When are shellfish allergies discovered?
Unlike other food allergies that impact babies and young children, shellfish allergies typically do not develop until later in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Around 60% of people with a shellfish allergy experienced their first allergic reaction as adults.
How to avoid shellfish
The only way to prevent an allergic reaction is to avoid consuming shellfish. Read food labels carefully for your allergen. Because shellfish is one of the Top 8 allergens, the federal government requires that all packaged food products clearly list them as an ingredient. Learn how to read a food label for shellfish ingredients before consuming packaged food, and be sure to always check for precautionary “may contain” statements with cross-contamination warnings. Note that these regulations don’t apply to mollusks such as clams, oysters and scallops.
When dining out in restaurants, always check to ensure that the pan, oil, or utensils used to prepare your meal weren’t cross-contaminated with other dishes containing shellfish. Consider avoiding eating at seafood restaurants as there is a high risk of cross-contact. Some people react after touching shellfish or inhaling the steam from cooking shellfish.
Shellfish can often be found in:
- Asian restaurants
- Bouillabaisse
- Cuttlefish ink
- Glucosamine
- Fish stock
- Seafood flavoring (e.g., crab or clam extract)
- Surimi (imitation crab meat)
- Sushi
Foods to avoid:
- Fish stock
- Fish sauce
- Seafood flavoring
- Gumbo
- Dim sum
Alternative names for shellfish:
- Barnacle
- Crab (Castanea sativa)
- Crawfish (crawdad, crayfish, ecrevisse)
- Krill
- Lobster (langouste, langoustine, Moreton bay bugs, scampi, tomalley, Homarus americanus)
- Prawns
- Shrimp (crevette, scampi)
- Abalone
- Clams (cherrystone, geoduck, littleneck, pismo, quahog, steamers)
- Cockle
- Cuttlefish
- Limpet (lapas, opihi)
- Mussels
- Octopus
- Oysters
- Periwinkle
- Sea cucumber
- Sea urchin
- Scallops
- Snails (escargot)
- Squid (calamari, Todarodes pacificus)
- Whelk (Turban shell)
Non-food products that could have shellfish:
- Pet food
Discover more!
Learn how to order in a restaurant with a shellfish allergy
Browse shellfish-free recipes