Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Letter: It is hard being allergic to cheese but not milk

Published 17 September 2025

From Keith Appleyard, London, UK

I greatly appreciated your article on lesser-known food allergens. For some 70 years, I have experienced heart palpations and projectile vomiting when I eat cheese, but I don’t have an adverse reaction to milk or yogurt. As cheese doesn’t appear separately on the UK Food Standards Agency’s list of allergens that must be highlighted on food labels, my condition is often ignored or met with scepticism(30 August, p 10).

I check ingredients carefully and err on the side of caution, but I nearly got caught out a few years ago with a sandwich that contained “Grevé”. No one could tell me what it was at the time, but I later found out it was a Swedish cow’s-milk cheese.

Issue no. 3561 published 20 September 2025

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop