Sulphites in Canada: Wine, Dried Fruit and Eating Out

Sulphites in Canada are on Health Canada's priority list, but they are different from the other items on it: Health Canada describes sulphites as a food additive that does not cause true allergic reactions, grouped with priority allergens because sensitive people can have allergy-like symptoms. On a menu they turn up in wine, dried fruit, beer, cider and juices, and in dishes built on them.

Why are sulphites in Canada on a priority list?

Health Canada's sulphites page says sulphites are substances that occur naturally in some foods and in the human body, and that they are also used as food additives, including as preservatives. The agency explains that they are grouped with priority allergens because a sulphite-sensitive person can have allergy-like symptoms even though the reaction is not a true allergic one. The United States' list of nine major allergens, named on the FDA's page, does not include them, so a visitor from there may never have met the word on a menu.

The practical result is a list with a mix of items. Eggs and peanuts are allergens. Sulphites are an additive that a smaller group of people react to. Both belong in the conversation with a kitchen, and neither is a reason for guessing. A cook who has heard of sulphites only as a wine label may not connect them to a dried-apricot garnish, so give the example along with the word.

Where do sulphites turn up on a menu?

Health Canada names wine, dried fruits, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer and cider, and fruit and vegetable juices. The fruit it lists includes apricots, raisins and mango. On a plate that points to a few places: a salad topped with raisins or apricots, a sauce that starts with wine, a dish poached or braised in wine or cider, a beer batter, a cocktail or mocktail built on juice, and a dessert with a fruit compote.

Sulphites can turn up in other places too, and recipes vary, so it is worth asking about pickled vegetables and olives, bottled lemon or lime juice, jams and fruit fillings, and some pre-cut or pre-cooked potatoes. Ask what a dish is made with, not just whether it has "preservatives".

Who does Health Canada say is most at risk with asthma and sulphite sensitivity?

Health Canada says people who have asthma are most at risk of sulphite sensitivity and other forms of sulphite reactions, and that some sulphite-sensitive people, many of whom also have asthma, may react. It lists flushing, fast heartbeat, wheezing, hives, dizziness, stomach upset, diarrhoea, collapse, tingling and difficulty swallowing among the most common symptoms. It gives no dose or threshold. Whether sulphites matter to you is a question for your doctor or allergist, and the questions below are only a way to put what you were told to a kitchen.

How should you ask about wine and beer in a dish?

Wine, beer and cider are the easiest to overlook, because a cook thinks of them as cooking liquids rather than ingredients to declare. Ask whether a sauce, stew, risotto or batter uses wine, beer or cider, and whether the dish is finished with a splash of any of them. Ask whether a juice or a mixer is fresh or from a bottle. If you avoid sulphites, say that word, and mention that you react to the additive, because a server who hears "allergy" may think of nuts. A cook with a label in hand can often answer in seconds.

Does dried fruit on a plate need a question?

Yes. It is one of the foods Health Canada names, and it turns up where you do not look: in a grain bowl, a cheese plate, a stuffing, a salad, a tagine, a curry or a granola topping. Ask whether any raisins, apricots or similar pieces are in the dish and whether they can be left out. A garnish scattered at the last moment is easy for a kitchen to omit if it knows early, and a request made at the order point is far easier than one made when the plate lands. If the dish arrives with something you ruled out, send it back politely and ask for a fresh plate, not a plate with the garnish picked off, since a piece can leave a trace behind.

How does Mosey show sulphites?

For a Canadian place the app offers twelve allergen choices first, and sulphites are one of them. A place can tick a dish as Contains sulphites or May contain sulphites, and the dish filter called Hide dishes that list will hide dishes that list it. A dish with no entry stays on screen, marked "Allergens not listed, ask the place". See priority allergens on a Canadian menu for how the wording works, and eating out with food allergies in Canada for the conversation.

Keep your own record: rate the dish, not only the place, and note what the kitchen said about the wine or the fruit. Tags are one diner's note, never a promise. A private list of places that answered clearly can be shared with friends. A place can fill in its allergens in its dashboard, and Mosey is free to list, with no hidden fees and affordable tools, which supports local kitchens. More guides sit in the Canadian food guides.

After a dish that suited you, get the Mosey app, rate it and add what the cook told you about the wine, the beer or the fruit.