Phthalates are a group of chemicals that can be found in a wide variety of products, including several types of food. Phthalates can make their way into food through food packaging or equipment used in food processing. Exacerbation of phthalate allergy symptoms could be caused by consuming certain types of food, specifically those known to often contain these chemicals.

Food Items With High Phthalate Content

• Processed Foods: Processed foods often come in contact with phthalates during the packaging process, hence consuming them can worsen allergy symptoms.
• High Fat Dairy and Meat Products: Phthalates are fat-soluble and can accumulate in high-fat foods like dairy and meat products.
• Plastic Packaged Foods: Phthalates are commonly used in plastics. Food that comes in plastic packaging, bottles or containers might have trace amounts of phthalates.
• Canned Foods: The interior lining of many food and beverage cans have phthalates that can leach into the content of the can, especially foods with high-fat content.

Recommendations

People with a phthalate allergy should limit their consumption of these above-mentioned foods and opt for fresh, unpackaged foods wherever possible. It is also better to look for products labelled as phthalate-free, especially in relation to packaging and containers.