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Information › Allergies › Lactose

Lactose intolerance and lactose-free shopping

With lactose intolerance the body makes too little lactase to digest milk sugar. It is not an allergy: small amounts are often tolerated, and lactose-free dairy is a fine choice. With a milk allergy, by contrast, all milk has to be avoided.

At a glance

Kind
Intolerance, not an allergy
Also as
melksuiker
Without lactose
15.946 products
Supermarkets
AH, Jumbo, PLUS, Dirk and Hoogvliet
Show products without lactoseScan in the shopSearch without traces too →

Recognise

On the label as

  • melksuiker
  • Lactose is not a legal allergen; ‘lactosevrij’ is a voluntary claim (usually under 0.1 g per 100 g).
  • Milk as an allergen is in bold, and you will see it on lactose-free dairy too, because the milk protein is still there.
  • Hard cheeses (Gouda, Parmesan) and butter contain almost no lactose naturally.

Shopping

Examples without lactose

All 15.946 products without lactose

What to look out for in the shop

  • Filter on ‘lactose’ (not on ‘milk’) to keep seeing lactose-free dairy.
  • Cold cuts, sausages, crisps and sauces sometimes contain lactose as a filler.
  • Jumbo, PLUS and Hoogvliet publish no ‘free from’ information; there the site only shows what demonstrably contains lactose.

Good to know

Recently with lactose in the recipe (8)These products recently took lactose onto their label: the recipe changed. This is exactly where reading the label matters most.
Cross-contamination and “may contain traces”Traces play no part with lactose: it is about amounts.

Traces play no part with lactose: it is about amounts. Hard cheese, butter and Greek yoghurt contain little lactose naturally. Lactose-free dairy is ordinary dairy in which the lactose has been broken down.

Symptoms and when to see a doctorLactose intolerance causes bloating, wind, cramps and diarrhoea, usually half an hour to two hours after eating.

Lactose intolerance causes bloating, wind, cramps and diarrhoea, usually half an hour to two hours after eating. It is not dangerous and not an allergy; the amount determines the complaints.

How much lactose is in cheese?

Hard, matured cheeses (mature Gouda, Parmesan, cheddar) contain almost no lactose. Young cheese, cheese spread and fresh cheese do.

Is lactose-free the same as milk-free?

No. Lactose-free products still contain milk protein and are not suitable with a milk allergy.

Which supermarket has the most lactose-free products?

This site finds the most products that are demonstrably lactose-free at Albert Heijn, because AH alone publishes ‘free from’ information. At the other shops we only show what demonstrably contains lactose.

What this site does and does not do

We read the ingredient list and the allergen declaration as the supermarket publishes them, and hide every product that contains the allergen. Products without allergen information are hidden by default too: unknown is not the same as safe. What we cannot do is read the pack in the shop. Recipes change, and the information here can lag behind. When in doubt the label in your hand decides, and for questions about your health your doctor or dietitian.

Other allergens

MilkGlutenTree nutsPeanutEggSoyFishCrustaceansMolluscsCeleryMustardSesameSulphiteLupin

Sources

  1. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: the fourteen allergens that must be on the label.
  2. The ingredient lists and allergen declarations of Albert Heijn, Jumbo, PLUS, Dirk and Hoogvliet, re-read every week.

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