Lactose-free foods & beverages
WHAT ARE LACTOSE-FREE FOODS & BEVERAGES?
Products left in their natural state such as meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, grains or water contain no lactose whatsoever. Yet even foodstuffs that contain less than 0.1 g lactose are designated as lactose-free. The following includes a selection of lactose-free foods & beverages*:
| Food Category | Suitable Products |
| Milk & dairy products | Lactose-free milk & dairy products |
| Meat, sausage & fish | Unprocessed meat & fish, unprocessed seafood, canned/tinned fish in water or oil |
| Eggs | Eggs in natural form, fried egg |
| Fats | Plant-based or vegetable oils, concentrated butter |
| Grains | All varieties of grains, linseed, wheat bran, rice, noodles |
| Vegetables/potatoes | Fresh or frozen vegetables (without sauces etc.), natural mushrooms, canned/tinned vegetables without additives, potatoes |
| Nuts/legumes | All varieties of nuts, all varieties of legumes |
| Fruit | Fresh or frozen fruit (natural), canned/tinned fruit without additives, fruit purée/compôte without additives, dried fruit |
| Sugar confectionery | Honey, jams, jellies & marmelade, water ice/sorbet/“Italian ice”, pure jelly/jello, fruit candy/drops |
| Beverages | Mineral water, pure fruit juices, carbonated soft drinks, all varieties of bagged tea, black coffee |
| Other | Plain spices & herbs, vinegar, baking powder, yeast, sugar, salt |
* This list serves as an orientational guide and merely contains a limited selection of lactose-free foodstuffs: there are numerous other foods & beverages with no lactose besides those listed above.
Dairy products become lactose-free by breaking down the lactose during the production process with the help of the lactase enzyme. A residual lactose content of less than 0.1 g / 100 g remains.
CAUTION WITH INDUSTRIALLY PROCESSED LACTOSE!
Foods that appear to be lactose-free at first glance may definitely contain lactose, after all. Lactose is frequently utilised in processed foods due to its technological attributes. As the carrier substance for flavourings, as binding agent or filler, lactose finds its way into foods where one initially wouldn’t expect to find it. Thanks to mandatory labelling, reading the list of ingredients provides certainty. For example, the following products* could contain lactose:
| Foods | Description |
| Bread / baked goods | Varieties of breads & baked goods which were baked using milk, powdered milk, buttermilk or other dairy products; frozen cakes & pies; bread and cake mixes which contain milk, powdered milk or similar products; crispbread, cakes, waffles, biscuits, cookies & crackers |
| Ready-cooked meals | All ready-cooked meals that contain lactose |
| Sausage products | Sausages (e.g. boiled sausages), “Leberwurst” liver paté, reduced-fat sausage products, canned/tinned sausage |
| Instant products | Instant soups, instant sauces, instant creams, mashed potato flakes, dumpling mix |
| Prepared sauces | Gourmet sauces, grill sauces, mayonnaise |
| Confectionery | Ice cream, dairy ice cream, toffees & caramels, candy bars/sweet bars, nougat, nut nougat cream, filled chocolates, chocolate, ready-made desserts |
| Other products | Margarine products, spiced spreads, muesli mixes, spice blends, seasonings, mustard, ketchup, chips |