Danger at the Deli Counter

by Danielle Margulies

For allergy sufferers there is more than one hidden danger at the deli counter.
Since identifying my own wheat and gluten allergies one of my go-to lunches at my desk has been to buy sliced meats and chopped veggies at the market – and I no longer even miss the idea of mayo or mustard ...

Danger #1 – of course you can ask your friendly deli counter server if you can read the label of the industrial sized vat of mayo or mustard that's going in your tuna salad – but they might not be quite so friendly once the irate line starts to form behind you ... if you cannot read the label, don't add it!

Danger #2 – most "sectioned and formed" and processed deli meats contain all sorts of additives: corn syrup (corn allergy alert), whey (dairy allergy alert) and modified food starch which can be derived from corn, wheat, potato, rice or tapioca (you get the idea!) to mention few – not to mention the chemicals and other dubious substances as you can see here: The 5 Things You Need to Know About ... Deli Meats (Cold Cuts).

Danger #s 3 and 4 – these come directly from the food preparation that goes on right in front of your eyes. Unfortunately it comes across as excessively picky, or just plain nuts to the average deli worker, but when even trace amounts of breadcrumbs can trigger a celiac attack, the gloves that made the last guy's sandwich should be changed before your meat or cheese is handled and the board the item is cut on should be cleaned or changed to be free from allergens. Too many times I've un-wrapped my cold cuts back at the office to find crumbs, tiny bits of veggies or smudges of mayo included – and it's just no fun scraping them off and hoping for the best.

Danger # 5 goes hand in hand with these last two - pre-wrapped gourmet items are just as susceptible to careless deli workers who are unaware of food allergies – I realized this a moment ago as I unwrapped my very expensive, pre-wrapped Whole Foods parmesan to find the same unidentifiable alien crumbs ...