Food Allergies

Most products sold in grocery stores have too many ingredients that are artificial, chemical or unnecessary.

Over 70% of processed foods on stores' shelves contain soy, corn or wheat. Corn products come in powders, oils and liquid sweeteners. These products are also used in most processed foods as an alternative to sugar, as a bulker or as a processing aid. Alternatively, gluten and dairy are widely used in ready to eat meals, deli meats, soups and sausages.

Soy is also commonly used in the form of oil as a food additive. As an example, when you read ingredients that say Hyrdolized Vegetable Protein or 'flavouring' this could mean that the product contains soy. Even some soups, broths or foods with gums added could contain soy.

If you or someone in your family has food allergies to any of these foods, then shopping can be challenging. 

Today, 3 out of 4 people have dairy intolerance, 1 in 7 have gluten sensitivity, and 1 in 3 people display sensitivities to artificial sweeteners like fructose.

The most common food allergies are soy, dairy, gluten, msg and sea food. Some of these food allergies can be life threatening if consumed. Diagnosing food allergies is generally easy because the individual will have a severe or sudden adverse reaction to a specific food. In some instances, some food allergies do not appear until later on in life. For people with severe allergies, avoiding these ingredients is next to impossible when buying multi-ingredient foods.

Diagnosing food sensitivities is more complicated and usually requires a systematic approach of eliminating 1 food at a time from your diet. Symptoms of food sensitivities can be intestinal or stomach bloating, excessive gas, stomach cramping, low energy, depression, arthritis, rashes or asthma.

Today, consumers are more educated about food related allergies, especially with their children. The number of children with asthma, allergies and food allergies is increasing world wide!

Some speculate that allergies are on the rise

because of environmental contaminants and

pollution; changes in the food supply;

changes in exposures to infectious disease;

and other influences that might alter

immune system function.

People who are allergic or sensitive to processed foods that contain wheat, dairy, soy, MSG, nitrites, food dies or other chemical preservatives can have serious life threatening health problems.

Mclean Organic Foods believes that shopping for allergen free foods shouldn’t be so challenging.

The Mclean mantra is ‘keep it clean and lean’. This philosophy represents a simple, back to nature approach for ready-to-eat foods like Mclean’s deli meats and cooked meat products. By eating Mclean products as part of an everyday diet, families can minimize the risk of food allergies.

Please note that Mclean uses the following allergens in select products. If you or a member of your family has an allergy to any of these ingredients, please refer to the ingredient list on the Mclean label or contact us directly with your questions at sales@mcleanmeats.com:

- Corn (there may be trace amounts of corn in some products)

- Garlic

- Pepper (black, white and cayenne)

- Mustard

- Sugar

- Carrageenan (from sea weed)