buy the chicken that are either FREE FROM or FREE RANGE.