Milk allergy

In the body: An allergy is the immune system reacting to the food.

Not rated by dose: a flag on 24 reviewed foods, among them Milk, 2%, kefir and low-fat plain yogurt. The list below has a line for each of 31 preparations.

A milk allergy is the immune system reacting to the proteins in milk, and it can be life-threatening. Lactose intolerance is different: the body makes too little of the enzyme that digests milk sugar. It upsets the stomach but is not an allergy.

For some people. Allergies, medicines and medical conditions: a flag for the people the source names, no wider.

All hazards

The reference value and where it comes from

The agency’s figureno agency dose value
Basispriority allergen
Source ?Health Canada, priority allergens

Reviewed foods that carry it

24 reviewed foods carry it; none is rated by dose. A food counts once, as in the foods list: preparations sharing a page (raw and cooked, canned) count once; one with its own page counts apart. Below, one line for each of 31 preparations.

How often you can eat it ?

No food here is rated by dose. Each line says why it’s listed: a flag for the people the source names, advice on handling it, or context.

Flags and context, not rated by dose

Butter, salted
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a cow's milk allergy: butter is a named milk source, and milk is a Health Canada priority allergen. No threshold dose found. Of 30 children with IgE-mediated milk allergy tested with butter (Miceli Sopo 2025, abstract only), 15 were cleared to introduce normal butter, 1 was allergic and 14 were uncertain. That does not relax the flag.
Intake: one 10.0 g serving, 70 kg adult (Health Canada TRA H.1)
Measured on: priority allergen; butter is a named source of milk on Health Canada's milk page
Butter, unsalted
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a cow's milk allergy: butter is a named milk source, and milk is a Health Canada priority allergen. No threshold dose found. Of 30 children with IgE-mediated milk allergy tested with butter (Miceli Sopo 2025, abstract only), 15 were cleared to introduce normal butter, 1 was allergic and 14 were uncertain. That does not relax the flag.
Intake: one 10.0 g serving, 70 kg adult (Health Canada TRA H.1)
Measured on: priority allergen; butter is a named source of milk on Health Canada's milk page
Cakes
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority food allergen. Some people with milk allergy tolerate extensively baked milk, with an allergist's advice; icings and cream fillings are not baked.
Intake: n/a (person-specific)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk (butter, milk, cream icings; pie crusts often use shortening)
Cheddar
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Coffee creamer, flavoured liquid
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a cow's milk allergy, whatever the front of the pack says: Health Canada's milk page lists caseinate and its salts among the ingredient names to avoid, and lists flavoured coffee, coffee whitener and non-dairy creamer among other possible sources of milk. The Canadian rule on the wording 'non-dairy' was not found. Soy-based and oat-based creamers do not contain it.
Intake: one 15.2 g (15 mL) serving a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: 'Non-dairy' creamers commonly contain sodium caseinate, a milk protein (SR 171262 names it: 'with lauric acid oil and sodium caseinate'); not every creamer does (soy-based and oat-based ones do not).
Coffee creamer, powder
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a cow's milk allergy, as for liquid creamer: Health Canada's milk page lists caseinate among the ingredient names to avoid, and coffee whitener and non-dairy creamer among other possible sources of milk.
Intake: one 2.0 g serving a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: As the liquid row: caseinate in most 'non-dairy' creamers.
Cookies
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority food allergen. The cookie behind this page is made with butter or shortening, so the flag is for the category, not every recipe.
Intake: n/a (person-specific)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk (butter, milk chocolate, whey in many cookies; not every cookie)
Cottage cheese
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Crackers
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy, for cheese crackers only: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen. Plain soda and wheat crackers are often milk-free, but some carry whey or butter.
Intake: n/a (person-specific)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk; the representative (cheese cracker) contains cheese by definition
Cream cheese
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; cream cheese is cheese, a common source of milk on Health Canada's page.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Dark chocolate
Worth knowing
CFIA 2022 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flag on the survey, not the label: dark chocolate is not made with milk, yet 39 of 289 dairy-free dark chocolates carried milk protein from cross-contact and the CFIA recalled 36 as a health risk to allergic people. The share counts samples with a result for both markers; the rate in the whole dark-chocolate market is not known (a targeted survey of dairy-free claims).
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific: milk allergy. CFIA targeted survey 'Undeclared allergens and gluten in candies and chocolate products', 2022-2023: 291 'dairy free dark chocolate' products (289 with a milk result): 39 had detectable beta-lactoglobulin and casein (casein up to 1,400 mg/kg, median of the 39 = 68), 250 none; 5 further dark chocolates not labelled dairy-free were NOT tested for casein or beta-lactoglobulin (their results cover peanut, sesame, gluten, almond, hazelnut, egg and soy only, none detected); milk chocolate (31 samples) was not tested for milk markers either. Canada.
Feta
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; the Health Canada milk page lists yogurt among common sources of milk
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Half-and-half cream
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; cream is a listed source.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk
Heavy cream
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; cream is a listed source.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk
Ice cream, vanilla
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; ice cream is a listed source.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk
Kefir, 2–3.9% fat
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Person-specific: kefir is a dairy food made from milk, a Health Canada priority allergen.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen
Kefir, low-fat
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Person-specific: kefir is a dairy food made from milk, a Health Canada priority allergen.
Intake: one 188 mL (193.1 g) serving a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen
Milk chocolate
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; milk chocolate is made with milk, so every serving carries it. Lactose is a separate, gut-side matter (see Gut).
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific: milk allergy; milk chocolate contains milk by composition (milk solids are an ingredient)
Milk, 2%
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Mozzarella, part-skim
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Parmesan
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Plain yogurt, low-fat
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; the Health Canada milk page lists yogurt among common sources of milk
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Plain yogurt, whole milk
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; the Health Canada milk page lists yogurt among common sources of milk
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Processed cheese slices
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; cheese is a listed source.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk
Ranch dressing
Worth knowing
Health Canada 2017 · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a cow's milk allergy: Health Canada's milk page lists 'Dips and salad dressings' among foods that contain or often contain milk, and names caseinates and whey as ingredient terms to avoid. Ranch is buttermilk-based, and blue cheese, Caesar (parmesan) and creamy dressings contain milk protein.
Intake: one 30.4 g (30 mL) serving a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: Ranch is buttermilk-based and blue cheese, Caesar (parmesan) and creamy dressings contain milk protein.
Skim milk
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Sour cream
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; Health Canada's page names sour cream among the common sources of milk.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Swiss cheese
Worth knowing
Health Canada, priority allergens · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Milk is a Health Canada priority allergen; casein stays in cheese
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: person-specific
Whey protein concentrate
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen, and whey is milk protein. Health Canada lists 'whey and whey protein concentrate' among the other names for milk and says not to eat a product that lists one. No agency threshold dose is used.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk
Whey protein isolate
Worth knowing
Health Canada, Milk - a priority food allergen · grade A ?
How it’s rated
Flagged for people with a milk allergy: milk is a Health Canada priority allergen, and whey is milk protein. Health Canada lists 'whey and whey protein concentrate' among the other names for milk and says not to eat a product that lists one. No agency threshold dose is used.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: Health Canada priority allergen: milk