How to deal with dairy allergies

Cow’s milk is the most common food allergy among babies and young children—2.5 percent of the population experience an adverse reaction, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Traditionally, most children outgrew the allergy, but in recent years, the number of dairy-allergic young adults has grown at a rapid pace, says the CDC. Offering milk alternatives in foodservice is no longer an option, it’s a must.

On the commercial side,  Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have experimented with several products, as reported in FoodService Director’s sister publication Restaurant Business in April 2015.  Starbucks has offered soy milk for years, but this past February, in response to guests’ call for another option, the megachain added coconut milk. “Providing a nondairy milk alternative to dairy and soy is the all-time second most requested idea from mystarbucksideas.com; more than 84,000 people voted for this idea,” Erin Jane Schaeffer, communications manager at Starbucks told RB.

Last September, Dunkin’ Donuts  added almond milk after hearing from a supplier that it was a more popular option than soy, based on U.S. sales, said Chris Fuqua, vice president of brand marketing. So the chain put it into 75 percent of stores, coinciding with its West Coast expansion.

Lately, almond milk has gotten some negative press in response to the prolonged drought in California. Almonds and other tree nuts require a lot of water to thrive, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. That awareness prompted students at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., to work with the staff at Motley, a student-run coffeehouse, to institute water-conserving food choices. One result: a switch from almond milk to hemp milk.

Beth Winthrop, registered dietitian and wellness director for Sodexo, says soy milk is the most popular alternative in C&U, with many facilities serving it in volume from dispensers. But, she adds, “I prefer rice milk as an alternative. It doesn’t contain as much protein but unlike nut milks, it’s allergen-free.” However, Winthrop cautions that you can’t automatically substitute alternatives for dairy milk in recipes—it takes some experimentation to get the ratio and flavor right. 

Dairy allergy vs. lactose intolerance

Stocking lactose-free milk or substituting it in recipes is not a solution for serving customers with a true dairy allergy. Lactose-free milk contains cow’s milk. It’s designed for the lactose intolerant—people who lack the natural acid necessary to digest milk and suffer gastric distress as a result of ingesting regular milk.

A milk allergy, on the other hand, is an overreaction of the immune system to a specific protein present in dairy foods. Those allergic to dairy can get a severe anaphylactic reaction from ingesting milk that is potentially fatal if not treated with epinephrine.